Then, with a growing rumble like an impending storm, the root fae pulled themselves out of the ground to show off their colorful and shapely bodies.
“I forgot there were so many kinds of fae,” Iris said as a group of female fairies in rainbow outfits and lots of hair ribbons came down the road doing backflips and cartwheels.
“Hundreds,” Finn said, his arm shooting out to grab her as someone to her side rammed into her.
“Do you know them all?”
“Individually? No. But the types? Yes, absolutely. And it looks like the elves are up next.”
Finn’s arm didn’t leave her lower back as the group of men with gossamer wings and barely there flesh-colored shorts—and nothing else—came marching down the street like an army, their bows in their hands.
The group stopped suddenly, half of them turning in the opposite direction.
Then, in perfect unison, they reached for arrows, nocked their bows, and shot the arrows into the air.
Where they exploded into floral confetti that rained down on the delighted crowd.
Iris, like just about everyone else, leapt up and reached out, grabbing for some of the falling petals.
But her heart shot up into her throat, and her belly hit the floor, as she lost her footing and started to fall over the barricade.
Before her gasp could even fully escape her, Finn’s hands were on her hips, dragging her back against his firm body.
This time, as her heart tripped into overdrive, it was for entirely different reasons.
His arm draped across her lower stomach, keeping her against him. His face was against the side of her head.
All she could think about was how perfectly their bodies fit together, how nice it felt to be held.
She even let herself get caught up in those feelings for a few moments before she caught sight of a news crew across the street from them.
Knowing what she knew of Finn, he’d noticed them and decided to play it up for them.
Why she found that disappointing, when it was literallythe plan, was beyond her.
She stayed in his arms, but she was a lot tenser than a moment before.
Thankfully, the next performance was making its way down the street.
Tall, ethereal fae seemed to float across the pavement, their skin, hair, and wings matching shades of magnificently translucent white.
There was a twinkling sound in the air, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from the fae as theysang and slowly broke into a dance that had their bodies swaying and their wings gently flapping in the wind.
The song and their movements pulsed, grew, until suddenly, they hit a high note as they floated up into the air like angels.
Not even the planned paparazzi could dull her amazement at the performers moving down the road.
“I think this is the last one,” Finn said, his fingertips teasing upward, stopping just shy of decency. She barely resisted the urge to slouch ever so slightly until his fingertips brushed the underside of her breast.
Even just the idea of it had a delicious ache building in her core.
Her breathing went quick and shallow; her pulse quickened.
She was pretty sure if the last float hadn’t drifted up right then, she would have done something humiliating—like grind herself back against him.
But its wheels came to a stop before them, revealing a lush, gorgeous garden. Reds, pinks, yellows, and blues covered every inch.
At first, Iris assumed the movement across the flowers was the wind blowing down the street.