To help the one you love, you must uncover the
light that is surrounded by darkness.

After his brother and Axle are kidnapped by the
notorious Puck, Axle finds himself tied to a tree at
the mercy of the attractive fae, Foster. However,
that’s the least of his worries since his destructive
path has hurt someone close to him. Knowing he
has to change is easier said than done, especially
since Axle never knew who he really was. Can
Foster help him along his journey of self-discovery
and redemption? And how, along the way, did
Axle start falling for the fae?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without
monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Enamored To A Fool

Copyright © 2013 Jackie Nacht

ISBN: 978-1-77111-679-4

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

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Enamored To A Fool

Knavish Sprites, Book

Two

By

Jackie Nacht

1

Chapter One

xle felt like complete and utter shit. The
alcohol was still buzzing through his system,

making him dizzy even while lying down on the
couch. He knew he needed to get up and get a
glass of water to rehydrate, but he kept falling in
and out of a drunken stupor. The only reason he
was emerging from the mist was that he thought
he heard someone knocking on the door. When
another loud crash sounded throughout the house,
Axle realized that it had come from the back
where his brother Torque's room was.

Opening his bloodshot eyes, he noticed that

Donavon wasn’t amongst the group passed out in
the living room. He never liked the bastard and
was always concerned at the way he looked at his
brother. Axle warned the guy away from his
brother numerous times, but it never seemed to
matter. The only reason he kept hanging out with
Donavon was that he was actually Axle's boss at
the garage where he worked. He didn’t want to
get his ass fired, which was threatened if Donavon
wasn’t allowed to join them on their bar

A

Jackie Nacht

2

excursions. So, he had to watch this asshole like a
hawk and grit his teeth when Donavon tore Axle
or his brother apart. Axle knew if he lost his job,
Torque and he would be homeless. Man, if his
brother knew just how much Axle kept him in the
dark over their dire situation, he’d be bitching him
out until he was sporting gray hair.

Managing to get vertical was almost impossible.

That’s what happened when you spent the last
three days drinking and fucking everything in
sight. Finally, he was able to stand, and what he
saw turned his alcohol-filled veins to ice. A red-
haired man was standing in his living room
holding his brother, and Torque looked like he'd
just got the shit kicked out of him. It reminded
him of all the times Torque and he had had
bruises from their father after he'd come home in a
rage. Axle tried to make sure he always pissed his
dad off enough to make sure the fists flew his way
and not at Torque, who was younger and smaller
than he was. Sometimes, his dad had enough left
over for Torque when he left Axle in a bloody
mess on the floor to watch.

“Who the hell are you? Are you the one making

him scream like that?” Axle took menacing steps
toward the red-haired guy that was holding his
very injured brother.

The stranger came forward like a bat out of hell

and knocked Axle on his ass.

Enamored to a Fool

3

Axle tried to get air back into his lungs with no

luck.

The guy walked out of the house, leaving the

door open. He tucked Torque into the front seat of
the car before returning to the house. There was
moaning coming from Torque's room. What the

hell? Did this guy just save my brother or was someone
else hurt? Guilt swamped him. It was his fault that
his brother was hurt. He'd spent his whole life
trying to protect him from their father, and he had
failed him by being just like his father, passed out
drunk on the couch, bringing in his asshole
friends. What the hell was he thinking? He was
the biggest asshole of them all.

Hearing the sound of footsteps on the porch

brought his attention back to the front door.
Before he could react, the guy grabbed Axle none
too gently and threw him in the back of a vehicle.

A million things were going through his brain.

The first was that he wasn’t completely sure what
this guy’s motives were. Was this guy going to
hurt him or was he rushing his brother to the
hospital? The second was that no matter what this
guy's motive was, it didn’t matter; Axle was too
inebriated to protect him or his brother. And how
fucked up was that?

The guy began slowing the car near an

unfamiliar forest edge. Axle's head kept spinning
from all the alcohol, making him slow to

Jackie Nacht

4

concentrate and keep up with what was
happening. Outside the car, the red head was
unloading the vehicle and began chucking
shopping bags into the forest. God, I feel like dog
shit. Trying to lift his head, all he could do was
moan while lying in the backseat.

The next thing he knew, he was smacked in the

head. “Hey, man!” Axle yelled.

“Okay, here’s the thing. One of your buddies

beat the shit out of your brother, and I need to get
him some help.”

“Wait…what? Who touched him?” Was it

Donavon? Axle was almost positive. So, this guy
was here to help them and not dump their bodies
in the middle of the forest after offing them. Nice
to know.

“You would already know, asshole, if you

weren’t drunk off your ass. Now, pay attention.
See those two bags? I need you to carry them for
me while I carry your brother.”

Regret flooded Axle. He began shaking his

head as he moved to sit up. “No, I’ll carry my
brother.”

“I don’t think so. You can barely walk, let alone

carry him. I’ll take care of him from now on.” The
guy moved to the passenger side to carefully pull
Torque out of the car. His brother let out a pitiful
cry before tucking his head into Red's chest.

Enamored to a Fool

5

The guy looked down at Torque. There was

tenderness in his eyes that showed that he was
familiar with his brother. Is my brother dating
someone and I didn’t even know it?

“I know this is going to really hurt, but I need

you to wrap your arms around my neck,” Red
said to Torque.

“Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s going to be just fine. Now, come on,” Red

began leading them into the forest, not waiting on
Axle.

Axle grabbed the two bags then swayed behind

the pair. He followed them as he walked into the
foggy forest. There was a moment's alarm as he
lost sight of his brother, and then, the guy reached
out and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the
fog.

The walk was only about ten yards before he

felt the leaves beginning to crunch underneath his
feet. The air warmed with each step, and the mist
began to dissipate until they were standing in
another part of the forest. He could see shopping
bags strewn all over the forest bed. In a matter of
about ten seconds, he went from a cold December
day to standing in a forest that looked to be in the
height of fall.

Looking at the forest in bewilderment, Axle

was too slow to react when the guy pulled him to

Jackie Nacht

6

a nearby tree. His wrists were tied to the tree with
thick green vines.

“What the hell?” Axle struggled. He had a

personal rule of never allowing himself to be tied
up. It left a person completely vulnerable.
Although Axle was big at over six feet, he had a
feeling this guy could break his neck like a dried-
up twig.

“Sit.”
“No way! What are you going to do with my

brother?”

“Your brother is no longer your concern. You

need to start worrying about yourself.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? He gave a

desperate look at his injured brother lying in the
bed of colorful leaves. This had to be a nightmare.
As soon as he woke up, he was going to clean up
his act, for sure. He’d quit partying, get his ass
back in school and try very hard to reconnect with
the brother who had been through thick and thin
with him while growing up.

The vines began wrapping around him,

tripping him to lie on the floor of the forest. Red
adjusted him to a sitting position with his back
against the nearest tree. The guy took an envelope
out of a nearby bag and pinned it to the front of
his shirt.

Enamored to a Fool

7

“My brother should be around shortly. You

won’t be left by yourself for long.” Red turned and
grabbed Torque, taking him away from Axle.

Jackie Nacht

8

Chapter Two

ou have got to be fucking kidding me. Axle could
not believe he was still tied to a tree. Struggling

with the vines that held him was useless. The red-
haired bastard had pinned a note to his chest like
he was in kindergarten all over again. He had
been a little shit at five, so he had plenty of
experience with the note pinned to the chest.
There was a deep need to rip it up and throw it in
the creek, like he had done when he was five,
except being tied to the tree kept him from it.

Looking around, he could not understand what

the hell was going on. One moment, he had
walked into a forest that was free of leaves due to
the bitter-cold weather, and the next moment, he
was in an awe-inspiring forest with every color
leaf he could imagine. The trees glistened with
morning dew that seemed to make the forest
appear unreal. Maybe someone slipped something
into one of his drinks, because there was no way
in hell any place like this could actually exist. He

Y

Enamored to a Fool

9

was either on something or having one crazy-ass
dream.

Waiting was never one of his specialties, and it

seemed like he had been tied to that tree forever.
The sun had risen and now shone brightly in the
sky. The colorful leaves were giving him a canopy,
but he definitely needed sunglasses to help with
the beams of light breaking through.

By now, Axle was hungry and thirsty. Without

water, his weekend of drinking had become the
worst hangover he had ever experienced. His head
throbbed, making it the mother of all headaches.
He couldn’t get comfortable, and he was sure Red
sat him on the sharpest rocks he could find. He
would be digging them out of his ass for the next
year.

Let’s not forget he had to use the restroom.

There was an urgency to get his hands undone.
Axle thought maybe if he called out for help,
someone might be able to hear him. However, he
didn’t know who the fuck would come. He had no
clue where he was, and by the looks of it, he might
get some scary-ass flying monkeys. Who knew?
Maybe he hit his head and actually landed in Oz.

Leaning his head back against the tree, he tried

to think of anything besides all his discomforts.
There was a small breeze that blew across his face,
and he tried to focus on that. The smell of jasmine
seemed to calm his nerves. It cleared his head

Jackie Nacht

10

some, and he began to wonder if his brother was
okay.

All his life, he had protected Torque from their

father as best he could. Yet, he could feel with
every day that he was beginning to sink into the
same pattern as his old man. He would never hit
anyone; he just knew that to his very core he could
never hurt someone physically. The thought
turned his stomach. But he was becoming reckless
and drinking too much.

At twenty-one, he knew he had a chance of

turning it around if he got his act together. He just
didn’t know how. He was terrible at school. Axle
never let anyone know that he'd struggled with
reading, and that kind of set him up to fail all
through his academic career. Then, there was his
home life.

When he had been younger, he and Torque had

hid out when their father came home from a very
similar weekend to the one he'd just experienced.
He used to hug Torque as his father screamed out,
looking for a way to expel his rage on his sons.
Torque tried to be strong, but silent tracks of tears
would come down his cheeks, and Axle would
wipe them away. The fear on those nights
hardened Axle, and his brother tried to keep him
from it by being a typical smartass teenager. Man,
he wished it had worked. Instead, he'd become
bitter and angry.

Enamored to a Fool

11

Is my brother okay? God, he looked rough when Red

carried him away. Guilt ate at him. There was no
denying that this was his fault. He let that asshole
tag along and got so fucking drunk he actually
brought a predator into his home. He didn’t think
Donavon would be capable of doing something so
horrible, but it didn’t change the fact that it had
happened, and he had been too FUBAR to help his
brother out.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back on the

tree. He was going to have to figure out a way to
get to his brother and find out if he was okay. The
forest was deadly quiet, which was why it
surprised the hell out of him when he felt the
envelope being ripped off his chest.

Axle’s eyes flew wide, and his mouth dropped

open in shock. The guy standing before him was
fucking hot. Ice blue eyes swept over the envelope
in concentration for a few seconds before one of
the corners of his mouth pulled up in a smirk, and
holy hell, what a mouth it was. He had full lips,
hair that was green with white tips. Must be a dye
job, but it looked great styled in a windblown
mess. Tall, lean muscles covered in sun-kissed
skin. His defined abdomen was at his eye level,
and it was completely ripped. Axle could even
smell the suntan lotion that lingered on the guy’s
bare upper body.

Jackie Nacht

12

Green’s bottom portion was covered with a pair

of long red swim trunks that seemed completely
out of place with the bow strapped to his back. He
looked like a cross between a surfer and a hunter.
Weird mix, but somehow, it completely fit the
man standing before Axle. If he wasn’t in such a
shit situation and worried about his brother, he
would have already had the guy bent in half,
fucking him.

Green squatted down, staring with those

piercing ice blue eyes, “I can’t figure out if Puck is
playing another joke on us or if he’s out of his
fucking mind giving you to our queen.”

Axle tilted his head to the side. “Puck? You

mean Red? You must be the brother I’ve been
waiting for. Mind untying me? I have to take a
piss.”

The guy’s cool blue eyes were penetrating.

“Yes, Puck is my brother, and if you don’t shape
up, you can rot here all night and piss in your
jeans for all I care. Drop the attitude and I might
not kill you where you sit.”

For some odd reason, that stopped Axle in his

tracks. The guy might look like he was on spring
break, but his eyes looked vacant of any warmth.
Being an ass to this guy would definitely get him
killed.

Trying to reason with the guy, he asked,

“Look…what’s your name again?”

Enamored to a Fool

13

“Foster,” Foster grunted out while taking a

quick look over his shoulder before refocusing on
Axle.

“The name’s Axle, not that you asked or

anything. Look, Foster, if you could just untie me,
I could take a piss and get out of your hair. I need
to go find my brother so I can get out of la la
land,” Axle admitted. His mouth ran rampant
when worrying over his brother, and a hangover
made him extremely irritable.

“Didn’t my brother tell you the situation you

are in?” With his long fingers, Foster began tracing
the vines that tied him up, ending on one of the
knots.

“No, just that my brother was injured, and he

was going to take care of him from now on. Look,
I don’t mean to be rude, but my brother was hurt
when Puck carried him off. I think he may need a
doctor, and I have to get untied to get him to the
hospital. So, be a champ and cut these suckers off
me.” Axle raised a dark eyebrow at Foster.

“Your brother belongs to the Unseelie now,

where you belong to the Seelie. Your brother is no
longer your concern, and from what you say, it
seems my brother is quite fascinated with him, so I
don’t think you need to worry about him. Come,
I’ll untie you and you can meet your queen. Don’t
even think about giving me a problem. I have no

Jackie Nacht

14

idea what my brother was thinking. Your ass
should be over on ice mountain.”

Foster pulled a blade from behind his back and

began cutting the vines from around Axle. Again,
if he hadn’t been an idiot partying and tied there
for hours, he might have been able to do
something about getting away and going after his
brother. Unfortunately, Axle’s pride took a hit
when he needed Foster to help him stand. Axle
was no small guy either. He was built just as
muscularly as Foster, and it pissed him off to need
assistance in a moment of weakness.

Axle leaned against the tree and turned his back

to Foster to take care of business. After zipping, he
turned. “By any chance, you wouldn’t have any
water on you?”

Foster shook his head and began putting Axle's

arm over his shoulder to help guide him to the
unknown.

Enamored to a Fool

15

Chapter Three

oster was completely confused with his
brother Puck’s decision in bringing this human

as the Seelie changeling. This guy was so dark, he
would have been a bottom feeder in the Unseelie
court. Yet, Foster tried to look deeper, and what he
saw was a human with a lot of damage. Is this what

Puck saw? Did he think this human needed the Seelie
court to find himself? Or was he so enamored with the

other mortal that he didn’t give a fuck who he gave to
Titania? He didn’t have a clue; however, the latter
seemed the most plausible.

Whatever his brother’s intentions were, Foster

was going to keep a close eye on Axle. It wouldn’t
be a hardship since Axle was extremely handsome
with dark hair, standing over six feet with tanned
muscles. The only unattractive feature about him
was the bloodshot eyes. The dark blue eyes would
look so much better after they cleared up—which
upon further thought, Axle reeked of alcohol,
might take a while.

F

Jackie Nacht

16

Foster could feel his desire growing for the

mortal that he knew would be more trouble than
he was worth to the Seelie. He hoped his desire
came from the mystery of the mortal he was
helping walk the path back to the court. The rest
of the Seelie would feel the same attraction to
Axle. The unknown always seemed to make the
Seelie want to test the waters, so to speak. For
some odd reason, that unsettled Foster greatly. He
didn’t want to share this human with the others.
And what a fucked-up human this one was.

It had been a long time since there was

anything new to hit the Seelie court, and Foster
had a feeling this mortal was about to turn their
world upside down. He had to wonder if his
brother was trying to piss off the queen again. This
wasn’t some snow on a party, though. Axle was
about to take up permanent residence with the
rest of the summer fae. What was he doing even
taking this guy back with him? He should have
just left him tied to the tree.

Axle seemed to be having a hard time walking,

and he smelled like he hadn’t showered in a
couple days. He smelled of sweat, alcohol and sex.
This was no way to present the changeling to his
queen. Foster changed his course, trekking his
way toward the lake that lay in the center of the
fae realm.

Enamored to a Fool

17

Axle was looking around and not realizing the

body of water they were approaching. Foster
didn’t even slow down, he walked right into the
warm waters before dumping Axle into it, knee
deep. The guy went under like a rock and
remained there until Foster thought he was going
to have to pull the guy up.

Sputtering, Axle broke the surface. “What the—

”

“You stink. You can’t meet everyone smelling

like you do. It’s offensive.” Foster crossed his arms
over his chest.

“Sorry if my smell offends you. Next time I get

kidnapped and tied to a tree, I’ll make sure I smell
like the guys in the damn Axe commercials!” Axle
began washing his face vigorously in the lake.

Axle needed more than just a good scrubbing.

The guy needed fresh clothes and a shave. What
had this guy been doing? He looked completely
shit-faced. Foster had seen it too many times at the
pubs in the mortal realm. The only difference was
that not only did Axle’s dark blue eyes hold a
sense of loss but also pain. Did he lose someone

special, or did he lose himself somewhere along the
way? Maybe Foster could take him under his wing
until Axle got back on his feet even though he
could tell it was going to be a major pain in the
ass.

Jackie Nacht

18

Foster bent over and grabbed the bottom of

Axle’s shirt then pulled it over the human's head.
He could tell Axle was about to protest. “Trust me,
there are more unidentifiable stains on there than
at a hotel under black light. I’ll make sure you get
a new one before you meet everyone. I live on the
outskirts, and we’ll go there first.”

Foster watched as Axle closed his mouth and

sat there in the water with his brows furrowed. It
was the first time Axle looked halfway normal. He
began to notice the long, dark, wet lashes and the
way tiny droplets slid over his full lips and
dripped into the lake below. Looking at Axle's
chest, he could see very nice muscles that made
him above average in size for humans, but there
wasn’t an ounce of fat to his midsection. Instead,
he had a six pack with a small trail of hair that
lead to where Foster suddenly wanted to be.

What the hell was he thinking? This guy was so

not his type. He tended to go for the sprites in the
court. They were full of life and energy, where
Axle was… sinking below the water.

Acting fast, Foster pulled Axle above the

water’s surface. “You’re a wreck. Here…” Foster
began guiding Axle to the shore.

“I was just hoping this was some horrible

nightmare and maybe I'd wake up and my
mouthy little brother would be okay and I
wouldn’t be abducted by a guy with hair that

Enamored to a Fool

19

looks like a putting green.” Axle stepped away
and began walking on his own. A miracle by
Foster’s standards.

Foster didn’t live very far from the in-between.

He loved looking at the fallen leaves when dusk
came, because it was the link between him and his
brother. Sometimes, he wondered why he chose to
go to the summer court and walk away from his
brother. Sure, he had a little bit of the prankster
and wickedness in him, but there was just too
much summer in him to survive in the Unseelie
court. He’d freeze his ass off in the first hour, and
then, the Unseelie would eat him alive. The only
problem was that he didn’t feel completely
summer either. While his brother lived in court
with special accommodations given by King
Oberon, Foster lived on the outskirts, yearning for
a place to fit in. He never had the courage to ask
his brother if he felt the same way.

After a short distance, Foster made his way to

the stone pathway that led to his small home. The
tiny hut was just the perfect size for him. While
opening the door for Axle, he wondered what the
human would think of his living conditions. His
home was neat and tidy. It was a completely open
house except for the bathroom, which was
enclosed toward the back. The kitchen, living
room and bedroom were all open and in various
sides of the hut.

Jackie Nacht

20

Since he didn’t live in court where everything

was modern, he lived a rustic life. He cooked out
of a fireplace, bathed in the lake and slept under
the stars with an open hatch in the ceiling. The
only modern thing he had in his house was
several LED book lights and a working bathroom.
His brother brought the book lights back from the
mortal realm when he found out Foster was still
reading by candlelight.

Walking over to a wood chest that held his

clothing, he opened it and dug out a pair of blue
swim trunks. When he turned around, he found
Axle lying back on his bed rubbing his eyes.

“Here, these should fit you. We’re about the

same size,” Foster dropped the trunks onto Axle’s
stomach, hoping to cover the enticing image. A
great-looking, half-naked guy in his bed was not
the norm. It was all he could do not to join him
there and keep him all to himself. Once Axle went
to court, Foster knew he would lose him to the
other more attractive Seelie. Being a Halfling to
both courts tended to make him the odd one out.

“Thank you. Do you have a T-shirt I can

borrow? I’m not in the habit of going without
one,” Axle stood up and without an ounce of
modesty opened his wet jeans and dropped them
to the floor.

Fuck, that is a perfect body. Foster wasn’t even

sure what propelled him into action, but with a

Enamored to a Fool

21

few short strides, he reached out his fingertips to
trace all the muscles on Axle’s stomach and chest.
He was completely mesmerized.

“Hmmm…that feels excellent.” Axle closed his

eyes and leaned his head back.

As much as Foster wanted to go farther in this,

he knew Axle wasn’t in any state for it. “Why?” he
blurted out.

Axle looked at him with deep blue eyes. The

redness was finally clearing up. “Why what?”
Axle asked.

“Why were you in that condition when Puck

took you?” Foster whispered.

Axle looked away and shrugged, but Foster

could see shame written all over face.

“I haven’t been such a great guy lately. I keep

telling myself that I’ll turn it around, but I’m kind
of in a tailspin right now. It’s kind of bad for
someone who’s only twenty-one.” Axle looked
down at Foster's fingers as they traced the muscles
on his chest.

“What keeps you from getting out of it?” Foster

moved his fingertips up to his shoulders. He
wanted to keep Axle calm, so maybe, Foster could
get to know him more. For some reason, it was
very important to him.

Axle swallowed what looked like a golf ball

before he spoke softly, “Guilt and youth, I guess. I
was eighteen when our dad died, leaving Torque

Jackie Nacht

22

and me alone. He wasn’t such a great parent, but
when he passed away, everything happened so
fast. I got custody of Torque and found a job as a
mechanic as quickly as I could. When I still wasn’t
making enough, I did some other things I’m not
talking about. The guilt comes from getting pissed
at my brother for the circumstances that were
anything but his fault. Spent my entire childhood
protecting him, and I found out one of the people I
brought into our home hurt him. Epic fail on my
part.”

“I’m sure everyone handles a situation like

yours differently. Your feelings are actually pretty
normal. But youth? How old are you again?”
Foster missed it, but the guy looked young.

For the first time, Axle smiled a little. “Twenty-

one. I’ve been going a little crazy since my dad
died, and I didn’t have to come home in fear
anymore. I need to learn my limits, though. I turn
into a complete jerk when I get wasted, and
unfortunately, that’s when Torque is at the height
of wise ass. We clash during those times, and it’s
put a strain on our relationship. He doesn’t like
who I’ve become, and I don’t like it when he calls
me on it, because I know he’s right. Can I go see
me brother?” Axle finished hoarsely.

Foster looked at the sadness in Axle’s eyes. He

knew that Axle might not have been doing such a
bang-up job raising his brother, but in that

Enamored to a Fool

23

moment, he knew Axle wanted to fix it going
forward.

Foster brushed a stray hair out of Axle's eyes. “I

know you have no reason to trust me, but I
promise my brother is taking good care of him. I’ll
make sure you can see him soon. Why don’t you
worry about healing yourself?”

Furrowing his brows, Axle looked at Foster's

eyes. “I wasn’t hurt, my brother was.”

Sighing, Foster went on, “Yeah, Axle, you were.

From what you said, you’ve got wounds that are
new and old. Why don’t you take this time to find
who you are? Not who you’re afraid of becoming.
Trust me, there’s a difference. You fear becoming
your dad so much, you have no idea who you
really are. And without knowing that, you could
fall very much in the same pathway that led to
you being tied to the tree.”

Axle turned and stepped away. “I don’t get it. I

never talk to anyone like this. I’m here five
minutes and dropping all my personal biz to you.
It’s freaking me out.”

Shrugging, Foster responded, “Sometimes,

humans view the fae in different ways. Maybe,
you see me as someone you can confide in.
Someone you are comfortable with. I don’t know.
I’m not much of a talker either and feel like I’ve
been questioning you under the hot lamps.”

Jackie Nacht

24

Laughing, Axle glanced over his shoulder.

“You didn’t even need them. I spilled them like I
shotgunned sodium pentothal.”

Foster had spent enough time in the mortal

realm to know what that was. Not as much as his
brother but quite a bit of time nonetheless.

He kind of thought that Axle would be a little

more resistant to him. There was no way Foster
would put his guard down, though. However, he
knew for a fact that the stuff Axle had revealed
was truth. It was the darkness that was
extinguishing the light in him.

Axle definitely needed to be here. Maybe, his

brother hadn’t completely fucked up. Deep down,
Foster was happy to have Axle here, too. Even
with all the prickles and thorns, Foster was
fascinated and attracted to him. Axle wasn’t the
only one acting strangely.

Shaking out of his thoughts, he answered,

“Come on. I think you should take a small nap,
and then, we’ll go and meet the Seelie court.”

Foster handed Axle a huge mug of water before

tucking him into bed with fresh sheets, since the
old ones were wet. Finally, after the man drank his
water and closed his eyes, Foster went to sit at his
wood table and began to read. He would never
admit that he spent more time looking at Axle
than he did at the words on the page.

Enamored to a Fool

25

Chapter Four

pon waking up for the second time that day,
Axle was aware that his hangover was almost

gone and that he was still in what Foster called the
fae land or something like that. He was pretty sure
he remembered everything. The last couple hours
seemed to have passed by in a fog, but he knew
this was not the kidnapping he thought it was.

He must have the worst case of Stockholm’s to

not only think that his captor was extremely hot,
but also that this was something that was actually
good for him. He had ugh…shared his feelings.

Plus, Axle felt for the first time in his life that he

might have been removed from a bad situation. A
situation that he should have controlled and taken
ownership of, but in the end, the things he had
done to survive had towed him into a dark abyss.

Sitting up, Axle scrubbed a hand over his face.

trying to get reoriented. A sloshing sound right in
front of him had Axle sitting back to see a mug
thrust into his face.

U

Jackie Nacht

26

“Thank you,” Axle mumbled, taking the mug

from Foster who nodded and walked away.

Axle brought the mug to his lips, and the cool

liquid made a path down his parched throat. God,
this was the best-tasting water he had ever had.
He took great gulps until he'd emptied the mug
then looked around for more. Foster was generous
enough to bring him two more cups.

“We need to go see Queen Titania now. I’ve

delayed this as long as I could. At least you don’t
look like mortal road kill now.” Foster wore a pair
of green swim trunks and began donning his bow
and quiver of arrows.

Yesterday, the look would have seemed odd,

but now, it seemed fitting of Foster. Axle glanced
around, wondering if he would enjoy living this
rustic life like Foster or if he would like something
more like the modern conveniences he was used
to.

Foster opened up the door to his home…hut…

whatever you call it, and Axle followed him out.
The sun was piercing through the beautiful
foliage. Without the haze of alcohol buzzing
through his system, he got his real first look at the
place to which he'd been brought. Fuck, I must have

fallen down the rabbit hole here.

Trees that were so beautiful, they damn near

shimmered under the golden rays bordered the
pathway of their journey. The scent of the forest

Enamored to a Fool

27

had Axle taking in deep breaths just so he could
get a lungful of the good stuff. Animals made a
musical chorus that would probably make a
composer weep. Axle had never felt so out of
place in his life. He felt like a tarnished penny.

Following behind Foster, Axle kept turning to

get a look at the giant lake that stood in the center
of a world that was so breathtaking, he couldn’t
help but stare, even while stumbling over the
vines on the ground. On the side of the lake that
he was closest to, he got the distinct impression of
stepping from fall to summer in an instant. The
leaves were bright colors, and then, after about a
hundred more yards, a green so rich that Axle
wasn’t even sure he had ever seen the shade so
vibrant. It was that stunning. Turning back, he
noticed across the lake a large black castle
surrounded by snow and ice. The place looked
hauntingly beautiful.

The sounds of pop music filled the air, making

Axle’s eyes go wide. What in the hell? They broke
through the forest and onto a beach that was filled
with people. All of them scantily clad in various-
colored bathing suits. That didn’t seem so bad, but
they were just so…damn happy that it made him
feel like ants were crawling all over his skin. The
music made him want to cover his ears. Is that a

hot dog stand?

Jackie Nacht

28

Axle felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his

temples. Then suddenly, Foster grabbed him by
the elbow, leading him over to a large cabana
where the most beautiful woman he'd ever set
eyes on sat on a lounge chair in a gold two-piece
bathing suit.

“Foster, what is this thing?” The lady curled her

lip at him.

Axle was about to tell her exactly who he was

when Foster stepped in front of him. “My Queen,
a message from the Unseelie court.” Foster handed
her the note that had been pinned to him. Axle
leaned to the side to watch her read the note, her
face appearing to get angrier as she mouthed the
words at a second passing.

“Is this a joke?” The queen threw the note on

the ground. Ouch, Axle knew he was a hot mess,
but he wasn’t that bad.

“No, Queen Titania. It seems the Unseelie have

taken on a changeling and…” Foster cleared his
throat. “Given us this one.” At least Foster had the
decency to look guilty as the rest of the court
gasped in shock.

Hey! It wasn’t like he was a fungus or anything.
Titania got up and walked over to him. “He’s a

disaster! Just look at him. He’s already one damn
foot in the door to Unseelie. Why did they give
us… him?” She said with disdain.

Enamored to a Fool

29

“Seems his brother went to the Unseelie. Puck

took him and is keeping him for himself.” Foster
adjusted the quiver on his back and rolled his
neck. Is this as tense for Axle as it is for me?

Queen Titania's brows drew down. “Puck kept

his brother, you say?”

“Yes, My Queen.”
The queen walked over to Axle and scrutinized

him. She was so close to him that he could feel her
warm breath kiss his face. Strangely, the smell of
jasmine hit him at the same time. Axle became
dizzy and swayed a little before catching himself.
This lady had a fucking scary effect on him.

Titania grabbed him by the chin, her gold eyes

seemed to pierce him and delve into his very soul.
He felt naked before this woman and didn’t like it
one bit. The urges to shove her away and at the
same time submit to her warred inside him.

“There’s not much light left of you, human. It’s

buried so deep, I’m not sure you’ll be able to cope
with this court. But I’ll give you one chance, but if
you fuck up…I’ll kill you,” she murmured before
pushing his chin away.

Okay, now, he had to deal with a crazy bitch as

well as being kidnapped. “If you could just get me
and my brother back home…” Axle began trying
to reason with her.

“No. You won’t be leaving here. You belong to

the Seelie now.” Titania sat back down in her

Jackie Nacht

30

lounge chair, and a tiny speck of a girl came over
with a goblet, handing it to her before…fuck…
flying away.

Axle tried to reason with the lady…queen…

whatever. “Look, you and I both know that I don't
fit in this place,” Axle waved his hand around the
ridiculous-looking beach scene. “Why don’t we
save each other a great big damn headache and
help get my ass out of here…please?” Sheesh, it was

hard to tack that last part on.

Titania raised a delicate brow toward him. “No.

Learn to adapt or die. It really is no headache on
my part. You act like an ass, I’ll kill you. You treat
my people disrespectfully, I’ll kill you.” Titania
leaned forward. “You talk back to me one more
time and you won’t draw breath again.”

Titania gold eyes blazed, and Axle knew that

she wasn’t fucking around anymore. Step one toe
out of line and this lady would end him. Period.
Axle rubbed his face, at a loss as to what to do. His
life was no longer his own, and that was not
sitting well with him. In fact, he was so pissed
right now, he was visibly shaking. But there was
also a draw to staying in this place. Too bad it was
in the forest with the sexy green-haired man. This
beach gave him the heebie jeebies.

“Where do you want him to live? I can take him

there.” Foster asked the queen. So eager to get away
from me, darling? I thought you wanted to help?

Enamored to a Fool

31

Queen Titania shrugged. “He’ll live with you.”
“What?” Foster shrieked. “There’s no room.”
Axle burst out laughing.
“This isn’t funny,” Foster snarled. “We’ll be

crawling all over each other.”

Axle thought it was pretty damn funny. Green

couldn’t get rid of him fast enough, and now, his
queen was sticking him with Axle. They were
either going to drive each other crazy or fuck one
another silly. The smile slipped right off Axle’s
face at that thought.

He shouldn’t be thinking like that. He had been

kidnapped, his brother was hurt, and now, he was
in a place from which he could never return home,
yet he was thinking with his dick. Frowning, he
glanced down, feeling like he hadn’t changed a
bit. He was scum.

Looking up, Axle noticed Titania and Foster in

a heated discussion that couldn’t quite reach his
ears. Hell, he knew what they were talking
about…him. The boil on the ass of society.
Rubbing his neck, he wished there was some way
that he could just have a do-over of his life. Not
his whole life, just the last couple years when he
took a nosedive like you wouldn’t believe. Hell,
he'd thought that Foster was even being kind to
him that morning. But in front of the court, the fae
didn’t want anything to do with him. Story of his
life.

Jackie Nacht

32

Foster came over, only looking a little bit more

relieved.

What did I miss?
“Come on. It seems you’re going to be my ward

for a while.”

“You’ll thank me,” Titania called out.
Foster snarled at her and yanked Axle onto the

beach where there was a volleyball game going
on. Could this place be anymore cheesy? Seriously?

There is no way he would ever fit in with these

people. He glanced over at Foster incredulously.
“This isn’t going to work.”

Foster shook his head. “Out of our hands.

When the queen makes a decision, you listen. I’m
going to need some…help.” Foster gritted with his
teeth.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I don’t like people helping and especially

being near my home.”

Axle rolled his shoulders. “Hey, if you want me

to stay somewhere else—”

Foster cut him off. “No, you’re staying with

me.” He snarled. “It’s just…my accommodations
aren’t what you’re used to. I want to make it a
little easier on you.”

Axle was taken aback by that little piece of

information. So, Foster didn’t want him to
disappear. He just didn’t want the 1950s beach
partiers to help him expand Foster's home to make

Enamored to a Fool

33

it better for Axle. Hell, he liked Foster’s place just
the way it was. If he had to climb over the damn
man…oooh that was so appealing. They weren’t
going to change the place one fucking bit.

He was about to respond, but he felt something

hit the back of his head, knocking him forward.

What in the…

Turning, he saw the volleyball roll away.

Growling, Axle rubbed the back of his head while
listening to Foster laugh his ass off. Axle was
about to lay into him when he glanced over at
Foster and was shocked by the man. He was
stunning with his green-haired head tilted back
toward the sun. Dimples displayed on his cheeks
and brilliant light blue eyes sparkled with mirth.
His laughter was like music to Axle’s dead soul.

What was left of Axle’s pissed-off attitude

dwindled down to nothing as he got a good look
around. He tried to see past the cheesiness of the
place and look at the fae. It was going to take a
long time to work that one out in his head.

He had never been around a group of people

like this in his life. They all seemed so…merry.
Axle’s entire life had been around drunks, full of
abuse and people that preferred the night instead
of the light of day.

Fuck, he was actually feeling sweat build up on

his brow, and it had nothing to do with the warm
summer breeze. Axle was way out of his element.

Jackie Nacht

34

He wanted to change, shape up and get his life
back together, but he doubted this was the place
for him to do it. He was trying to see all the good
that was there for him, but he didn’t feel like this
was right either.

Axle opened his mouth and closed it, then

opened it again. Shit, I feel like I am drowning here.
He walked swiftly to where they'd come from.
Hell, am I having a panic attack? Reality was sinking
in, and he felt so off-kilter. He wasn’t sure if he
was ever going to get his footing again.

Running was his only option, and he took off to

the woods. He soon felt the leaves beneath him
begin to crunch as the area changed to fall. Axle
had never been much of a runner, and he had
been treating his body like shit for the last two
years. Soon, he was huffing and puffing. Bending
over, he tried to catch his breath. Out, he needed
out.

Rounding a huge oak, he shouted in surprise.

“How the hell did you get here?”

Foster was leaning against the great oak

casually. Not a white-tipped green hair was out of
place, and the man wasn’t even breathing hard.

Axle wished he looked that good when he ran.

Instead, he looked like a sweaty, hot mess.

“You humans are so slow, especially you in

particular. Your body is so toxic, I’m surprised
you made it this far.”

Enamored to a Fool

35

Axle approached Foster. Maybe he would see

reason. “I can’t stay there. Here, I might be okay
but that place back there…” Axle wasn’t even sure
how to explain it, but it almost physically hurt him
to be on that beach.

Foster looked back at him in sympathy. “No.

We can take it in small doses, but that is your
court now.”

Axle uttered a word he never thought would

pass his lips, and this is the second time in one
day. “Please,” he asked. “That place back there,
it’s not me. It’ll be like trying to fit a square peg in
a round hole. I know I fucked up before and I
want to change, but…”

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he lifted his

eyes to see Foster staring at him curiously.
Whatever Foster was thinking, he must have come
to a decision.

“C’mon, follow me.”
Axle followed as Foster led him deeper into fall.

Axle wished he knew what the fae had been
thinking, but as long as he was going in the
opposite direction of the beach fiasco, he’d take it.

Jackie Nacht

36

Chapter Five

oster could not believe he was actually taking
Axle deeper into fall. While he was allowed to

come here along with his brother, Puck, this place
was usually reserved for King Oberon and Queen
Titania…only. He must be out of his ever-lovin
mind to be taking Axle there, especially since
Queen Titania didn’t seem to be impressed with
the mortal. But he saw it in Axle’s eyes. The two of
them belonged in the Seelie court about as much
as Puck.

Axle was going to have a long journey ahead of

him. Healing from his past, discovering a new
avenue to his future, the least Foster could do was
to try to make the path as easy as possible where
he could. There wasn’t much he could do to help
Axle. The man needed to change. The only thing
he could do was hold his hand when needed, and
when he was sinking, help him find another shore
where he could regain his footing.

F

Enamored to a Fool

37

Foster wanted to help Axle. He had initially

been an asshole, but Axle had been taken and now
was in a world that he never knew existed. Foster
thought he could at least try to gently acclimate
the guy to their world. And the only way he could
think to do that was to bring Axle here…the in-
between that accepted both light and dark.

“Are you taking me back?” Axle followed

behind him.

Turning, he looked at the man before him. Axle

was truly a handsome man. Right now, Foster was
at war with himself. He wasn’t sure if he wanted
to bring the man closer to him or knock him on his
ass. Being a loner, Foster wasn’t even used to
having company, especially one that had so much
baggage that it would take years to recover from.

That was a problem. Axle wasn’t going to be

getting better in a day or even a month. The
damage he had done to himself and his brother
were going to take years to get over. Foster was
going to have to dig deep to find a patience he
wasn’t even sure he had. Staring at the young,
handsome man, he knew he had to try. Hell, for
the first time, he wanted to try and be around
someone.

Foster was attracted to Axle, and the queen told

him to take Axle under his wing. As hard as it
was, he was going to do it.

Jackie Nacht

38

“We’ll go back there for dinner, but I thought

you’d like a little reprieve. I know our court can
be…much to take in,” Foster murmured before
sitting and resting his back against a tree. Foster
soaked up the aromas of the forest, and a deep
calm came over him. Maybe this would become a
sanctuary for the both of them.

Axle sat next to him, picking up a red leaf and

twirling it between his fingers. “I don’t know what
to do.”

“That’s to be expected. You weren’t brought

here by your own will.”

“Do you think…I belong over there?” Axle

murmured.

Foster stared at Axle and followed his eyes to

the dark castle of King Oberon.

Foster wanted to shout out a big hell no. If he

was over there, he would be away from
Foster…unattainable. Is that what I want?

Yes…no…fuck!

The tiny speck of light that was left in Axle

would be smothered within the year. There would
be no repair after that.

“No. Queen Titania doesn’t seem to think so,

and she can see the soul of a human where I
can’t…exactly.” Foster sighed. Foster could feel
darkness and light in a person, but the core of a
being…he wasn’t even close to that powerful.
Queen Titania assured Foster that he was the one

Enamored to a Fool

39

who could help Axle the most, so he better learn to
play well with others. Glancing over at Axle, he
hoped he picked up the game quickly. The man
was too attractive for his own good.

Axle let out a laugh that sounded harsh to his

own ears. “I bet she found black tar for my soul.”

“She must have seen something to have you

stay in the Seelie court.” Okay, that probably
wasn’t helping. That sounded like he was really
reaching there.

“Very tiny.” Axle murmured.
“Sometimes, that’s all you need to start the

healing of one’s soul.”

“Hmm,” Axle murmured before lying down on

the leaves beneath the tree.

Foster followed, and the two spent the

afternoon listening to the sounds of various birds
in the woods. They didn’t say much to each other,
both lost in their own thoughts and what the
future would bring the two of them now that they
were to be intermingling their lives. Foster was
used to the silence, and looking over at Axle, he
discovered the man had found enough peace to be
dozing under the colorful canopy.

There was something that was bothering him,

though. Just by looking and hearing Axle’s words,
Foster knew the man held guilt and hadn’t always
been such a tarnished soul. Foster agreed with
Axle that the man was not made for the Seelie

Jackie Nacht

40

court. Hell, I’m not made for it either, but can it help

Axle?

Feeling a soft touch to his arm, Foster turned

his head to see Axle’s hand touching his skin. The
connection seemed to shoot electricity through his
entire body, making him hard and achy.

Axle glanced down at his hand brushing

Foster’s skin. “Can I ask you something?” Axle
murmured.

“Hmmm.” For some reason, Foster's mind

turned to mush at such simple contact.

“Is it going to be a big problem for me to live

with you?” Axle glanced up, bright blue eyes
holding his.

Foster was so confused by the drop in

snarkiness from the man. Is that his defense

mechanism to life, and is he already feeling comfortable
enough around me to discontinue it already? Sheesh, I

hope so.

“It’s not going to be a problem at all. I’m just

used to being alone, and I don’t have a lot of room
to make you feel welcome. I can work on
expanding the hut.” Foster almost laughed at
himself at the last part. Like Axle would want to
stay with him that long. The thought of Axle
leaving him set a deep loneliness inside him that
was foreign. What the hell is wrong with me? He'd
just met the guy, and Axle had been a wreck when

Enamored to a Fool

41

he had. This constant inner battle was driving him
crazy.

Axle leaned over him. “I…”
Hell, Foster knew the feeling. He was feeling a

weird pull toward the man, and reason was flying
away in the damn breeze.

He didn’t get time to think too much more

because Axle leaned over and kissed him. The kiss
started out gently. Axle's lips were full and soft.
Foster’s body ignited, and he became ravenous for
the man. Rolling over, he took control of the kiss,
demanding entrance to that snarky mouth of
Axle’s. Axle moaned and grabbed the back of
Foster’s head, tugging on his hair. Foster growled,
loving the sensation.

Foster could feel himself losing control as he

pressed his hard cloth-covered cock against
Axle’s. The man was just as ready for this as he
was. They could do this. Throw caution to the
wind. Tear each other clothes off and spend one
hell of an afternoon in the woods.

Foster pulled back and scooted a few feet away

from Axle.

Axle groaned. “What’s wrong?” Axle reached

for Foster, and Foster pulled out of his reach.

“This. There’s something wrong. You’re trying

to heal. I’m trying to help, and one touch and we
can’t even think straight.” Foster was pointing

Jackie Nacht

42

between the two of them, trying to get his point
across.

Axle shook his head like he was trying to

dislodge the daze that had been clouding Foster as
well. “I’m…I’m sorry.” Axle held his hands out in
front of him. “Look, that was really wrong of me
and—”

“It’s not just you. The feeling is mutual.” Foster

cleared his throat. Well, dammit, it was!

Axle glanced down at the forest floor before

returning to look at him. The desire was all but
gone, and sadness clouded him once more. Foster
wanted to kick himself for stopping.

“I think I need time.”
Axle seemed so uncertain, and Foster wanted to

go to him. But would they have the same physical
reaction? And he wasn’t so sure he would be able
to stop himself this time.

Axle went on. “I need to find out who I am

before I can be good for anyone. From what I
know of you, which isn’t much, but you seem like
an honorable man…fae…whatever. I’ll get it right
one day. You need someone solid, and I’m
anything but that right now.”

While Foster was momentarily disappointed, he

was also happy. Axle did want to change, and this
was the start. “I can still be your friend and help
you along the way.”

Enamored to a Fool

43

Axle wrapped his arms around his legs, staring

down between them while he nodded, choking
out, “That sounds good. I think I could use a
friend to help me get my head on straight right
now.”

Getting up, Foster held out his hand. “C’mon,

let’s go get something to eat.”

Axle grabbed his hand, and electricity shot

through Foster’s body. Trying to shut down the
desire, he pushed Axle’s dark hair from his
forehead.

The man glanced back with a worried

expression. “Do we have to go back there?” Axle
murmured.

“You haven’t eaten since you were taken.

Aren’t you hungry?” If Foster was going to be a
friend to Axle, he was going to make sure he took
good care of him while the man sorted out the
darkness in his head.

Axle shrugged. “I haven’t had time to think of

my stomach. Just trying to catch up with what the
hell was happening and what was going to
happen to me and my brother.”

“You need to start taking care of yourself.”
Axle nodded in response while Foster pulled

him on the dirt trail that would lead them back to
the beach.

Jackie Nacht

44

The place was even more chaotic when they

returned. It seemed that a party had begun, and
many of the Seelie were dancing in their bikinis
while drinking. Shit, this was no place for Axle to
be right now, and Foster was pretty damn sure
that Axle had a problem with alcohol. Why was he
even putting Axle near the hands of temptation
when he was trying to straighten out?

Plus, could they have come at a worse time?

Why couldn’t they have come back when they
were having some downtime? Foster was trying to
soothe Axle into their world, and he practically
walked him into the damn confetti being thrown
in his face.

Desperately glancing around, Foster tried to

search out some sane corner. There! Brokk, the tiny
male sprite, was off to himself eating a hot dog, a
glob of ketchup falling onto his lap. Foster knew
this was the best place for Axle to be and led him
over.

“Brokk, this is Axle. I’m going to go get

something to eat. Would you like something?”

Axle's appeared repulsed as he watched Brokk

start in on his second hot dog.

“Ugh…why do you have hot dogs here?” Axle

asked, looking completely baffled.

“Right now, we are in the gathering, but there

is a time when we go over to the mortal realm.
Our queen has spent a lot of time over there and

Enamored to a Fool

45

enjoys bringing back some of your…more
interesting foods for the Seelie. We have an
emissary go back and forth for the queen.”

“You don’t go?” Axle sat down in the sand next

to Brokk.

How did Foster answer this one? He didn’t like

to talk about himself and was actually shocked
that Axle asked.

By definition, his very name was forest

guardian, and that’s all he had done in his
immortal life. That’s all he felt comfortable doing.
Sure, he’d been over to the mortal realm, but it just
didn’t feel like home to him. The forest was his
home, and that was the only thing he took comfort
in.

Foster didn’t even like to eat the stuff from over

there and preferred to eat the fruits from his world
and hunt.

“I don’t go over to the mortal realm much,”

Foster mumbled.

He turned and went in search of food for him

and Axle. There was a table that held a wide array
of food. He tried to figure out what Axle would
want to eat and ended up stacking a huge plate
with various foods from his world and Axle’s.

Once back, he found Axle sifting the sand

through his fingers as he stared out at the water,
still seated next to Brokk.

Jackie Nacht

46

“Here,” Foster handed him the overflowing

plate.

Axle’s eyes widened. “I’m hungry, but I don’t

think I’ll be able to eat all that. Thank you.”

Foster sat next to him with his much smaller

plate.

“I wasn’t sure what you would like so just eat

what you want.” Foster picked up a berry and
popped it into his mouth.

Foster glanced over at Brokk and noticed a

smudge of ketchup at the corner of his mouth.
Leaning over, Foster wiped it off with a napkin.
The younger man needed a keeper. Unfortunately,
the Seelie had a little too much play in them and
not a whole lot of seriousness. Foster had seen the
sprite, on more than one occasion, heartbroken
and sitting near the edge of the woods. He tried to
ask a time or two if the man wanted to live near
the forest, but the timid man ran faster than some
of the prey he hunted.

“Did you like your hot dog?” Foster asked

Brokk.

“Mmm, I love those things.” Brokk smiled

tentatively.

Foster wasn’t sure why Brokk was always so

scared of him. Maybe, it was because he could see
the mix of Unseelie within him. While others
voiced their hatred, Brokk was too sweet to say
cruel words.

Enamored to a Fool

47

Axle fished around his plate for a moment

before he popped the same berry Foster just had in
his mouth. “Damn, that’s really good.” Axle
moaned before popping another berry in his
mouth. Foster got so damn lost watching the
human's mouth work that berry over, he ended up
getting an elbow to his gut.

Looking over, he smiled down at Brokk. “Did

you just take a shot at me?”

“Uh huh.” Brokk smiled back.
Foster stared at the sprite curiously. He’d never

seen the little guy smile at him before and was
completely baffled.

As if answering his thoughts, Brokk spoke

quietly to him while watching Axle. “That was
kind of you to help him.”

“Huh.” Foster wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“It’s just…I’ve never seen you smile at anyone.

You’re a bit intimidating.” Brokk finished with a
blush.

Do I give everyone the fuck off vibe? Foster

thought about it, and while he didn’t like to be
perceived that way, Brokk might have just nailed
it. After feeling like an outcast to many, he might
have shut himself down to all.

“Oh shit, I pissed you off, didn’t I?” Brokk

began to get up.

“No, sit. You didn’t piss me off. Come and sit

and talk to Axle and me.” Foster smirked at Brokk.

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48

Brokk's frightened expression vanished and

was replaced by a smile that made the man
stunning.

Foster vowed that he would begin to spend

more time with Brokk. This man could not only be
good for him but also for Axle as well.

“Is it always this…busy here?” Axle waved his

hand around, gesturing toward the…shit…limbo
contest.

Foster felt like smacking his own damn

forehead at the sight of the Seelie going under the
pole.

Brokk chuckled. “Pretty much every day

around this time is like this. Just give it a little
more time, and then, it gets even crazier.”

“What? Are they going to pull out hula hoops?”

Axle laughed sarcastically.

Foster coughed. “Ugh…no.” Better just to let

the man watch than go into detail.

For the next fifteen minutes, Brokk and Foster

listened to the moans of Axle eating. Foster would
have called the mortal out on it, but this was the
first time the man had smiled and actually looked
his twenty-one years. Foster was going to have to
get some of those damn berries for his home if
Axle enjoyed them that much. Plus, the sounds
were making him achingly hard in his trunks.
Foster had promised himself that he would give
Axle the time he needed to heal, but he wasn’t

Enamored to a Fool

49

dead. Those damn noises could have just as easily
been made while he was pounding his cock into
Axle’s ass. Stop it!

Foster tried to push thoughts of sex out of his

head. Glancing down at Axle’s plate, he noticed
that Axle hadn't touched any of the mortal food.
Smiling, he glanced over, noticing that the party
was still going on. Music was flowing, and passion
was igniting all along the beach. Some were
laughing while others were tossing bikinis to the
sand in order to have a little more fun with their
fellow Seelie.

Brokk got up and took off without saying a

word. Some Seelie didn’t have a shy bone in their
body and would often times have sex right there
for everyone to see. Foster never had and would
never do it. He didn’t like bringing attention to
himself any more than he had to. His looks alone
separated him from the rest.

“Do you want to go over there?” Axle asked

Foster.

“No.” Turning, Foster stared at Axle whose face

was flushed as he watched. “Do you?”

Axle vehemently shook his head.
“Do you want to head back to the hut for the

night?” Foster almost laughed when Axle got up
stiffly and threw his plate away. Chuckling, Foster
followed Axle as he all but ran into the forest.

Jackie Nacht

50

Axle turned and glared at Foster. “Could have

warned a guy!”

Foster burst out laughing. “What would be the

fun in that?”

“You suck!” Axle stormed off to the hut.
Foster followed, laughing all the way. Maybe

having Axle around would be a blessing in his
lonely life.

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51

Chapter Six

he next day, Axle was shocked to feel a nudge
at his side. Disoriented for a moment, he

thought maybe he'd had some crazy-ass dream.
Blinking open his eyes, he groaned when he saw
Foster staring down at him. Not that he was bad
looking, it just solidified the fact that he was, in
fact, in the Seelie realm, and shit had hit the fan
forty-eight hours ago.

At the same time, Axle was able to take a deep

breath. This was his fresh start, and dammit, he
was going to take it and run with it.

Foster squatted down in front of him. “Time to

get up.”

Axle glanced over at the window, seeing it was

still dark out, “It’s still dark.”

“That’s the best time to hunt game.”
“Oh, I don’t hunt. Never have and never will.

Don’t want to be killing any fawn’s mother or
some shit like that.” Axle tried to put the covers
over his head. Foster ripped them off him entirely.

T

Jackie Nacht

52

“Then, you pick the berries you loved so much

yesterday, and I’ll hunt. But, it would be best for
you to learn, just in case.” Foster scratched his jaw.

The man never had a five o’clock shadow. Axle

wasn’t so blessed. He had a shadow that sprouted
by noon, which he realized, while rubbing his jaw,
was sorely in need of a shave.

Foster seemed to read his actions, because he

walked over and mentioned, “I only have a
straight razor and soap in the bathroom, but it
should do for now. I can put in an order to get you
the razor you like the next time someone goes over
to pick up supplies, which should be any day
now. Time is different over there so…well, it may
take some time to get you what you need, so make
sure you make a list.”

Axle got up and stretched, scratching his chest

and groaning. He stepped into the bathroom and
took care of business. Afterwards, he searched the
sink to get to work on shaving. He had a few nicks
here and there, but he was smoother than he'd
ever been with his plastic razor from home. Maybe
he could switch it up.

Walking out, he saw that Foster was waiting for

him with a small breakfast of warm bread and
berries. Axle sat across from the gorgeous man
and began to eat. The distraction of the beautiful
man was definitely going to make Axle miss his

Enamored to a Fool

53

mouth. Why is that green hair becoming such a damn

turn on now?

Between mouthfuls, Axle asked, “We’re

seriously going to go out hunting right now?”

Foster nodded. “It’s quiet and the best time. It’s

a soothing time of day.”

“Well, I’m flat-footed, and any animal can hear

me coming from a mile away. Sounds like I’ll be a
burden.”

Foster smiled softly, glancing down at the table.

“If we don’t catch anything, it’s not a big deal. It’ll
be nice to have you out there with me.”

Well, that stopped any more protests that Axle

was about to voice. Is Foster lonely in the middle of
this crazy bunch? Brokk seemed kind to him, but it
also seemed so…new by the way they practically
introduced each other yesterday. Axle hated being
in the dark, and in this situation, he was dropped
in the middle with no information.

Outside of the first few moments of meeting,

Foster had been pretty kind to him. Hell, it had
been Axle’s fault that Foster was nasty to him in
the beginning. Axle wasn’t exactly being nice
when they met. But since then, Foster seemed to
be the only one that Axle could understand in this
realm.

Tilting his head, Axle wondered if maybe they

were more alike than the others. Did the Seelie give

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54

Foster shit for being different from them? And why

does that thought piss me off so much?

Axle finished wiping the crumbs off his fingers,

and Foster got up and led them outside into the
darkness.

As they walked down the trail, Foster

whispered over his shoulder, “We got about a
mile walk. There’s usually good hunting the
farther you get away from the beach.”

They walked deeper into the fall forest. The

beach and lake disappeared from view, and great
trees reached toward the darken sky. Funny how
Axle had thought their world was small enough
that it circled the huge lake.

“I didn’t think your world was this big. I

thought everything was around the lake."

Foster shook his head. “No, strangely, that’s the

central location where most of the Seelie and
Unseelie live. There are a couple of what humans
would call villages around the lake. Our number
is not so large, but we’re immortal, and if our
number dips down, we find a human changeling
to join our world. Actually, that’s where you and
your brother come in.”

“So your world is pretty big?” Axle felt like an

idiot right now. Well, he guessed that’s what
happened when you fall down the rabbit hole on
your drunken ass.

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55

“Yes. It’s big, and there are a few that live away

from the lake, although very few that choose not
to live close to everyone.”

“You don’t seem to enjoy living by a lot of

people. Not that I don’t understand, I’d have a
damn headache all the time if I was on that beach
day in and day out.” Axle pushed a branch aside
that damn near smacked him in the face. Man, the
brush was getting thick.

Foster stilled for a moment and then moved so

fast that Axle didn’t know what in the fuck just
happened. Foster took off, and Axle ran after him.
He skidded to a stop when he came upon the fae's
version of a boar, except the animal had a bluish
tint with vicious-looking claws instead of hooves.
An arrow stuck out of the beast's side.

“What the fuck is that?” Axle choked out.
“It's dinner if I can get this cleaned up in time.”

Foster took out a blade and began cutting into the
grotesque-looking creature.

Foster gave him a sympathetic look before

pulling a soft cloth bag from the side of his quiver.
“There’s a good amount of berries about twenty
yards away. Why don’t you go over there and pick
them while I take care of this?”

Axle stood stock still, unsure of what to do. He

didn’t want to stay. He had always been one of
those big guys that went down like a ton of bricks
at the sight of blood. Kicking it into gear, he

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56

nodded and made his way over to some bushes
that held thousands of bright, plump purple
berries.

Working from one bush to the next didn’t take

too much time, but it was enough time that when
he turned, Foster was done cleaning the animal
and tossing it over his shoulder. Axle wanted to
gag when he saw a line of blood work its way
down Foster’s shoulder. Trying to keep his eyes
focused on anything but that, he followed Foster
back to their hut.

Foster took the animal off to the side of the hut

and hung it up. Axle became dazed while
watching the thing swing back and forth. He
could actually hear the blood dripping onto the
leaves below. Axle had no clue why, but dizziness
soon took over. His breathing became funny, and
he recognized the signs, the same ones he always
got when he was given a shot or Torque had cut
his knee open on a nail when they were little.

One moment, he was up, fighting to stay

vertical, and the next, Axle was flat on his back
being shook awake. He finally opened his eyes to
see a very concerned Foster.

“What happened to you?” Foster leaned closer

and checked his heart.

Fuck, the man still had blood on his chest. If he

hadn't been flat on his back, he would have gone

Enamored to a Fool

57

down all over again at the sight. “Ugh,” Axle
moaned.

“What? Tell me.” Foster's voice rose.
“The blood. I hate blood and needles. Pass out

every time. Can we…go wash up or something?”
Axle tried to take a deep breath, and he swore he
could smell the coppery scent. Hell, he was
nauseous; he might just throw up right there and
then.

Foster ducked under his arm and helped him

over to the lake. Not even slowing down, Foster
took not only himself but Axle as well into the
cool waters.

Sighing, he ducked under as all cylinders began

to fire back up in his brain. Reemerging from the
waters, Axle almost felt like himself again. Okay,
he wouldn’t admit that he was still a little shook
up, but he was no longer dizzy.

Glancing over, he watched Foster wash his

muscular arms with the water before sinking
under. A few seconds later, Foster came back up,
whipping the water out of his hair. Huh…that was
hot. The green hair almost looked black when wet,
and the white tips contrasted even more.

Foster stared at him with those stunning blues

eye, and Axle felt his breath catch. Holy hell, he
was really starting to like this fae. Without even
thinking twice, he drifted over to Foster, getting as
close to the man as possible without touching him.

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58

Glancing down at Foster's full lips, Axle wanted

to lick the drop that was about to fall off that
plump lower lip. Should I do it?

Foster grabbed him, cupping his face, causing

Axle to look back up at those eyes.

“Give yourself time. I can be patient.” Foster

murmured.

“I don’t want to be patient.” Axle leaned closer,

so close that he felt Foster's warm breath against
his own lips.

“I want you to give yourself time. Heal a little

more and then come to me. This isn’t a tease; it’s
what’s best for you.” Foster's lips brushed his as
he talked, causing Axle to shiver.

“How long?” Axle wasn’t sure he had enough

self-control to wait. Just that thought caused his
brow to furrow and lean back a little.

Foster smiled softly to him. “You’ll know when

you’re ready.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the black

castle where his brother was. Yeah, he had a long
road ahead of him.

“Come on, let’s go get dry, and then, we can

take a walk or go over to the beach.” Foster
grabbed Axle’s hand and pulled him to the shore.

Axle shuddered. “Anything but the beach. That

place makes my skin crawl.”

Foster chuckled. “Too much for you?”

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59

“Yeah, I thought it was some cheesy beach

party until after dinner. Wow, talk about sucker-
punching a guy with an eyeful.” Axle blushed,
remembering last night’s events. It wasn’t like he
was a virgin or he didn’t enjoy going to a back
room at a bar, but hell, it wasn’t expected. It was
more like he expected some guy to play a guitar
around a beach fire while everyone swayed to the
music. He didn’t expect to watch a live beach
orgy.

Foster laughed even harder. “It’s not always

after dinner. Sometimes, they get an early start.”

Axle's hearing perked. “Wait, you’ve never

participated?”

Foster shook his head. “Not fond of getting

sand in my ass.”

Oh that was an excuse if Axle ever heard one.

And by the fae’s features, he had completely
closed off to further questioning. But Axle could
put two and two together. The stares the others
gave Foster weren’t very kind, and Foster held this
armor about himself when he was around the
other Seelie.

The Foster that Axle was seeing right now was

in his element and more at peace. This fae enjoyed
the sounds of nature as opposed to pop music.
Axle could tell he enjoyed the smell of fallen
leaves as opposed to the smells of the summer
breeze.

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60

Walking into the cabin, it hit Axle all at once.

When he got better, was dry for a little while, felt
like he was in his own skin for once in his life, he
was going to be with Foster. There was no
question in his mind about that. That was the only
thing right now he was sure of. This was the fae he
wanted, and the only thing that stood in his way
was himself. Axle was going to do everything he
could to get better. If he had to talk about what
happened, he would. If he had to ask for help, he
would. And if he had to talk to the fae he was
falling for about his dark past to get him closer to
the light, he was willing to do it.

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61

Chapter Seven

hree weeks had gone by, and while Axle felt
like he was making strides in getting his life

back together, he still wasn’t all the way there and
he was getting damn inpatient with himself.
Sitting on the shore had become his morning
routine. It was his thinking time to sort everything
out and had become a balm to his soul. He was
getting better, but he wasn’t so sure if he would
ever heal completely. His past had molded him
into what was now sitting there. But the sludge of
what he was carrying was peeling away in thin
layers.

Axle couldn't help but be a little more excited

every day that he felt the darkness slowly creep its
way from his soul. Hell, he felt lighter. He felt
more like the young man he used to be rather than
the tainted one he had become.

Axle was even trying to extend the olive branch

with the Seelie. He would go to the beach with
Foster and sit with the fae while talking to Brokk.

T

Jackie Nacht

62

The little sprite had become a friend to them. He
had a feeling that even though Brokk was one of
the brightest Seelie, he was an outsider like Foster
and him. Axle tried to make sure Brokk never felt
that way again. Protective instincts were coming
back, and now, he had Foster standing watch with
him to make sure no one gave Brokk hell.

He also made visits to the beach so he could get

a glimpse of his brother running around ice
mountain, as Axle had come to call it. They hadn’t
met face to face yet, but now, Axle wanted to wait
so his brother would see the improved him rather
than the asshole he had to endure the last couple
of years. So, he watched Torque from a distance.

Hell, for two days, Axle even saw Torque

dragging pine tree after pine tree into the castle
only to come out screaming loud enough to reach
his ears. Frustrated much, little bro?

The Seelie beach had the biggest damn tree that

Axle had ever seen in his life. The tree was a thing
of beauty too, decorations that caught the summer
sun, ones that moved and played music. Axle
actually liked to go over to the beach now, just so
he could stare at it for a couple hours. Foster
would come along and sit next to him as they
drank hot apple cider from the mortal realm. And
Brokk…well, he was always on his other side
now.

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63

However, the last few days, his brother hadn’t

been coming out to have a snowball fight with
Puck or run around with the other Unseelie. Is he
okay? He hadn’t seen Puck either so he couldn’t
help but be worried.

The other reason Axle came to the lake was to

think about Foster. The man had been true to his
word, he had become a friend to him. Axle had an
honest friend for the first time in his life and
cherished every second of it. The two spent their
days in the woods, Foster teaching him how to
hunt. Axle still was terrible and oftentimes hurt
more than helped the fae by being too damn loud,
but Foster would just smile and wait patiently for
the next game.

Sheesh, but the blood still had him getting

horizontal in a New York minute. So, he didn’t
think it was in the cards to continue doing it in the
future. Foster now had a system to keep him busy
until all sight of blood was gone.

Axle did everything he could to help Foster.

Clean the hut, which he refused to let Foster
expand. He loved the damn thing as it was. His
other duties were to hunt for berries and carry
stuff to and from the court when they received
items from the mortal realm. It wasn’t much, but
Axle tried to show his gratitude in helping Foster
wherever he could. Plus, he enjoyed those soft

Jackie Nacht

64

smiles from Foster whenever he worked alongside
the fae.

Part of him wished he hadn’t told Foster that he

wasn’t ready for anything more than friends.
Sleeping in the same hut, spending every moment
together had made him grow to care for Foster
more than he thought was possible for him. Love
had been something to be extended to his brother
only. Now, Axle was falling for Foster…deeply.

He also truly trusted Foster. He was the only

one outside of his brother that stuck to his word
and hadn’t deviated. He had been a rock when
Axle doubted even himself. He felt like a big pain
in the ass, but Foster had assured him he was
exactly what he needed in his lonely world. If the
fae hadn’t smiled at him so often and talked about
the mundane, he would have doubted him. But
they really were two outcasts in a world they
weren’t meant to live in.

Hell, it was getting harder to be around the fae

without touching him, though. Axle rubbed his
brow, knowing that the only solution to his
frustration was to initiate it. Is Foster waiting for me

to take action? And why the hell haven’t I?

Of course, Axle knew the answer to that. No

matter how much time he had, he would always
feel that he wasn't good enough for Foster. His
past was just too ugly, and time couldn’t erase
that.

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65

Feeling a presence behind him, Axle couldn’t

help but smile. “Didn’t expect you this soon.”

Foster came next to him and sat on the leaf-

covered beach, “Well, you were thinking so hard,
it was difficult to continue sleeping. How are you
this morning?”

Foster brushed a strand of hair from his

forehead, and Axle couldn’t help but close his eyes
at the simple touch.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I do just

once,” Foster murmured.

How does Foster always know what I am thinking?

He knew the fae couldn’t read his mind, but it
seemed the two were connected somehow. Axle
had felt Foster’s sadness more than once when
they were in the Seelie court.

There was a soft brush across his lips, and Axle

gasped before reciprocating the kiss. Axle craved
this, and even though his self-doubt warred with
him, he was going to enjoy this moment.

Deepening the kiss, he tasted the wild flavors of

Foster, moaning as his body began to respond and
ache. Foster took over and rolled them both,
hearing the crunch of leaves under Axle’s back.
Axle was all for Foster taking over, yearned for it.
Being six feet and muscular didn’t necessarily
mean he wanted to take charge or be the one who
topped. Axle shivered just thinking about Foster
fucking him right there and then.

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66

A heat was coming over him, and Axle was

slowly getting lost in the feel of this man. Foster
leaned over him, and he looked up from his bed of
dried leaves.

“Are you sure? “Foster asked.
“I’ve wanted this since meeting you, even if

you threatened to kill me.” Axle tried to chuckle,
but it came out as a moan as Foster pressed his
muscular body down on his.

Foster’s long, thick erection pressed against his,

and Axle thrust up to get better friction.

“You needed time to settle in, heal a little,”

Foster murmured against his neck then sucked the
spot.

“Haven’t been here that long,” Axle groaned as

Foster bit down on his neck. Fuck, that feels good.

“Want me to stop?” Foster reached down and

cupped Axle’s hard cock.

Axle rolled his hips at the contact. No fucking

way are we stopping.

“Axle?” Foster leaned back and pulled his hand

away. “Do you want me to stop?”

Axle shook his head, grabbing Foster’s hand

and putting it back on his cock, “No, keep going.”

Foster huffed into his neck, pressing his body

back down on Axle. “Let me know now, I’m
losing control. I…”

Foster didn’t say anymore but started taking off

all their clothes. He began with Axle’s and then

Enamored to a Fool

67

moved on to his own, practically tearing them off
right before Axle’s eyes. Foster was hot naked,
toned muscles, tight abs that led down to a hard,
leaking cock. Axle crawled over without thinking.
He needed to taste.

Grabbing the long shaft, Axle stroked it a few

times, feeling the heat. Licking and sucking at the
tip, Axle craved more. Fuck, that taste is addicting.
Needing more, Axle sucked the cock all the way to
the root.

Foster yanked on his hair. “More,” Foster

groaned while moving his hips so that he thrust
his cock in and out of Axle's mouth.

He absolutely loved Foster losing that much

control that he was fucking his mouth.

Foster pulled him away, growling.
“What?” Axle panted. “Do you not like it?”

Sheesh, have I done something wrong?

Foster grabbed him by the hand, yanking Axle

up and leading him back to the hut. Oh, Axle
loved the way Foster was thinking.

Foster ran as he entered the hut and practically

threw Axle on the bed. He was a pretty big
fucking guy, and even though they were similar in
build, it still surprised the hell out of him. Axle
flopped down as Foster walked over to the table
and searched within the drawer.

Oil in hand, Foster walked like a predator on

the hunt as he made his way over to the bed. For

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68

the first time, Axle was seeing a little bit of the
Unseelie side to Foster. The fae had a wicked
smile, and his eyes were wild with lust. Fuck yeah.
Axle was so ready for this.

Foster knelt one knee on the bed as he poured a

large amount of oil onto his hand. Axle was
mesmerized by the sight of tiny dribbles slipping
between the fingertips and onto the sheets below.

Not wasting any time, Foster climbed onto the

bed and spread Axle’s legs. Axle moaned at the
thought of having that cock in him. He took hold
of his knees and pulled back his legs for better
access.

Foster leaned over and began nipping at his

chest and nipples while he circled Axle’s entrance
with a greased finger. Axle was a damn pushy
bottom and tried to thrust himself down on the
digit, but Foster was taking his time, dammit.

A bite to his neck made him yelp. “Ow!”
“Let me take control. You just sit back and

enjoy.” Foster growled while inserting a second
finger.

“Trying,” Axle huffed out as he felt those long

fingers scissor within him. “Please!”

Foster inserted a third finger, and Axle was

about ready to pounce the man when he felt those
fingers rub over his gland. Lightning raced up his
spine, and he groaned. If Foster didn’t hurry up,

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69

there was no way Axle was going to hold off his
impending climax.

Foster’s touch was causing a heat to come over

his body. His cock hung thick, and the tip leaked
copiously. Axle had the urge to grab his cock and
finish off, but he gritted his teeth as Foster pulled
his fingers free. Yes! He wanted that dick in him so
bad, his legs trembled.

“Condom?” Axle asked.
“Don’t need them. Fae.” As if that was all that

needed to be said.

“Explain.” Axle tried really hard to concentrate,

but it was almost impossible with his stomach
tightening up from the need. He never had
unprotected sex…ever.

“We don’t carry diseases. We’re immortal, and

you will be also after enough time over here.”

Axle decided to worry about becoming

immortal later. Right now, he was too excited to
have his first experience without any barriers and
with Foster of all people. Could he be any luckier?

Foster slicked his cock up with oil and lined up

at Axle’s entrance. Without any hesitation, he
began working his way inside Axle. The fae
looked wicked as he watched his own cock
thrusting in and out of Axle. Hot.

Trying to breathe past the invasion seemed

almost impossible for Axle. He wasn’t very
experienced with being taken, and Foster was a

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very large fae. Stuttering out another breath, Axle
was finally able to relax a little.

Axle moaned as the burning sensation seemed

to fade and pleasure overtook all his senses. Foster
scooped his legs up in the crook of those powerful
arms, thrusting his cock in deeper while gritting
his teeth.

“Right there,” Axle huffed as Foster hit that

sweet spot inside him over and over.

Leaning over, Foster began pulling his cock in

and out of Axle. Axle couldn’t stave off the climax
anymore, and without even touching himself,
sprayed all over his stomach and chest, shouting
to the hut ceiling.

Foster pounded into him a few more times and

grunted as he shot inside Axle. The sensation so
foreign to him. Fire ignited inside Axle, and he
found himself rolling Foster underneath him,
trying to have Foster take him again.

Moaning, Axle leaned down and kissed the fae,

aggressive…hungry. If he had time to think, Axle
would have known something was wrong.
Instead, he began riding Foster's slick, hard cock
like they both hadn’t reached their peak. Hell, it
only seemed to make them ravenous for more.

“This isn't right” Foster groaned while grabbing

Axle’s hips.

“Yeah, but what the fuck do I care about it right

now,” Axle huffed out as Foster grabbed his cock.

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71

A couple strokes and he was coming all over
Foster again. The spray hitting Foster’s stomach,
chest and cheek. Leaning over, Axle tasted his
own cum, closing his eyes, relishing the flavor.

That seemed to send Foster into a frenzy,

because before he knew it, Axle found himself on
all fours with Foster reentering for another go,
pounding into him. Head dropping, Axle accepted
the pounding and felt himself craving more. Just
as he sensed Foster tighten up, Axle knew without
a doubt that something was seriously wrong. He
was ready for round three. Fuck, he hoped they
had a steady supply of oil. What the hell was

happening?

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Chapter Eight

oster wasn’t sure how many hours or days
later it might have been before he heard the

knocking on his hut door. Currently, he was so
exhausted, he could barely sit up. Axle continually
reaching for him, a wild desire in those blue eyes.
Foster wasn’t sure what was going on, and if he
got a moment to get away from the man, he would
go ask his queen. But with Axle currently
pounding into his ass, he couldn't give a fuck.

Moaning, Foster tried to tell the person to come

back later, but the knocking persisted. Axle
grunted and emptied himself inside Foster before
slumping sideways onto the bed.

Clumsily, Foster got up, covered Axle and

grabbed a pair of shorts off the floor before
stumbling to the door. Foster wasn’t sure who he
was expecting, but about the last person he
expected to see was his brother, Puck. A short
blonde was standing behind him, wringing his
hands. This had to be Axle’s brother, Torque. Axle

F

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73

had talked a lot about his brother on hunting
excursions. This man fit the description that
would make Axle smile fondly while the two of
them trekked through the forest.

“Having a little trouble, brother?” Puck

smirked while plowing past him, entering his hut
without even being invited.

Axle laid on the bed over in the corner,

moaning. The place smelled of sex, and both he
and Axle probably looked like they could use a
shower and a meal. Yeah, he was having a little
trouble.

Foster stood in front of Axle who was currently

sleeping but moaning as if he was having an erotic
dream. For some reason, he just knew that Axle
would not want his brother to see him in this
condition when seeing him for the first time.

Puck stood in front of Foster. “He needs your

blood. You mated, and he’s having trouble with
your Seelie side. Too many pheromones for him to
handle while still being mortal and mated to a
fae.”

“What?”
Torque came closer, trying to crane his neck to

see around Foster to check on his brother. “Your
blood is an antibody of sorts. He needs it to get
control of his sexual cravings.” Torque weaseled
his way around Foster and sat down next to his
brother, rubbing the sweat-coated hair.

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74

Puck pulled out a dagger and sliced into

Foster’s arm before he could even protest. The two
quickly made their way over to the bed, and
Foster sat on the floor as he placed the cut to
Axle’s lips.

Axle began shaking his head in refusal, but

Foster pressed closer, and Axle groaned then
starting licking at the wound. Sheesh, he knew
how much Axle hated the sight of blood. Foster
was pretty sure Axle wasn’t even awake, because
the man didn’t open his eyes as he sucked on the
wound for a few minutes, finally slumping back
on the bed, mouth still open, fast asleep. For the
first time in hours, the man seemed relaxed.

The three got up and walked over to his table.

Puck sat down, and Torque sat on his lap while
Foster took the only other seat.

“How’s he been doing?” Torque glanced over

at the bed while asking the question.

“Axle’s been doing a lot better than when he

came here. I think the incident that brought him
here was his rock bottom, because he’s been
working on getting himself cleaned up. He knows
he fucked up big time.” Foster got up and went to
get his visitors drinks and some bread.

When Foster placed the repast on the table,

Torque smiled. “Thank you.”

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75

“I know we didn’t have an easy time growing

up with Dad, and Axle got the brunt of it,” Torque
began.

“There’s no excuse for the way he treated you.”

Puck growled.

Foster added, “Puck’s right. Axle holds himself

accountable for his actions entirely. “

“He does?” Puck and Torque said at the same

time.

“Yeah, he does. Axle knows that he went wild

after his father died and was going down the
wrong path. Seeing you hurt and having to come
here was the slap in the face that he needed. His
words, not mine. I’ve watched the darkness leave
his soul. He watches you every morning, looking
at you across the lake and hoping that one day
you’ll forgive him for treating you bad after your
dad died. He carries a lot of regrets.” Foster took a
chunk of bread and shoved it into his mouth just
to shut himself up.

Torque began tearing his bread into pieces. “He

took all the beatings for me from Dad when
growing up. It’s just going to take time for me to
forgive the way he treated me the last few years.
Words hurt, and his were…so painful,” Torque
ended hoarsely.

Foster knew this was not going to be an

overnight fix. That damage had been done
between these two brothers. Foster had hoped the

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76

brothers could patch things up but not everything
in life was a quick fix. Axle was doing so much
better. Foster had only dealt with a little of the
troubles Axle had. Torque had witnessed all the
dark times and hadn’t seen his brother turning
around.

Foster glanced over and saw that Axle’s eyes

were open, full of despair. Axle's eyes were
watery before they closed once more, a tear
escaping and running down the nose before
dropping onto the pillow below.

“We’re going over to the mortal realm. Oberon

gave us permission. Torque wants to go to college,
and we’re going to find a place to live near
campus. We’ll be back when he graduates.” Puck
rubbed Torque’s back absently. Clearly, his
brother loved the young man. So strange seeing
the prankster fall fast and hard for someone.

Torque glanced down at the table. “I think my

brother needs to talk to someone over in our
world. I know you said he was doing better, but I
think with everything that happened growing up
and the last couple years, he needs to talk to a
therapist. I don’t want him to work this out
alone.”

“He has me.” Foster was already shaking his

head in protest. Going over to the mortal realm
was a bad idea in Foster’s eyes.

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77

Puck reached over, grabbing his hand, which

unbeknownst to Foster was tapping the hell out of
the wood table. “I know you’re falling for him.
That is your mate over there. Your one love in all
immortality. Listen to my mate. He has seen what
your mate grew up with, the pains he was dealt
and the shithead he turned into. Axle may be
getting better, but even I can see the tar that still
surrounds his soul. Yes, he is lighter, but he needs
help that we aren’t equipped to deal with.”

Mind churning, Foster was at a loss at what to

do. First off, he wasn’t even aware that fae mated.
This must be a secret the queen and king held
tight to their chests. Puck’s words made so much
sense, though. The way he loved being around
Axle and had been patient with him. The
attraction. The care. It all added up to them being
mates.

“They’re right. I need more help. I’m trying, but

I…yeah, it would be good to talk to someone.”
Foster turned to see Axle standing behind him,
wrapped in a blanket. “Hi, Torque.” Axle warbled
while adjusting his blanket.

There was such an awkward silence in the

room. Foster could feel the anger radiating off of
Puck. Clearly, his brother was going to need a lot
of time to get over what happened to his mate.
There was confusion on Torque’s side, and Axle
stood there, visibly waiting for the blows to come.

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78

Torque stood and walked toward Axle. They

didn’t embrace; it was just too much too soon.
“Hi.” Torque whispered.

“I’m so sorry.” Axle whispered to his brother.

“I think you’re right. I need more help than I
thought,” Axle choked out.

Torque stood there, nodding before turning to

Puck. “Can they come over with us?”

“We’ll have to get it okayed,” Foster answered.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” Puck's brows were furrowed.
His brother wasn’t pleased with the idea of

them tagging along. Well, he better get used to it.
Foster was nervous as hell to go over to the mortal
realm, but he would do it if Axle could get the
help he needed.

“I’ll go talk to Queen Titania tonight then. We’ll

be ready in the morning.” Foster moved to stand
next to Axle. He was shaking, standing there alone
in that damn sheet as his brother stood out of
reach. He knew it was going to take time for the
two of them to bridge that gap between them.
Foster pulled him into a one-arm embrace.

Puck stood up and stepped behind Torque,

putting his hands on Torque’s shoulders. “C’mon,
we have a lot to do tonight, and apparently, they
do too.” Puck grunted. But then, he turned and
looked right at Foster. “It’ll be good having you
around more. I miss you, brother.”

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79

“Miss you too, Puck.” Foster had always

wished there was some way for them to be
together.

Puck and Torque walked out and the soft snick

of the door was deafening.

“You really want to go?” Axle asked.
“Will it help you?” Foster asked.
Axle nodded.
“Then, I want to go. C’mon, we have to do

some smooth talking with the queen and get ready
to go.” Foster thought he would need a lot of
smooth talking if they were going to leave during
the gathering. The queen liked her entire court
present for the occasion.

Two hours later, Foster and Axle stood before

the queen as she scrutinized the two of them. They
had asked to leave, and the other Seelie stood in
silence, waiting for the queen’s response. Except,
she just pursed her lips as if she was mulling over
all the details and not willing to share them out
loud.

Foster was used to it, so he stood still, silent and

waiting. Axle, on the other hand, fidgeted, began
biting a thumb nail and had a bead of sweat
running down his temple. Foster reached over and
grabbed his hand for support.

“Go, but Axle isn’t to be out of your sight

except for the therapy sessions.” Queen Titania
looked over at Axle. “Can you handle someone

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80

watching over you all the time? Hell, I don’t want
you taking a piss without Foster nearby.”

Axle seemed a little taken back from the last

comment as Foster watched his eyes widen.

Axle cleared his throat before answering. “I’m

okay with that as long as I can go talk to
someone.”

“Then, get ready to leave.” Queen Titania got

up and walked over to the volleyball court,
completely dismissing them.

She waited until a few Seelie joined her and

then served the volleyball. Queen Titania played
as if her decision wasn’t one of immense
importance to Foster and Axle. However, as he
stood staring at her with his jaw practically to the
ground from her lack of care, he saw her wink and
smile at him. The Seelie queen would always be a
mystery to him.

Foster grabbed Axle’s hand. “You ready to get

started? We have a lot to do today.”

Axle straightened his shoulders as if he was

getting ready for battle. In a way, he was.

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81

Chapter Nine

Four mortal years later

xle was running out of the building at top
speed. After having his last therapy session,

he ran over to the lime green Lotus that was
waiting for him in the parking lot. Once inside,
Axle leaned over and gave Foster a chaste kiss.
Then, Foster shifted it into gear, and they blew out
of the parking lot.

“We’ve only got fifteen minutes before it

starts.” Axle tapped his knuckles on the dash as
Foster took a left at sixty. Fuck!

“We’ll make it.” Foster drove with a calm ease.

Axle would have had the sports car around a
telephone pole by now. Pesky fae.

Axle tightened his tie that he had loosened

during his session. He was so happy that they'd
made the decision to come back to the mortal
realm. The therapy had helped, and now, he felt

A

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82

better equipped to go back over to the fae realm
without feeling like he was drowning.

His relationship with his brother had been

strained for the first year there. There was no way
around it. Axle had broken Torque’s trust, but
Axle worked his ass off at bridging that gap, and
he couldn’t have done it if Torque hadn’t
eventually reached back. He was lucky his brother
was willing to forgive him and loved him enough
to give him a second chance.

Now, they'd spent many hours discussing what

happened and how much their lives had changed
for the better. Their mates had stuck by them and
supported them every step of the way. Axle loved
the hell out of Foster for all his support.

Even Puck had grown on him…well, more like

a fungus, but he still loved the asshole. Axle got to
witness how well Puck treated Torque, and in the
last couple of years, the four of them had grown
tight while living together.

They didn’t make it on campus, instead

choosing to live near the forest ten minutes away.
Foster and Axle went on nightly walks, and Foster
seemed to soak up the forest just as much as he
did in the fae realm. Axle had grown to love the
sounds and smells of the forest just as
much…craved it, actually. He and Foster were
truly meant to be together. They were two of kind.

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83

Man, Foster had proven time and again just

how much of a miracle he was in Axle’s life. Axle
had fallen hard for Foster. There was no way to
avoid it, and he had something in his pocket that
was a mortal tradition he was going to take over
to the fae realm. He just had to work his courage
up to ask the question that he so wanted to ask.

The building came into view, and they

screeched to a halt. They both jumped out of the
car and hauled ass into the building. The place
was crowded, and they searched all over the place
for the redhead with white tips. There, over to the
side sat Puck, holding two seats for Foster and
Axle. Making their way around the people, they
took their seats just in time.

“Good timing.” Puck leaned over, looking at

Axle. “How’d your last session go?” he
whispered.

“Good. I’m ready to head home now.”

Home…the fae realm where they would all be
returning tonight. Yeah, he might not have been
from there, but he was going home. Wherever
Foster was, that was it for him.

Puck grabbed him by the back of the neck and

hugged him. “You did good, Axle. Glad I don’t
have to kill you now.”

“Gee, thanks.” That was Puck for you.

Bloodthirsty brother-in-law that was protective as
hell toward Torque. Axle's chest puffed up

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knowing that Torque would never have to face
another dark time with this fae loving him.

Music came over the sound system as a row of

professors filed two at a time down the middle
row of the indoor athletic facility. A few moments
later, everyone stood up and cheered as the
graduates made their way down. Axle long-
necked until he found his brother smiling, walking
in his cap and gown. Cords and cowl decorated
his neck, showing the many achievements and
activities he had done in the past four years.

Dammit if Axle’s eyes didn’t sting a little that

his brother had made it. He was so damn proud at
how strong and amazing his brother was. Hell, he
looked up to his younger brother.

Foster embraced him. “You okay?” He

chuckled at him.

“Yeah,” Axle said hoarsely, thankful for all the

cheering to cover his voice. He wiped his eyes.
“I’m just so damn proud. He did it.”

Foster kissed him softly on the lips and

whispered in his ear, “You did it too. I’m so proud
of you.”

While he didn’t go to college when he came

back, he started out in therapy three days a week,
and now…well, he knew he was on the right road
to go back and survive. Instead, Axle confessed he
had trouble reading, and Foster would spend their
afternoons patiently teaching him to read. It had

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85

become one of Axle’s favorite things to do, read to
Foster in the woods while Foster rested his head in
his lap.

Axle snapped out of his thoughts when the

speaker called for everyone to be seated. Foster
held him the entire time as the speeches began and
when the graduates walked across for their
diplomas. When Torque started walking across
the stage, the three of them stood and shouted.
What they didn’t expect was a loud cheer from the
back. Turning, Axle recognized Queen Titania and
Brokk. Two other individuals were there, and
everyone was giving them a wide birth to stand.

Axle turned his attention back to his brother

and clapped, whistling as Torque grabbed his
diploma and instead of waving it, hugged it to his
chest. Sheesh, he was tearing up again. Axle was a
damn mess.

The three finally sat down, and Axle turned to

see the four fae still there. “Who’s that with Queen
Titania and Brokk?” Axle whispered to Foster.

“That’s King Oberon and Khellan. Unseelie

king and Puck’s best friend.” Foster whispered
back.

“Damn, they’re…intimidating.” Axle glanced

back over his shoulder to see people moving away
from them. Hell, Oberon was one scary-looking
motherfucker. He was sporting a sharp designer
black suit with black undershirt, but the man had

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86

his arms crossed and exuded such darkness that
everyone was doing swift glimpses at the fae
before trying to refocus on the ceremony. Khellan
wasn’t quite as intimidating as he stood next to
Oberon, but Axle didn’t see anyone in their right
mind wanting to start a conversation with him.

The ceremony ended, and the seven of them

waited for Torque to come out and meet them in
the hallway.

Puck approached the others and embraced the

scary fae. “I didn’t think to see you here.”

“Well now, I couldn’t think of a better place to

be knowing that Torque was graduating. Plus, we
thought you could use some help getting back,”
Oberon rumbled.

From what his brother said, Axle knew that

Torque loved the Unseelie king. Un-fucking-
believable. Oberon scared the hell out of him.

“I’m Khellan.” Khellan reached his hand over

and introduced himself.

This fae was slightly less scary with dark looks

and bad-boy charm. Fuck, was he ever glad he got
stuck on the Seelie side. Khellan had a wicked
smile as he smirked at all the people around him.
By the spark of mischief in his eyes, Khellan
looked like he was just itching to cause havoc on
them all. Axle watched Brokk elbow the Unseelie
in the gut before shaking his head and frowning
up at him.

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87

Khellan tilted his head back and laughed,

causing heads to turn. The laugh didn’t exactly
sound sane.

A moment later, Torque maneuvered through

the crowd before running up and hugging Puck.
Puck, who Axle learned in the last couple years
had no concern whatsoever for public displays,
grabbed his brother and deepened the kiss.

Axle turned, not wanting to see Torque’s ass get

grabbed, and Foster laughed while clearing his
throat. His lover was such a stinker when he
caught Axle blushing, because Puck and Torque
were having fun in front of them.

Although, Axle was excited to see his brother

this happy, he'd take the blushing any day over
what they used to be.

Titania stepped forward. Funny how this was

the first time he was seeing the queen with
something more than a bikini on. “You’re looking
much better since the last time I saw you.” She
actually smiled as she embraced Axle, looking
sharp in her suit and platform heels.

“How are you feeling?” Titania whispered in

his ear.

Axle glanced over her shoulder at Foster.

“Never better.”

“Good. We better get going. We have you all

packed up and ready to return.” Titania pulled
away and led the group out the main double

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88

doors, snatching Oberon on the way. Oberon and
Titania embraced while leading them out. The sun
was shining upon them for the occasion. They all
climbed into separate cars and headed for the
house not too far away from the veil they would
soon be leaving.

The drive only took about ten minutes before

they were parking their vehicles in the garage.
Puck had gone back once to the Unseelie king
while they had been in the mortal realm, and
Oberon had told them to have something set up
for when other faes came over since the gathering
was now over. There would be many going back
and forth now.

Axle climbed out to see several more fae

moving their stuff out of the log cabin-style home
and disappearing into the woods. Axle sighed in
relief that he'd packed before he had left that day
and that they wouldn’t have to do all the moving
on their own. Foster came over and grabbed his
hand, making their way up the porch steps.

“Wooh, they’ve been busy.” A sprite zipped

past them and out the door, running into the
woods with another box.

“I guess so. I thought we would be at this all

week.” Axle walked down the hall, seeing all the
rooms empty except for the furniture that would
stay.

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89

“There’s nothing left.” Puck said from behind

them. “They already took it all. Oberon, Titania,
Khellan and Brokk are waiting for us at the veil.”

Foster put his arm around Axle. Axle sucked up

the warmth and leaned into the touch. “You ready
to go back home?” Foster asked him.

Axle was reluctantly ready. He hated being

separated from his brother, but he had Foster, his
love. “I’m ready.”

Foster kept his arm around him as they met the

rest at the veil then walked through the blinding
fog and finally felt the crunch of the fallen leaves
as they made their way into the in-between.

Axle heard Torque gasp and didn’t even think

twice before rushing to him. “You okay? What’s
wrong?”

Torque was standing there wide-eyed as he

stared over Axle's left shoulder. He followed the
line of sight and lost his own damn breath. A
castle that had not been there before stood in full
glory. It looked as though the colorful fallen leaves
had been windswept off the forest floor to make
the structure itself. Morning dew made the
structure shimmer as the sun shone down on it,
and it was just as fucking big as the Unseelie or
the Seelie castles.

Axle watched as several fae disappeared into a

huge doorway of solid oak with their boxes. Green
vines adorned the entry. What the hell?

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90

Turning, Axle asked Foster, “What is this?”
Foster shook his head, looking just as perplexed

as Torque and Puck. “I have no idea.”

Oberon stood next to them, staring at the castle.

“It's Puck’s and Foster’s court. Now that you two
have mated, it is time that you begin what you
were born for. The in-between court or the Fall
court has begun. The earth realm as well as this
realm is full of Halflings and others that are
neither dark nor light. This is the place they will
find and call home. It has been needed a long time,
but you two weren’t ready. Titania and I believe
you are now.”

Axle shook as he grabbed Foster’s hand.
Foster sucked in a breath. “This is Puck’s and

mine? Our court to share? We can be together?”

Titania stood next to Foster, face filled with

sympathy. “We never wanted you two to be apart,
but you were not strong enough to rule. You have
the foundation now that will make you strong, as
well as your court.”

“A court of four.” Puck chuckled.
“A court of six.” Khellan smiled at Puck, and

Brokk came to stand next to them.

“Now that the gathering is over, there’s many

in this world that will seek you, but you may want
to seek out several changelings to build up your
court as well.” Oberon suggested.

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91

Axle thought it was a pretty good plan. They

were going to need a lot of people to fill this castle.

The rest entered while Foster and Axle

continued to stand and stare at the castle.

“I was afraid.” Foster stated after several

moments.

Huh? “Of what?”
Foster sighed. “Coming back here. I didn’t

think either one of us would have been happy in
the Seelie court without our brothers, and it
always felt…forced there.”

Even in the short stay here when he first came,

Axle knew exactly what Foster was talking about.
The Seelie court was always a lively place to live,
but it always felt like the wrong fit.

“It would have been hard. What do you think

of this?” Axle asked.

“I think it’s a gift and a miracle. I feel like for

the first time I’m going home.” Foster gave him a
watery smile.

Axle couldn’t stand it a second longer. He

reached over and embraced Foster while the man
hugged him with a strength that showed just how
much he appreciated the gift from Oberon and
Titania.

Axle searched for Foster’s lips and kissed him

deeply. Tongues dueled and moans filled the
surrounding forest.

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92

Foster pulled back, blue eyes glazed with

passion. “I love you.”

Axle leaned in again and kissed him once more.

“I love you, too. Thank you for giving me a
chance.”

Foster hugged him tightly. “I knew all your

snarkiness and pissed-off attitude was just a cloak.
There was no way I was going to let you go after
seeing that sliver of light that was meant for me.
Now look how bright you shine.”

“I still have darkness,” Axle murmured.
“Scars aren’t darkness, Axle. And you have a

full court to help you along the way. Just think
how far you’ve come in four years.”

Axle nodded.
“So?” Foster smirked. Ooh, there was mischief

in the fae's eyes. Maybe living with Puck and
Foster under the same roof was going to be a
whole hell of a lot of trouble…or fun.

“So?” Axle raised a brow.
“Want to go see what our bedroom looks like?”
“Test out the bed?” Axle chuckled.
Foster grabbed him and took off toward the oak

doors with him in tow. “You got it.”

Axle laughed. Hell, it felt good to be home with

his mate.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long

way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories. I was introduced to M/M Romance
through my sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, I thought it was time to put my own stories
on paper. I began writing short and sweet stories
that ended with a happily ever after…and
sometimes more than one, in the case of my YA
Fork in the Road series, which has interactive
endings.

Thinking back to my own book addiction,

where there were many nights I stayed up way too
late so I could read just one more chapter—yeah,
right—I decided to write short romances for young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give
high school and college students or working men
and women something they can read during their
lunch hour, in between classes or just when they
want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of
everyday life.

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and at

my webpage.

Email : [e-mail]
Website : http://www.jackienacht.com/