Survival of the Fairest by Jody Wallace

Author:Jody Wallace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2008-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“By Loken, I’m dying!” Tali shifted her legs beneath the sheets and uttered a pitiful moan. Jake concealed a grin.

“You’re not dying, you’re just sore. How’s your…you know?” He handed her a cup of hot tea from the coffeemaker to wash down the cheese croissants. She had the same just-kissed pucker and tumbled hair as yesterday at his mother’s, only this morning there was a different reason for it. He’d just kissed her.

“My you-know is fine, and if my legs didn’t feel like somebody twisted them into rotini I’d prove it.” Tali accepted the cup with a grin.

“You know the word rotini? Do you have Italian pasta fairies?”

Tali’s brow wrinkled as she struggled to follow him. “People aren’t made of pasta.”

“Rotini…pasta…it’s an Italian word. A human word.”

“But we’re speaking English. In Fey the word for twisty pasta is…” She said something musical he couldn’t begin to pronounce.

“Do you have a fairy Mafia, too? Oh, wait, that’s the Elder Court.”

“You say the strangest things.”

“That makes two of us.” Jake clapped his palms together and rubbed them. Maybe he could describe Vegas in such an unappetizing manner she’d be willing to stay in Caliente another couple days—and he could postpone inspecting his “normal” existence through the lens of his shiny, new worldview. “So, are you ready to race back to Vegas and meet other practitioners of magic, all the while dodging Embor and his goon squad? Lots of sneaking around and hiding and running? Bending and stooping? I’m sure you can push through the pain for the sake of your country.”

“You knew I’d feel like this, didn’t you?” She blew on her tea before she sipped. “I don’t even want to walk to the bathing chamber, much less out to your grandfather’s truck.”

“I had an inkling. I suppose I’ll have to keep you in bed all day and fulfill your every need. I could even carry you to the bathroom.”

“I’m not that bad off.” Tali drew her legs toward her chest and shrieked. “On second thought, if you’ll hand me that bucket over there…” She laughed and slid her legs straight again, though not without a hiss of pain.

Not the stiff upper lip type, his Tali, and not a tough cookie, either. Well, he didn’t care. She wasn’t accustomed to pain. Healer fairies hocus-pocused it away. Why would she handle it with equanimity? More importantly, she’d kept her sense of humor. Her introduction to the comics’ section of the paper this morning had been a revelation.

“I hate to tell you this,” he said, “but the best thing for your pain is movement and a couple aspirin.” He rotated his shoulders and inhaled deeply. The sweet scent of her body clung to him from the night’s lovemaking. He felt good physically, considering all his athletics of the past twenty-four hours.

“Movement is the worst thing for me. It certainly feels the worst.”

“Hair of the dog.”

“I’m not fond of dogs. Besides, you people eat them. Do you eat cats, too? You do know they’re

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