I felt like such a heel. He was a nice guy, and I was questioning his motives. "So why are you being so helpful?" I asked. Old habits die hard.

"Gee, as if our little romp between the sheets wasn't enough to want to keep me around you?" I smacked his arm and glared at him. "I have my reasons for caring about you. I have my reasons...."

We finished eating, and then headed into town. We approached the main intersection of town and I had Caleb turn into Smart Food.

We parked and headed inside. A boy, around the age of sixteen, came out of the back storage room as a little chime rang.

"h.e.l.lo, ma'am, how can I help you?"

"Hi, just picking up some stuff, thanks," I said, picking up two baskets, and handing one to Caleb.

"Lucky Gweny Wheny ?" The squeaky voice said.

I looked at him. Lucky Gweny Wheny? The only person who had ever called me that had been little Mitch.e.l.l Smart, and I hadn't seen him in years. I had baby-sat Mitch.e.l.l over the summers during college. He was around nine or ten the last time I saw him, and that would have put him about.... Oh, my G.o.d, little Mitch.e.l.l Smart was all grown up. Well, not ALL grown up, but a h.e.l.l of a lot bigger than the last time I saw him.

"Mitch.e.l.l?"

He flashed me a goofy, teenage boy smile. "Yep, Mitch.e.l.l. How have you been?"

"What are you doing working here?" I asked, before it dawned on me that his grandfather was Joe Smart, the owner of the store.

"Grandpa needed some extra help in the summer, so I volunteered." He was starting to blush. "Who's that with you?" he asked, looking to Caleb.

Shoot, I hadn't really thought of running into anyone I knew.

"This is Caleb, my husband," I said quickly. When I realized what I'd said I just about fell over onto the floor. My husband? What the h.e.l.l had made me say that? I tried to think of something to say to take it back. I came up empty.

"I didn't know you got married. Congratulations," Mitch.e.l.l said, walking towards Caleb. "Nice to meet' ya, Caleb. Gweny Wheny's real nice."

Caleb extended his hand to Mitch.e.l.l. "Oh, yeah, Gweny Wheny's real nice, real nice indeed. Darn good wife, too. She'll be good for breedin' if ya know what I mean."

I walked away and started picking out things we needed for the next day or two. Caleb came up behind me and put his arm around my waist. I pulled away.

"Now honey, don't go making a scene," he said loud enough for people on the street to hear. I wanted to stomp on his foot, hard. I figured he wouldn't feel it through his steel-toed boots, so I didn't bother.

We picked out everything we needed and I pulled money out of my pocket to pay. Caleb put his hand on mine, pulling out his wallet. Mitch.e.l.l gave us an odd look, and Caleb just smiled.

"City girls are so independent," he said.

Mitch.e.l.l nodded and smiled like he totally understood what Caleb meant. I wondered how many relationships a boy of sixteen could have had, then I thought I didn't really want to know. We headed out, our arms full of bags. Caleb opened the back end of the Explorer and loaded everything in. I walked around and got in.

As Caleb was climbing inside, Mitch.e.l.l walked out onto the store's porch waving goodbye. I waved back politely. Caleb turned and pressed his lips to mine. His tongue pushed into my mouth and for a moment, I forgot where I was and what was going on. Nothing but Caleb existed. His eyes closed as though to savor every second. I pulled back, and Caleb opened his eyes slowly. The shimmering I had seen in his eyes a moment ago was gone, they now were green--but deep, rich, and beautiful.

He smiled.

"Your eyes. They were on fire, glowing and green, now they're not," I said, his face still close to mine.

He pulled from me. "Well, little wife of mine, you really don't know that much about us, do you?"

"Us?" I asked.

"Fairies--you really don't know that much about fairies, do you?"

"I've only ever seen two in my life. That includes you."

He started the truck. "Who was the other one?" he asked, backing out.

"I don't know. Just some guy that came around a bunch when I was younger."

Caleb slowed the truck and pulled off to the side of the road. "What do you mean, came around when you were younger?"

I shrugged. "He never hurt me."

"Pallo and I are the only two who knew you even existed, or at least we thought so."

They knew I existed, what the heck was that supposed to mean? Why did he look so freaked out by the fact that I'd seen another faerie? I was frankly surprised I hadn't seen more. From what I had heard, fairies were not uncommon. The only thing that was uncommon was finding a faerie under the age of two hundred.

"Can you describe him?" Caleb said, putting the car in park.

"What is there to describe? Tall, dark hair, handsome, pretty average?"

Caleb shook his head. I was annoying him--that much was obvious. "That's not really all that helpful. Do you think you could recognize him if you saw a picture of him?"

A picture? They kept pictures on file of all the fairies? News to me! I didn't have any doubt that I could pick him out if I saw him. I'd seen him at least a half dozen times before I turned ten.

"Sure, I'd know him if I saw him."

Caleb opened his door. "Come on."

"Where are you going?"

"To the library."

I got out and followed him across the street. I looked back and noticed that we had the truck sitting half in someone's yard and half on the road. Great! We really needed more attention drawn to ourselves. Maybe, for giggles, we could erect a billboard for the whole world to know that something was going on.

Caleb walked up to the tiny red house with the small library sign and opened the brown door. I drug my feet slowly behind him. I was an adult, and still having problems with a childhood fear. I had always felt so drawn to the old library. I felt like I needed to be there, but I was too bugged out by the sensation to want to go in.

We walked in and found ourselves in a small room with books from floor to ceiling. It didn't look like the place was used much. I glanced down at the new release section and only two books sat there. Either they were hopping with business or they didn't bother getting too many things in at a time.

The floors were wood and sagged a bit in the center of the room. Caleb stood very still, listening. I tried to hear what it was, but I heard nothing.

"What are we doing here?" I asked in a hushed tone, afraid of breaking his concentration.

He walked forward and went through a doorway.

"Hey!" I called after him. "Don't you think you should wait for someone to come and help us?"

"There's n.o.body here."

That didn't make any sense, the door was unlocked. Why would someone leave the library unattended? Caleb seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he let out a small laugh.

"I don't think they get a whole lot of people coming in here. The librarian probably went to lunch or something. Who knows?" he said, moving into the next room.

Even though we had entered another room of the house, it looked identical to the last one. Rows upon rows of books covered the walls. If all the rooms in the house looked this way, we were going to be here a while. I didn't notice a computer or even a card catalogue when we came in. This was going to be the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack the size of California.

Caleb stopped in the center of the room and whispered softly to himself. I made out only a few words. It sounded like he was repeating "If I were a book on fairies, I would be...." I had to laugh. He turned and gave me a serious look. I shut up.

"Try fiction."

He gave me a strange look. "Its not like people know you're real," I said. He nodded.

I wandered around the room. I saw another small doorway and walked to it. It was a smaller room set up similar to the ones we had already been in. This one, however, had a small table and chairs, probably for studying. I felt drawn to the back corner of the room. Walking over to it, I felt like a hand had reached in and grasped my navel and was using it to yank me towards the back wall. I found myself standing before a row of books. Nothing was what we needed. They were self-help books. Although I did feel like a good inspirational speech was in order, we didn't really have the time for it. I started to turn to find Caleb and the pulling in my gut became painful, like someone was ramming a knife into my stomach. I cried out in pain and fell down on one knee.

"Gwen! Gwen, what's wrong?"

I put my hand on the bookcase to try and pull myself to my feet. I slipped back down and the book I was touching fell with me, landing open on the floor. The pain in my stomach stopped. Caleb was next to me with his hand around my arm, bending down.

"What the h.e.l.l happened?" he asked.

"I ... I don't know. I just...." I stopped speaking, looking down at the open book. There, before my very eyes, was a picture of the man I had seen all of my life. He was sitting in a large golden chair. He wore black robes similar to the ones I had seen him in. His hair was long and black, like mine, but in the photo he was wearing a crown. It was him. I knew it was.

"That's him," I said, pushing the book towards Caleb.

He looked at it. "I thought you said you would recognize him if you saw him?"

I pointed at the picture. "That is him Caleb, that's the man I saw."

He shook his head no and shut the book. "It can't be the same man, that's the king of the Dark Realm, or used to be at least."

"What do you mean, used to be?"

"I don't know. I had been living among humans a very long time when I got the news that King Kerrigan had disappeared."

"How does a King just disappear?" I asked.

He pulled me to my feet. "That's just it Gwen, Kings do not disappear. He has to be dead. He would have regained his throne by now if he wasn't. Kerrigan wasn't a weak man."

"This King, you speak like you knew him. Did you?"

Caleb bent and picked up the book. "Yeah, I knew him. I know his successor more though."

"Who replaced him?" I asked.

Caleb put his hand on my shoulder. "Let's hope you never meet her, she's an evil woman."

"Caleb," I said, reaching out and touching his face. "That is the man that came to me, I know it. Look." I closed my eyes and allowed him to share my memories of when I was. .h.i.t by the drunk driver while riding my bike. I thrust the images of the man who came to help me into his head. He jerked away.

"Impossible!" he said. I don't think he believed that what he had seen hadn't taken place, he was just surprised.

Without another word, he led me out and back to the farmhouse.

Chapter 10.

I was exhausted by the time we got back to the house. Caleb said he had to make a few phone calls, and I headed up to bed. I slipped my shoes off, took the white shirt off and climbed under the covers. I was just on the edge of sleep when I felt a cool breeze tickle my neck. I twisted my head into my pillow lightly.

"Gwyneth," I heard my name, but didn't recognize the voice. I jerked my eyes open and screamed out. It was mid-afternoon, and the drapes to my room were blowing gently from the slight breeze outside. I relaxed. It was only my imagination. The door to my room burst open.

I sat up. Caleb was standing there. He scanned the room and then looked at me.

"I heard you scream," he said frantically.

"It's nothing. I just let my imagination get the best of me," I said, looking at him in the doorway. He had taken his shirt off and had the top of his jeans unb.u.t.toned. My eyes slid down his smooth, hard body. He was so tall he had to duck down a bit to keep from hitting his head on the door frame. I smiled at him and put my hand out.

Slowly he came close to me. I tried to keep looking into his dark green eyes, but my gaze kept falling lower. I remembered how it felt having him in me. It was good. It was safe, it was right. A tiny burning sensation started deep in my body. I shifted my legs and felt the moisture building. I started to blush. Caleb came and stood next to my bed. I reached my finger up to touch him near his opened jean b.u.t.ton. He caught my hand.

"You don't have to do this Gwen, you don't owe me anything." His voice was so sad.

I put my fingers into his jeans. No underwear, just like I thought. G.o.d, he was gorgeous, and I could feel my body yearning for his to be wrapped around me. Something was so right about him being near me, almost naked. I pulled the zipper down, exposing his tiny hairs to me. I slid my hand in and wrapped it around him. He was ready for me, as I knew he would be.

I leaned forward on the bed and bent my head down, planting tiny kisses on his lower stomach. I pulled on his jeans. They slid down his legs slowly, freeing him, and leaving him bobbing near my face. I cupped him, kissed him, and welcomed him. He cried out. I let my tongue slide out and run along the tip of him. I brought him into my mouth. He was moaning now. His hips began to move slightly back and forth, back and forth. I moved my head up and down, cupping my fingers around him as I went. I felt him tightening in my mouth. He pulled my head back from him, and pushed on my shoulders. He guided me down on my back, sliding his hands over my shorts, pulling gently.

They came down and exposed my white cotton underpants. I grinned and shrugged. They were more comfortable then the red string I had been wearing. Caleb bit the top of them with his teeth and moved them down my body. When I was naked from the waist down, he moved back up the bed, kissing my legs. When his kisses reached my inner thighs, I cried out. I felt his fingers touching me between my legs. He slid one in, and I clutched the bed. I felt his lips touch me, his tongue sliding over the spot that every woman wants to have touched, yearns to have caressed, and folds once toyed with. His finger pushed into me as his tongue flickered over me. I knew that my hood retracted and that I was now engorged--swollen with the promise of pleasure. I cried out. He increased his speed, and brought my o.r.g.a.s.m with a fierceness I'd never seen. I gripped the sheets on my bed so tightly I felt them pulling loose from the ends.

I was lightheaded, and my body felt satisfied. I smiled as Caleb moved his body up me on all fours. When he was above me, I felt him hard and waiting to enter me. His hair spilled down around us, enclosing us in a wall of shining blonde beauty. I looked into his eyes. They were starting to change. The dark green color started to recede and a green glow flooded in.

I leaned up to him, kissing at whatever part of him I could get my mouth on. Our lips met, and I felt him sliding into me slowly. The smallest grunt came from my mouth, which was still on his. I felt his tongue caressing mine. I wanted to explore every inch of his mouth as he was doing to me below. He was easing himself in and out very slowly, savoring every stroke. I pulled at the back of his head, encouraging him to be aggressive. He stopped moving altogether and fell on me, smothering me with his kisses. He went at my mouth like it would be the last time he'd ever be allowed the pleasures of it again.

He sat back on his knees in front of me on the bed. He pulled my body down to him, moving my hips up and onto his thighs. He pressed himself back into me, rubbing my tender, swollen nub with his fingertips. I screamed out.

"Yes, Caleb, yes!"

The pressure of him inside of me increased, as did his thrusts. He was pushing so hard that I was moving up the bed. I loved it, I wanted more of it. I tilted my head up. My eyes closed tightly--they felt strange, they felt different. My groin and thighs tightened as I screamed for him. He slammed into me. I felt him getting ready to join me, our bodies becoming one. We looked into each others eyes. He yanked away from me quickly, finishing partly in me and partly on me. I grabbed at his body. He fell next to me, embracing me.

I didn't know why he pulled out before he was completely done. We were both magical, so s.e.xually transmitted diseases didn't apply to us. As far as getting me pregnant, there was a fat chance of that. I'd gone and seen my doctor, who was also a witch (but managed to keep that off her sign on the door to the public), when Ken and I had gotten engaged, because I though it would be wise to get on some sort of birth control. Her office waiting room was littered with pamphlets about conception--how to achieve it, how to avoid it. I picked up the one regarding Si pregnancies. It was bleak. It basically said that intercourse between a human and a fey almost never ended with a pregnancy. It had something to do with a tiny difference in female Si reproductive systems. We rejected human male sperm. There were costly medications and treatments that one could try in an attempt to conceive, but that in itself was no guarantee. I took the pamphlet in and discussed it with the doctor. I told her I was actually three hundred and ten years old, what a lie. She said that was good, because my chances of conceiving prior to the age of one hundred were zero without medical a.s.sistance. I asked about my chances of conceiving with a faerie partner instead of a human one. She had told me that the odds of that were even slimmer than getting pregnant by a human. She never said why.

Needless to say, birth control was not necessary with Ken. I told him all about what the doctor had told me, and he said when we were ready to have a family we would do it, cost was not an issue. That had made me feel better. I really did want to have a family someday. Not today, but someday.

"Why did you stop?" I asked Caleb, holding him close to me.

He smiled and kissed the top of my head gently. "You were ripe."

I pulled back from him slightly. I was ripe? Did he think I smelled funny? I was about to ask him what exactly he meant by that when I heard the phone ringing. I kissed him on the cheek and pulled away from him. I walked out into the hall and picked up the phone.