Chapter Five

Lola winced at the pain stabbing through her shoulder as she picked up the wooden tray. She sat it back down quickly. Rolling her shoulders before lifting it again.

“You’re still hurt?” Bodach asked as he caught the grimace marring her pretty features. He glared over at Merrow before stepping closer to her.

“It’s fine, I’ll ice it later.” She said turning to take the tray into the living room and to get away from the tension she felt between the two men.

“Let me,” Bodach said, stepping forward to take the tray from her hands. Lola released it as he pulled the tray closer to his broad chest.

“Thank you,” Lola said, looking up at him. She had never seen a person with crimson eyes before and she bit her lip, studying him. His eyes were larger than a normal person’s, his features almost delicate with a slightly squared jawline.  

“It’s my pleasure,” he said, his lips tilting in a smirk as he caught her admiring glance. Something tightened low in her stomach, a blush rising in her cheeks at the way he said pleasure. 

What type of spell were these creatures weaving?

Lola turned to look at Merrow, and he raised an eyebrow at her as he crossed his muscular arms across his chest. She moved away, all but running into the living room as Bodach sat the tray onto the coffee table in front of Lu.  

“Merrow suggested mint tea,” Lola said, the words coming out faster than she meant them too.

“Aye,” he said, sitting beside Lu on her small couch, “Better than a tea of Earl Grey.”  

“You drink tea made of flesh?” Puca said, his lip curling in disgust.

“It’s just named after him, not made from him. We’re not cannibals.” Lola said as she handed Puca one of the delicate teacups. “Well, I mean, some humans are. None around here that I know of, maybe the guy in 3B.”

Lu gave her look and she heald up her hands.

“I’m just kidding. I doubt Sam would let in any tenants like that.”

“Tis good to know, go halainn.” Puca said, breathing in the steam from his tea. A soft sigh of pleasure escaping his lips, making Lola’s eyes widen. She didn’t understand why her body was responding to them the way it was. Was it because they were fae? Was this some super secret power they possessed?

Lola grabbed a plush floor cushion and sat down, looking at the men that filled her small living room. She had the strange feeling of other-worldliness again as she took in their clothing. It was so out of place in her modern apartment. They stood out from her colorful aesthetic in their leather trousers that looked soft to the touch. Shirts that didn’t look soft though, she knew they were. Lola’s eyebrows scrunched together. How was she supposed to get them out of her apartment?

Where would they go?

They looked like they were headed to some LARP convention or something. She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about the errand she was going to run for Erik tomorrow. What would she do with her new guests while she was busy?

Shaking her head as she looked about the room, she’d worry about that tomorrow. Maybe she could claim they were cousins or- who was she kidding, no one would believe that?

They looked like models off of the covers of the cheesy romance novels she liked to read. While she with her wild purple hair, piercings, and curvy figure would never be considered a traditional beauty. Mostly, she was fine with that. Something about the looks they cast her way had made her wish she had put more effort into her clothing choice and makeup today.  

She sipped her tea, trying not to think about the way Bodach’s eyes were trailing up her body as he sat close to her. Her face flushed and she didn’t want to understand why.

“What are you?” He asked, his voice a low grumble as his eyes met hers.

“I, I don’t understand what you’re asking.” She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You are not a mere mortal, I can smell it on you,” Puca said from where he sat on the couch.

“Pretty sure I’ve been human my entire life,” Lola said with a frown. She didn’t have any family she could ask. Her parents had passed away when she was younger. Her grandmother had raised her until she too had passed away last summer. Lola felt a pang of loneliness. She was the last one left of her bloodline. Even if she had wanted to ask her Nana about this, she wouldn’t be able to.

“Aye, I smell it as well,” Merrow said, his elbows on his thighs as he leaned forward to study her.

“Must be the hair,” Lu said before taking another pull from the wine bottle.

“Oh, that’s just dye.” Lola said, “I don’t like my natural color and I think this suits me better.”  

“What is your natural color?” Puca asked, his lips tilting in a half-smile as he watched her with his golden eyes.

“Um, it’s strawberry blonde. So not really red, not really blonde.” She answered, running her fingers through her hair nervously. She wasn’t used to having so many eyes on her.  

“I bet it looks like spun gold in the sunlight,” Puca mumbled as he thought about how she would look with her natural hair color spread on the ground. The sun shining through the trees, painting her pale flesh brighter as he watched her Merrow worshiping her. His head buried in between her thighs as she panted his name. He felt his cock twitch in response and he looked over at the other man with a knowing glance.

He knew he had said they wouldn’t lay with her, but something about Lola called to something in him. He had felt it the moment he had healed her, felt it when his magic had touched her. Dancing under his fingers, tasting him as his magic had tasted her. He knew he wanted to taste her as well. To see if she tasted as sweet as her magic, like honeysuckle flowers that perfumed the summer evenings in his childhood.