By the Magic of Starlight (The Forbidden Realm) Read Online Free

council would probably believe her if she claimed Kyne had coerced her, that he’d used his half-human nature against her. The council knew about his background; obviously they wanted to find fault with him. They’d easily side with her. It was, actually, quite possible she could stay out of this altogether. She could stay totally uninvolved.
    But that would be wrong. She
was
involved. How many times in the past had she attended to humans, granted their wishes for passion and fulfillment, and yet never actually been a part of it? Now with Kyne that had changed. Instead of being a passive observer as any respectable fairy ought to be, she had crossed the line. She’d let herself feel the desire, experience the aching, searing want inside of her. And then she’d given in.
    He’d touched her and she’d wanted more. For the first time she had truly felt alive. Kyne taught her all the secrets of her own body, the ways to find pleasure in the arms of another and to feel the power of bringing her partner to bliss. His human legacy drove him to such things, but her response to him had been surprisingly eager and urgent.
    He hadn’t needed to seduce her that cool, moonlit night three weeks ago. Her actions had been her own and even now she didn’t regret them. It had been so very wrong, yet she’d craved him in a way she still couldn’t comprehend. She’d followed her desire and been satisfied beyond expectations, her body quickening with delicious, delirious passion. It had been her choice to go to him then; now she supposed it would be her choice to go to the council tonight and taste the consequences of her actions.
    She buzzed after them, far enough behind not to be noticed. Sure enough, they went straight back to the heart of Fairyrealm, to the meeting hall of the Fairy Council. She’d have to hurry if she hoped to be of any use to Kyne. For charges as dire as Co-Mingling, the council would probably move quickly.
    But the hall appeared dark. It was built at the base of a tree, hidden among thorny undergrowth, what appeared to be old leaves, and other things humans barely took note of. There were windows along the front of the enchanted mud walls, but only one tiny dot of light shone from inside. Odd, considering she’d seen the glow of Swift leading Pimma and Kyne right through the front door only minutes ago. Were they still inside? Or where had they gone?
    Naturally, due to the late hour, she hadn’t expected the usual fairy bustle that would be here during the day, but to find the place so vacant seemed especially strange. Strange enough, in fact, to make her leery of approaching. Whatever was going on here, something was not right. She’d better be cautious and see what she could figure out before she went bursting in and making matters even worse.
    She ducked behind a rock, keeping herself and her rose-colored aura out of view from the hall. There was half a pouch of Wish Dust left from her daily dust ration hanging at her side, so she pulled a pinch out and tossed it into the air. It fell down around her. The ensuing sparkle immediately extinguished as she made her wish—to be invisible. She held her hands up before her and watched them disappear.
    Yes, this was a good idea. She could make herself visible again when she was sure things were safe. For now, she needed a better idea of what was going on.
    She darted around to the side of the hall, looking for an alternate entrance. Locked, of course. Drat. What about one of the windows? She tried the nearest one, finding it locked, as well.
    She was about to head for the front entrance and take her chances there when the door she had just tried swung open. One of the council members stepped out, glancing around. She jumped back, held her breath, and stilled her wings, terrified her dust hadn’t worked and she’d be seen. Her magic was good, though, and seemed to have taken hold. The council member—she knew him as Dorn, a very dapper gray fairy glowing with