not in the form of the Horde
King. Those that had been up close and personal with him would be
able to see the differences, but not many lived to tell of it.”
“Seriously, you think they would have
challenged him?” I asked, unsure how I would have felt about it
since I’d thought he was Alazander at the time, too.
“Absolutely. Alazander terrified this world,
but one of his sons would be another matter entirely. Any Fae Lord
worth his salt would be compelled to test him, much less your
father who had been battling Alazander for centuries.”
“Ryder would kick ass while chewing
bubblegum, Ristan. I’ve never met anyone with a head made of rocks
like his. Shit, he could probably just head-butt them with that box
of rocks he has and be just fine.”
“Oh he would, but some things are worth a
good ass kicking,” Ristan said with an evil smirk on his face.
“He’d kick your ass, Demon.”
“But it would be so worth it,” Ristan smiled
and winked at me.
Ristan wiggled his finger, and the entire
room grew thick with magic as he turned it from blue, to more
appealing shades. Turquoise sheets now matched the beds canopy, and
a white couch with matching turquoise pillows lined the far wall.
There was a huge claw footed tub that dominated one corner of the
room. No dressers here, not when you could glamour on clothing…not
that I could do it well yet.
“That’s better; the other was too depressing.
Come with me, there’s someone I want you to meet. She was much like
you when she came here,” he said, getting up and pulling me out
from under the warm covers. He stopped and looked at my silk robe
for a moment. He smiled slyly, and pantomimed his fingers into a
finger gun, took aim, and as he said “Pow,” the robe changed to a
red silky top and pant set with soft leather slippers that matched
in color. He blew on his fingers as I laughed at him and his crazy
antics.
“Thanks.” I grinned at him.
“Don’t thank me. I wanted the naughty little
school girl outfit, but this is more appropriate.” He smirked and
held out his hand. I took it, and we sifted into the pavilion.
We walked through the pavilion and Ristan
pointed out anything he thought I might like to explore, like
gardens and pools. There was a bustle of activity here and so many
creatures that I had never seen before. Dryads, sprites—all female,
and the Demon seemed to know every one of them as he had to keep
stopping to give a little kiss or some sort of affection to the
giggling women as we walked. At one point, a faun with dainty
hooved feet and fur up to her small waist and nothing covering her
chest, kept pace with us. She batted big brown eyes at Ristan
invitingly, before running her finger over her lips seductively.
Her breasts were lush and hardened as she made an inhuman noise at
him before she turned and scampered away.
I turned my eyes to Ristan and shook my head.
“Is there anything you won’t do, Demon? She has freaking
hooves!”
“Hey, a Demon has to catch his dinner
somehow, and don’t let her fur deter you. She’s a wild cat in the
sack,” he teased good naturedly.
I held up my hands and shook my head. “Oh
please, no details! Keep it to yourself,” I joked.
“Hey, I get it where the getting is good.” He
wiggled his brows as he laughed. “Dacey and I were just playing
with you; however you can’t judge anything around here. Most of the
ladies have other shapes that they take.” His face saddened for a
moment. “This is such a different place than what it used to be.”
He sighed.
“How so?” I asked, wondering what it could
have been like to put that hurt in his eyes.
“Flower, when Alazander ruled this world,
this was a place of sheer terror. We have done what we can to fix
the damage, but some hurts will never heal,” he said quietly, with
a distant look of melancholy.
“You’re speaking of the Gifts?” I wasn’t sure
how much I wanted to know about what had happened here.
He nodded slowly in
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