Chapter 2-1
1157 Words
Cala gnashed his teeth as he stalked from the room, headed towards a less infuriating destination. He didn’t know her name. Even her first name might help. That, coupled with everything else he knew about her, would help him find her. The magic worked better with a full name, but Cala’s desire to see her again, feel her again, smell the intoxicating mix of vanilla and lust on her skin again…
He stopped that thought before it could go any further. It was too late. The instant erection from indulging the memory of her scent caused him to grunt in equal parts pain and need. How many times had he taken himself in hand only to find his release empty and unsatisfying?
But to leave himself in this state hurt even more. How well the humans had captured this situation in the old adage. He was truly damned whether he did it or not.
“Still at it, I see.”
Cala stopped walking and looked to the doorway he’d just passed. His father stood there. An amused smile curved the man’s lips. Cala said in a grudging tone, “I don’t know what you mean, Father.”
Mori tapped one of his ears.
In a telling move, Cala reached for his ears. They had drooped, the long tips dipping back so they pointed behind him. A blatant indication of his uneasy state. He hated that about his race. Their ears gave away their emotions if one was unpracticed at controlling his reactions. Cala thought he had control, but this situation had proven him wrong.
“I won’t begrudge you your search, Cala. I know the importance of this and hope you find her soon.”
“But?”
“You have responsibilities. You vied for the position and won out over your brother and many others, becoming the head of the Autumn Clan. This search can only be indulged but so far. You have duties to attend.”
“I know my duties.”
“Then do them!”
Cala jerked back from his father’s vehemence. Mori rarely raised his voice. His even temperament didn’t allow for emotions strong enough to warrant it. Or so Cala had thought.
Mori stepped closer. “You traded with your cousin, played his role of the Hallowed Eve Lord to indulge in a whim that has landed you in this predicament. If you wanted to play the human’s Pumpkin King—”
“Lord of Pumpkins,” Cala mumbled, not wanting to interrupt but unable to stop. His words got a glare from his father.
“If you wanted to be head of House Hallowed Eve, you shouldn’t have donned the Autumn mantle. That was your choice. The duties you now shirk to search for this unknown girl are not a choice.”
“She isn’t unknown.” Cala knew so much about her he thought he would drown in the knowledge. The sound of her passion, the way her body tensed as she neared the peak of her pleasure, the gentle brush of her lips as she laid them against his skin, the rippling texture of her silky braids running through his fingers, the—
“Tell me her name.”
“What?” He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard his father’s words correctly.
“Her name, Cala. Tell it to me. If you know so much about her, tell me her name.”
Cala grit his teeth. “You know I cannot.”
“Of course not, which is why you are in this state.” Mori gestured to Cala’s obvious arousal. “This as well is the fault of your rash behavior. I should have never allowed you to become head of Autumn Clan. You are too young, too immature.”
“I’m three hundred and sixteen years old. I’m not a child—”
“Her name?”
They would go round and round with this conversation if Cala allowed it. He didn’t have time for this. Every second that ticked by lessened his power. Autumn was ending. He had until the winter solstice to find her. As the head of a season clan, he could only interact with the humans during his season. That was the agreement all those of the four season clans had made.
He shook his head as desperation clawed up from the dark place he’d shoved it, threatening to make him give up. “Had I let the magic come—”
“Instead of yourself.”
Cala glared at his father’s amused expression. “I thought the binding magic was stronger than any other. Why did it fail with her? Is it because she was not truly my one?”
“I’m sure she is. You said you felt the magic start. That is your proof. There are past accounts of those whose lust and craving for fulfillment overrode the magical binding. It would seem that is what happened to you.”
That was exactly what had happened. Cala remembered feeling an urging, like someone pulling on the reins of horse to slow it. He hadn’t wanted slow at the time. He and his would-be mate had thundered on to climax after climax, wanting satisfaction more than the binding magic. As a result, they were lost to each other.
His ears drooped more. And there it was. He’d lost her. Billions of humans on the planet. Millions in the country where she lived—without her name, he would never find her.
He shouldn’t have ignored the urge to take her. Spiriting her away to his home, where the binding magic could have taken hold after they had exhausted themselves. They would have had time. Only the sounds of her searching friends had stopped him. It had never stopped any of his predecessors.
Stealing humans had been almost akin to a sport amongst the fey at one point. Those were the days when the fey had openly proclaimed themselves gods for the humans to worship. No longer.
Times had changed. Old gods were light shadows of their former glory. The fey had adopted houses and clans to conserve and nurture what little power they gained from the few humans who continued in their admiration.
Cala sighed. “I go to rest, Father. I have matters to attend later this day.”
“Matters of the clan, I hope.”
“Yes.” Cala’s tone was solemn, resigned. He didn’t want to give up, but he had no choice. “Good day to you, Father.”
“And to you, my son.”
Cala walked away, headed to his room and solitude. When he emerged, he planned to focus on the good of his clan. The search would have to wait. Perhaps the power boost from next Halloween would help him. He didn’t want to wait that long, but his other choices weren’t ones he could entertain.
- Writer
