Fairy Magic Read Online Free Page A

those of their beasts. Dozens of beast men surrounded Naomi. The biggest of them rode up to her on a mismatched hybrid beast. It looked like a grotesque cross between a werewolf and a horse.
    “The Fire Plains belong to us, the Beast Masters,” his deep voice thundered. “You are trespassing.”
    “Sorry,” Naomi said, her eyes locked on his hellish beast. It was so ugly that she couldn’t look away. “I don’t know how I got here. One moment I was fighting that dark fairy, then the next I was here.”
    The beast master stroked the mane of his purring steed, obviously bored by her problems. “The price for trespassing is death.”
    Yep, it really was one of those sort of days.
    “However,” the beast master said, dark delight sliding across his cracked lips. He flashed her a crooked smile. “I am willing to be merciful for an attractive woman like you.”
    His men raised their voices in a chorus of catcalls.
    “How generous of you,” she said, smiling through the sinking feeling in her stomach. These beast men were bad news, and she had a pretty clear feeling of where this was headed.
    The beast master swung his legs around and hopped off his beast. He swaggered over to her in drunken steps. “I am always generous.”
    His men cheered and laughed.
    The beast master reached out to touch her hair, rubbing it between his fingers. “So clean, so soft, so fresh.”
    He was so close that Naomi could see the dirt tattooed into his skin. He didn’t smell so great either, like horse and wet dog mixed with stale alcohol and sweat.
    “You are the perfect little thing to warm my bed tonight,” he said.
    “Charming.” She smiled at him. “I have a name, you know.”
    “So do I,” he said. “It’s Magnar. Remember it. You’ll need it later when I take you to my bed and you’re screaming my name.” His filthy hand reached for her.
    She threw up her hands, blasting him with Fairy Dust. The magic exploded from her in a shockwave of raw power that she’d never felt before. Her magic slammed into the beast men, toppling them and their beasts over like a wall of dominoes. She didn’t wait to see if any of them got up. She took off running as fast as her feet could carry her, ignoring the hot, acid burn in her lungs and the tiny slashes of pain as razor-tipped grass cut into her leather pants.
    Mountains loomed before Naomi, drawing her toward them. It was as though they were summoning her, promising protection from the plants and beasts of the wild. Blue and purple, the mountains stone in a majestic halo of moonlit magic. Pure white snow glistened atop their peaks. No, not snow. White ash. As she entered the wooded area of rainbow-dipped leaves at the base of the mountains, a gust of wind dumped a scoop of wet, heavy ash into her path. She stopped and listened.
    The breeze was a soft rasp, its warm breath melting into her skin. No howls broke the whispering wind. No beastly stampede quaked the ground. Naomi leaned her back against one of the shiny iridescent silver-blue tree trunks, heaving in deep gulps of burning air. She’d lost the beast men—for now.
    She allowed herself a few more seconds to rest, then pushed away from the tree. But as soon as she moved, an arrow shot toward her, nearly pinning her arm to the tree.
    “Don’t move or the next arrow will go through your head,” a man’s voice echoed, booming at her from every direction.
    Naomi stood perfectly still. If she didn’t know where he was, there was no way she could dodge his next arrow. Glowing golden eyes pierced the darkness, and a moment later he emerged from the shadows. Humming with power, the very trees seemed to bow before him as he strode toward her in measured steps. He was wearing only loose cloth pants that fell to his ankles and a pair of shoes that resembled slippers more than outdoor footwear. They seemed out of place in this wild land.
    The crimson moonlight streamed down, bouncing off his bronze skin. A web of ancient magical