The Contrary Mate

My head was spinning. My body was on fire and it screamed for me to continue what we had started. His kiss was amazing, and I wanted more.

But he broke it, and I appreciated that restraint as much as I hated it. I could tell he felt the same as me, the ragged breathing that only made me hotter, the growing hardness pressed up against my stomach... I wanted him.

Instead of giving in to temptation, I stepped back to put some more space between us. "I should go home," I managed to say, even though I had absolutely no desire to leave. It must be the bond, wrapping around me and pulling me tighter against him. And I couldn't even dislike it.

"Will you let me drive you?"

"Yes," I said. This third time, I'd pretty much assumed that he would drive me. I hated his car, but I liked being with him, so it was an acceptable trade off. If I wasn't careful, before long I'd be thinking the same about living in this beautiful dead structure that loomed over us as we walked inside it.

In the garage again, Jack rounded the car to help me in and I had the most nagging urge to kiss him again. I forced down the feeling, since it seemed like every minute I stayed the harder it would be for me to leave him. We sped off his property and out onto the main road, and all too soon he pulled over to the side of the road roughly where he had first picked me up. A bit of guilt ate at me that I was treating him like a shameful secret, but I just wasn't ready to take on everyone just yet.

Instead of leaping out and fleeing like the first time, or just saying farewell and leaving, I leaned across the seat and brushed my lips to his. It took only a second before he increased the pressure between us, and his tongue swept into my mouth, searching me in a way that made me want to reveal everything to him.

A few cars sped by us, their headlights illuminating us for brief moments before they sped off into the distance, but I barely noticed them, lost in his touch. Finally, I broke the kiss, pecked in him on the lips again, and moved away. "See you soon."

"When?" he asked, and the almost undetectable note of desperation in his voice filled me with a sort of satisfaction that I was so desired by this man. It felt good.

"When do you want?"

"All the time, Aura, but I'll settle for anytime."

"Tomorrow night? Same time?" I asked. I should have picked a further date, to give myself time to decide how to proceed, but he was entirely too enticing.

"Of course. Can I pick you up again?"

I nodded, and I left his car. I flew over the highway, since there were no humans around to see this time, and the darkness would obscure me. Looking back, Jack's car made a u-turn and drove away. I flew forward, about to conjure a small magic light when I slammed into a solid body in the darkness. I shrieked, and flew backwards.

"Aura!" Rex's familiar voice swept away my fear with relief but quickly morphed to irritation.

"Rex? What are you doing out here?" I asked sharply, my heart still pounding.

"Looking for you."

"Well, I don't need you to look for me." I flew around him and started on my way home with a low orange tinted light to guide me.

"I was worried. You've been acting strange lately. Who were you with?" he asked as he kept up beside me.

"None of your business," I responded with a scowl he probably couldn't see.

"It's not a good idea for you to be running off into the human world like that, Aura. In a car, of all things. I thought you disliked human transportation."

"I still do," I shrugged. "What's with the interrogation, Rex?"

"I told you, I was worried."

"It's not your place to be worried anymore."

"We're still friends, aren't we?" he pleaded.

I almost wanted to say no, and that we couldn't be friends since he kept crossing the line. Instead I said, "We are."

"And it's dangerous out here."

"I'm pretty sure I'm fine."

"The world is still a dangerous place. The accords didn't change that. And I don't even know about that guy."

"Don't worry. I know him. He'll protect me."

"Will he? What's a magicless human going to do?"

I bit my tongue on my sharp retort. Instead I said, "Humans aren't that bad."

His laugh was harsh. "So what, you're dating one, and now you're the human expert?"

"Again, none of your business."

"I know it's not, but Aura, what could you possibly have in common with one? They know nothing of magic, and they're addicted to tech. How could that relationship be healthy?"

"I'm already aware of your feelings on the topic."

"And what will it do to your family's reputation? It's already shaky enough, considering your—"

I wasn't sure if he was about to bring up my father's eccentricities or Lark's father's abandonment of his family and the fae way, but I didn't care. I stopped abruptly in the air, and it took Rex a moment to do the same and pivot to look at me. "I know my situation, and it's really none of your concern. I think I'll head home alone from here."

"Aura..."

"I thought, from the other day, that maybe we really could go back to how we once were, but now I'm seeing that isn't going to be possible. And that disappoints me. But I don't need a babysitter, or a chaperone, and I already have a father. Goodnight, Rex."

I flew forward, and he flew after me. "Aura!"

"I said goodnight, Rex."

Finally he stopped following, and it didn't take me long to get back to my house. I walked inside, only to come face to face with my annoying brother. I stifled my groan. I loved him, but he was so stiff and stuffy nowadays.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" I asked, trying not to sound like I wasn't happy to see him. He lived in his own place closer to the office of our village's senator, and I barely saw him nowadays since he rarely came home, as absorbed in his work as he was.

"Just checking on you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh yeah? Well, you can see I'm fine, so thanks for your concern."

"Aura."

My temper piqued. I was getting entirely too much of hearing my name in those disapproving tones from male fae tonight. I much preferred the way Jack said my name, his voice filled with respect and adoration. "Did Rex put you up to this?"

"Well, he saw you getting into a car on the side of the road earlier and—"

"That sneaky little weasel." I couldn't tell if he was trying to win me back at this point or trying to incinerate what was left of our friendship. If it was the latter he was doing a pretty good job.

"This isn't about Rex, this is about what you're doing. Fraternizing with humans? What are you even doing out there?"

"It's none of your business, Ash," I said, scowling at him. He had always been just a bit irritatingly pompous, but his time under the senator hadn't improved matters in the slightest.

"It's everyone's business if you're getting involved with humans. They don't know about us, Aura, and we want to keep it that way."

"He's not a human, okay!? Happy now?" I tried to walk past him towards the stairs, but my aggravating brother got in my way. I scowled up at him. He had always been about half a head taller than me and his generalized magic abilities had always been better than mine as well, although my more prized ability with plants had always been superior. Of course, that wouldn't be much help in a fight with my brother if it came to it. He'd also always had an annoying bossy older brother thing for as long as I could remember, and his little bit of new additional power was clearly getting to his swelled head. "Get out of my way."

"Who is he?" He scowled at me.

"How many times do I have to tell you it's none of your business before it gets through your thick skull, Ash?" I snapped.

"Okay, fine, what is he?"

"Also none of your business!" My idiot brother always had a way of stoking my temper like no one else.

"What's happening down here?" our mother asked as she descended the stairs with a frown creasing her forehead. "We were sleeping and your dad has to work tomorrow."

I flinched. "Sorry, Mom."

Ash didn't even budge. "Aura's seeing some mysterious non-fae."

I shot my brother a furious scowl. Traitor! Who else was he going to tell? The entire community? Maybe needlessly murder some trees to post notices on every door?

My mother looked generally annoyed with us both. "It's almost midnight, you couldn't have waited to talk to her, Ash? And Aura, I know you're an adult, but I hope you're making good choices." She paused, her frown growing deeper. "I also hope the neighbours didn't hear your argument."

As if my mother's presence wasn't enough, my father came down as well. As he entered the living room, he glanced between us. "Good to see you, Son. Kind of late. Are you staying the night?"

"No, I was just waiting for Aura."

"Well, maybe you should come back tomorrow, then."

Ash looked furious with our parents' lack of adequate response. "She's been sneaking out and getting picked up on the side of the highway, by some random guy who isn't even fae, and this doesn't bother you? Anything could happen to her and we'd never even know!" There was new colour in his face, a familiar sign that his temper was about to blow.

I didn't care how he felt, because he was totally out of line. "He's not just some random guy, I know him. And yes, we're together! And no, it's still none of your business, Ash!" I rounded on my brother. "And maybe I wouldn't need to feel like I had to sneak out to see him if you weren't such a judgmental jerk!"

My wings burst from my back and I flew past him to get up to my room.