By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, stop here.

Justin came to two realizations at the same time.

He was definitely awake.

And he was in a shitload of trouble.

The third didn’t sink in until the woman—creature?—standing before him unfurled pink wings behind her back.

He’d found exactly what he’d been searching for all these years.

And she was in no way happy he’d done so.

He tried to move, to stand—and found he couldn’t move a muscle.

He tried to speak but couldn’t force his mouth to form the words.

Fear began to edge out the leftover endorphins from the incredible sex.

Holy hell, had he really had sex with a fairy?

And had he been any good?

Damn, now that was a sobering thought.

She stood, her expression a mix of haughty censure and anger. With the exception of those wings, she looked exactly like a pissed-off human female. He hadn’t been far off when he’d thought she looked like a young Sophia Loren with deep auburn hair that fell nearly to her waist in rumpled waves. She was as slim as a boy, and her breasts couldn’t be more than a B-cup. Still, she was the most seductive creature he’d ever seen.

And those pink wings…

No. No, someone was playing a joke on him. One of the other researchers must have slipped in here last night and shot him full of something. Something that impaired his movement. Then they’d paid a prostitute to slide into bed with him, fuck him then put on those wings to screw with his head.

Yes, he believed in fairies. Other people thought he was nuts. But in his soul he knew, even without his father’s research, that there were creatures of myth living among us. He hadn’t needed to see one with his own eyes to know for sure.

What he didn’t believe was that this fairy had willingly climbed into his bed and onto him.

The woman blinked once and crossed her arms over her breasts. She didn’t seem to be covering herself so much as thinking. What was she thinking?

The look in her eyes was sharp enough to cut his skin. Was she going to hurt him?

No, if she’d wanted to do that, she’d had plenty of opportunity already.

Finally, a smile broke across her full lips. Lips he couldn’t help wanting to devour even if that smile did have a fierce edge.

“Worried yet, human? You should be. I could kill you now and no one would be the wiser. Did you think I wouldn’t realize what you were doing out here? What you’ve been looking for with your camera and your gadgets?”

Shock ratcheted through his still-paralyzed body. No one knew why he was here.  He hadn’t told anyone of his research. Not even his boss knew why he’d been so eager to get this assignment. He fought to make his mouth do his bidding but couldn’t get any words out.

“What I’d like to know,” she continued as she paced at the foot of the bed, “is how you figured out where to look. Not that you would have seen me unless I allowed it, but I’m curious. I’m curious about a lot, actually, which is probably how you came to be here. I’ve lived in these woods for many years. Tell me what it was that finally allowed you to detect my presence. You may speak now if you choose. Or I can kill you.”

Frankly, he preferred that she continue to talk. Her voice held an accent he couldn’t place although it did sound faintly Italian. Her English was flawless but the way she formed her words, it seemed as if the language was almost alien. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard.

Still, the expression on her face left no room for doubt. Either he answered or she’d hurt him. So he lied.

“With our new technology, we can pick up trace signatures of psychometric activity. Your signature—”

She slashed her hand through the air and he snapped his mouth shut.

“Don’t bother to lie, human. Your aura just lit up as if you’d been struck by lightning. Of course, if you truly knew what you were dealing with, you would know I am able to tell you are lying. I refuse to believe you just happened to come here to do your research. I do not believe in such luck.”

Neither did he, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. His assignment for his company was supposed to be covert. If he spilled his guts and this woman had been sent by his boss to test his loyalty, he’d be fired. If she worked for the people opposing his employers, his boss would eventually find out he’d spoken out of turn and possibly screwed his agenda. He couldn’t afford that, either.

So he kept his mouth shut.

With a disgusted sound, she flapped her wings as if in annoyance. The movement looking so…real, it derailed every other thought in his head.

How was she working them? The obvious answer had to be her hands but right now her hands were on her hips. She must have strings attached. He tried to crane his head to the side to see behind her but still couldn’t move one muscle of his body. That worried him more than anything else.

“Listen,” he started, ready to come to some agreement, “if you tell me who you’re working for and what you want, I’ll try to give you as many answers as I can. If you just tell me what company you’re working for and what you’re trying to find out, I’ll tell you what I know.”

Well, not really, but it was worth a shot. He’d signed an iron-clad confidentiality contract with BD Enterprises, and he wasn’t the type of man to break a contract.

Besides, he didn’t really believe she could tell when he was lying. He’d become a damn good liar.

Her wings flapped again, several times, and he couldn’t help but ask, “How are you doing that? They look so real, it’s amazing.”

She huffed. “That’s because they are real, ceffo. I thought you knew what you were doing out here. Don’t tell me I’ve wasted two months worrying about a New Age dimwit with a few toys and—“

Whoa, wait. New Age dimwit? Those were definitely fighting words.  “Who the hell are you, lady?”

Her beautiful green eyes widened at his harsh tone, but he was beginning to think maybe he’d never woken from his dream. Because he’d be damned if those wings weren’t real.

Holy shit. Holy shit. “You really are a fairy, aren’t you?”

Pretty lips pursed, she huffed again. “I’m just about at the end of my patience with you, etera. And do not offend me by calling me ‘fairy.’” Now her back straightened and she looked regal enough to be a queen. A gorgeous, naked fairy queen. “I am a folletti of the Etruscan Fata. I am not one of those English pansies who frighten children and dance in the forest.

“I was born in the hills of Toscana, ran free in the ancient forests of Etruria. For centuries, my people have watched yours destroy the earth. You’ve poisoned the water, decimated the forests, forced us into hiding.” The tips of her wings curled over, as if pointing at him. “You’ve polluted the air with chemicals and created weapons that mutate the natural order of life.

“And now,” she practically spat the words out of her mouth, “now, you want to capture me like a mouse in a trap. Make me a pet or a lab experiment. Well, I can tell you, it’s not going to happen.”