“I see.” A small grin appeared on her face. “Do you ever dream about me?”
“Why dream when I have the real deal?” Mike affectionately ran his fingers through her hair, shivering when the cold sparks jumped to his hand. He was about to say something else when he noticed a flash of red beneath the strands of white. He used his fingers to pull it free.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” A long streak of her hair was now a deep red. “Your hair. It’s a different color here.”
“I was wondering.” A shy smile appeared on her face. “Ever since our time in the cave, I have felt a little bit different. It’s almost like a small part of you got left behind, a warm part that keeps me company in the wee hours.”
“I think the same thing may have happened to me. When I was trapped in Baba Yaga’s school, my soul had a white tuft of hair, and the sparks were there when Ratu and I had sex. What does it mean?”
“I’m not sure. My kind was never built to be with your kind, and maybe this is the price.”
“It would have to be more than that.” Mike thought about what Naia had told him. “Part of my soul is a nymph’s soul. Did we do the same thing? Did part of my soul swap with yours?”
“My kind do not have souls, not in the sense that you and Naia do. But I wonder—nymphs perform magic through sexual acts. If you are part nymph, then that could mean that you perform a similar kind of magic through sex. Something happened to me in the cave, something wonderful. For a little while, I felt the cool air on my skin and the wind in my face. So many emotions ran through my being that I couldn’t process any of them.
“When the magic was done, I thought it was temporary, wild magic as a result of our coupling. But some sort of spell has been cast, and I think it means that I will carry a part of you with me forever.” She leaned into him, sliding her arm around his and holding it tightly. “I would gladly pay such a price again.”
Mike felt it then, that surge of electrical energy. It migrated through his body, his arm hairs standing on end as she charged him up. Somewhere, deep inside himself, he felt something resonate, magic of his own that wanted to sing along.
“Cecilia, I—” He was interrupted by the sounds of boots striking wood.
Lily appeared before them in a puff of smoke. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, adjusting the tight white button-down she was wearing. She held a paper plate in one hand with a large piece of cake. “Sorry to interrupt. Beth’s farewell party just finished, so she will be here in a bit.” Lily used her finger to remove a large chunk of frosting, then sucked it into her mouth. “I brought you some of her cake.”
Mike took the plate from her and laughed. Other than a pathetic smear of blue, Lily had licked the cake clean of all its frosting. “How did you teleport here from there?”
“I can always teleport to my ho—” Lily froze, and she stuck her finger in her mouth, licking imaginary frosting off it. “To the place where my master is. It’s no different from being commanded to return to my ruby. It prevents me from running away.”
“So if I asked you to return here, no matter where you were, it would just happen?”
“I…yes. But I wouldn’t be very happy about it.” Lily grabbed some cake off Mike’s plate and stuffed it into his mouth. “Speaking of, I need something from you.”
“All you have to do is ask,” he told her after swallowing. “What do you need?”
“You.” Lily turned around and planted her ass in his lap. The swing wobbled with the sudden weight, and Cecilia slid over to make room for her. She grabbed Mike’s hand and placed it on her stomach. “But don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Lily, I…” He stopped talking when she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never actually touched her this way in the real world—they had only touched inside of his dreams. She wiggled her butt from side to side, teasing an erection out of him.
“Don’t worry, I totally have an agenda. Nothing has changed between us.” She tilted her head to the side. “Now kiss my neck.”
Mike faltered, but Lily grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in, his lips brushing against her skin. Her white blouse slid to the side, and he could see down it. She wasn’t wearing a bra, her dark nipples rigid beneath the fabric. Surprised at this turn of events, he squeezed her breast, appreciating how supple it felt beneath his fingers.
An icy blast of air hit him from the side, and his breath immediately fogged up. He turned to see that Cecilia’s eyes had narrowed at the two of them, her hair already standing on end.
“Oh, relax,” Lily said, her fingers hooking into the top of the banshee’s dress. “We’re sharing today.” She gave a hard yank, and Cecilia floated toward them, her eyes widening in surprise when Lily kissed her. Tendrils of ice formed on Lily’s face, so she broke contact.
“Wow, kissing you is like licking an iceberg! Brr!” She licked her lips, turning her head toward Mike. “Kiss him. I want to see it up close.”
Mike thought Cecilia would argue and was surprised when she grabbed his face and kissed him. Her body floated, the air filling with electricity. He fondled her breasts through her dress with one hand and stroked her neck with the other. While he
