Be Careful What You Wish For Read online

  Tonight the anorexicly thin fairy was dressed in a flowing lavender gown that was straining over her large, and obviously fake, breasts and Valen was wearing a brown tux which matched his hair and eye color perfectly.

  “Why, Jacobin…” Glorianna fluttered her long silver eyelashes at the big elf. “How nice to see you tonight! And you brought your little human pet, I see,” she added, looking at Cass.

  “Hello, Glorianna,” Jake said evenly. “I hope the two of you are enjoying the ball. Using an illegal floating charm to allow your paramour to dance among the elite, were you?”

  He raised an eyebrow at Valen, who still seemed to be floating about an inch above the ground.

  “Nobody cares about that.” Scowling, the fairy grabbed her boytoy’s arm and yanked him firmly down until his feet touched the parquet floor.

  “I wouldn’t be too certain,” Jake remarked. “And as I recall, last year this time you weren’t willing to take a risk.”

  “Only because you’re too much of a stick-in-the-mud to break the rules,” Glorianna snapped. “You just didn’t want to fly in the First Tier because you were afraid to offend your betters.”

  “You maybe be many things, Glorianna, but you are not my ‘better.’” Jake’s voice was smooth and even. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to dance with my date.”

  “Your nasty little human date, you mean?” Glorianna’s eyes were glowing with anger. “How dare you bring someone who’s not even a real Fae to the Summer’s End Ball?”

  Cass had been standing quietly by, willing to let Jake handle this confrontation in his usual quiet, dignified manner. But now she’d had just about enough.

  “Not a real Fae?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “But it seems to me that you’re not all real either, honey.” She looked pointedly at the fairy girl’s large, fake breasts. “Tell me—how much did those cost? Do they do plastic surgery here or is that some kind of a magic boob-growing charm you did on yourself?”

  “Why, you…how dare you?” Glorianna’s face went bright pink with rage.

  “Let me tell you a secret, girl-to-girl…” Cass leaned towards her and stage whispered, “Mine are the real thing.” She pointed to the low-cut bodice of her gown which showed a generous amount of cleavage. “And Jake absolutely loves them.”

  Then, with a final wink, she hooked her arm through Jake’s and looked up at him.

  “Come on, baby, let’s get out of here.”

  “With pleasure.” Jake smiled down into her eyes and then, without a single backwards glance at the fuming Glorianna or her bored-looking boytoy, he led Cass to the other end of the room where everyone was dancing.

  “Well, that was an interesting encounter,” Cass remarked, breathing a sigh of relief.

  “One you handled with graceful aplomb.” He smiled down at her, admiringly. “How do you always manage to put Glorianna in her place? It really was naughty of you to tell her how much I love your breasts.”

  Cass arched an eyebrow at him.

  “I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

  “Not at all.” Jake’s voice dropped to a low, sexy rumble. “In fact, if I wasn’t obligated to be here, I’d take you back to my home right now and peel down the top of that exquisite gown to suck your ripe nipples.”

  “Jake!” Cass slapped him lightly on the arm, feeling a hot blush rise to her cheeks. She loved it when he talked dirty but he’d never done it before in public.

  He grinned unrepentantly and then sighed.

  “Well, I’m glad that’s over with. I knew Glorianna would have to confront me at least once tonight—it was considerate of her to get it over with at the very beginning.”

  “So you think she’ll leave us alone for the rest of the night?” Cass asked hopefully.

  “After the way you finished the matter? I’d think she and her vapid little paramour will leave us well alone,” Jake murmured. “But we’re not to worry about them tonight. Come, Cassandra—dance with me.”

  Cass took a step back.

  “Oh, I’ve never actually done any kind of ballroom dancing,” she said quickly. “I’m afraid I’d step all over your toes.”

  “Nonsense—you just need a strong partner. Let me lead and you’ll be fine,” Jake said firmly. And before she could protest again, he had swept her into his arms and danced her off into the colorful crowd of non-winged Fae that filled the dance floor.

  To her amazement, he was right. When she relaxed in the big elf’s arms and allowed him to swirl her around the floor, Cass found her feet moving on their own until dancing seemed as natural as breathing. She began to loosen up some and look around, eager to absorb the strange sights all around them.

  As she had on her first trip to the Realm, Cass couldn’t help marveling at the many different kinds and sizes of Fae all around her. Jake was probably the most human-looking one there, besides herself—only his slightly pointed ears gave him away. All around them there were creatures who looked like they came out of fairy tales or in some cases, nightmares, all dressed in extremely expensive and formal looking clothes, dancing in time to the music, which was being played by a band that sat in magically suspended chairs halfway between the two levels of dancers.

  Cass saw what appeared to be a giant walking tree-man dressed in a mossy green tux dancing with a woman who was over ten feet tall and had greenish skin. She had on a richly trimmed bright pink dress that clashed horribly with her complexion.

  But what person in their right mind would tell her so? Cass thought.

  Next there was what appeared to be a man with a wolf’s head and paws dancing elegantly with a girl whose dress seemed to be made of water. Her hair was green and sleek and reminded Cass of seaweed and she had a water lily tucked behind one pointed ear.

  Off to one side of the vast dance floor, an area about three feet by three feet had been roped off with a red velvet sash for the smaller dancers in the room. Cass saw people no bigger than her thumb twirling and hopping along with the music as well as several pairs of very fashionably dressed mice who were also dancing.

  Then, from the corner of her eye she caught a flash of something strange. A glossy black flank…an apple bright eye…a tossing mane. She kept seeing these things through the gaps in the other dancers. But the moment she tried to take a closer look, Jake would twirl her away or the people dancing in front of her would close ranks and she couldn’t see past them.

  What is that thing I keep seeing? Or who is it? Cass wondered. Could it be—

  “Are you having a good time?” Jake asked, breaking her train of thought.

  “A good time? Oh yes—this is all amazing!” Cass smiled. “I’m just afraid after this, my little art show will seem like nothing.”

  “Your talent is immense.” Jake pulled her closer. “Anyplace that showcases it will be illuminated by true beauty. I cannot wait to see it.”

  Cass couldn’t help the blush of pleasure that rose to her cheeks. Though the big elf was lavish with his compliments, she could tell he sincerely meant what he was saying. Maybe it was just that his people took art more seriously and revered artists but she felt like a goddess when he looked at her that way and spoke in that low, intense voice.

  “This is all so beautiful,” she murmured, looking up at him. “How can I ever thank you for bringing me? And for the gorgeous gown? And for everything you’ve done for me?”

  Jake pulled her closer, looking down into her eyes.

  “Just say you’ll be mine, darling. Body and soul,” he rumbled softly. “Say you’ll give me your heart.”

  Cass felt her pulse racing.

  “It….it’s already over halfway given,” she admitted in a low voice. But Jake, I just—”

  “Counselor O’Shea! How very good to see you here tonight!” a hearty, jovial voice brayed. And it really did bray, Cass thought. Jake’s last name came out sounding like, “Oh’Shaaaaaaay.”

  When she turned her head, she saw why. The speaker had the body of a portly middle age