To the Ends of the Earth

Chapter 17

Shelby

I groaned and batted at the hands that were shaking me awake. Though I didn't need it (Fae magic and immortality were awesome that way), I was always super pissed at anyone who dared to mess with my beauty sleep.

"Shelby? Shelby? Oh god, what the hell should I do?"

I heard the panicked voice and with a rush of clarity I suddenly remembered the events of the last few minutes of my conscious life. I ripped my eyes open and sat up so fast that I startled the adorable human boy known as Jonah Charles Dawson. He released my shoulders as if he'd been burned and fell back on his butt beside me. I did my best not to think about how said butt would look naked (a nymph only had so much self control) and looked him square in his handsome, terrified face.

He looked down to the general area of my chest and paled. "What the hell?"

I frowned. That was not the reaction I usually got from guys looking at my chest so I decided to have a little peek of my own. I cringed. There was a very charred and decidedly un-sexy hole in my shirt that showed angry burned skin underneath. When I got my hands on the bitch that zapped me and took my friend I was going to make her pay. While nymphs weren't really known for our fighting prowess (we had different skill sets after all) we were very good at making friends. I was going to call in a lot of favors to a lot of large, angry Fae creatures. There was a whole herd of trolls, for example, that owed me a sizable amount after a fun night involving spiked ambrosia, fuzzy handcuffs, and a really big...

"S-should I call an ambulance?" The twitchy human boy asked. I could sense his fear and confusion.

I shook myself out of the fond memory, so not the time, and did my best to smile.

"What, this?" I lightly waved at my burned bits. "This is nothing."

"B-b-but..." His big, stormy-grey eyes took stock of the scattered books, caved in bookshelf, suspicious scorch-like drag marks, and finally me again.

I struggled to find any explanation that would even be half-way plausible. I huffed in frustration after a moment and surrendered to the inevitable compulsion I'd have to perform.

"Where is Lilly? What's going on?" He asked in a small voice. I almost felt bad for the poor little dear. Ah well, I needed to heal anyway.

I added the special tone to my voice that would have him literally jumping through hoops if I wished and addressed him.

"Jonah." my compulsion voice sounded musical even to me. He snapped his head around and I had his undivided attention. "First, you will stop being afraid." His body instantly relaxed. "Second, you will kiss me."

He complied so quickly I knew that there was some part of him that wasn't bothered by obeying the command. Generally, when you used compulsion on a human they would either gladly follow it or they would subtly try to fight it. They always eventually complied either way, but you could always tell who was willing to do what.

His warm, soft mouth met mine and I let my true self take over. I relished the feeling of his enthusiastic attention and soaked up the beautiful, warm energy we created together. I could feel my torn and tattered skin knitting itself back together as we made out and I was tempted to let this little interlude continue to it's natural continuation. But then I remembered Lilly's screams and I knew we didn't have time for that. I reluctantly pulled back when I finished healing, buzzing from the extra energy and good vibes.

Jonah's face was adorably flushed and I smiled at him. He goofily returned it and I fell a little bit in love with him. Then again, I was a little bit in love with all of my conquests.