Page 37 of King of the Unsightly

I lifted my hand and pinched the cheek of the closest one in proximity, a crowned forest-green pixie dressed in trousers, flowers, and jewels.

“You’re the little pixie from before,” I murmured, and the vibration of my words tickled my lips and crept up to my ears.

“Grigs,” he said sternly.

“Greg?” I scrunched my face, not sure what the little creature was saying.

“We’re grigs.” He aggressively tapped his chest.

I grinned. “Bless you.”

The little pixie rubbed his temple and shot a glare at the ones loitering behind him, then focused back on me. “You left suddenly. Your prize still awaits you.” He grinned and his needle-like teeth peeked through his light green lips.

My eyes widened at the sparkling wings on the back of the pixie and my impulsiveness won. I traced my hands along the set of iridescent wings, and the only way I could describe the feeling was rice paper. I shook out the tingling feeling and giggled.

They all gasped and whispered, shooting hectic looks at one another.

The crowned pixie, shocked, held on to his wings like I was about to steal them away from him. “Oh, no.” He turned away from me and my world went in and out. “How much did you give her? I said bring her here, not drug and drag her!” The pixie let out a dramatic sigh. “No matter. Lay her here. She can rest while we prepare the ceremonial feast.”

My mouth instantly watered from the wordfeast, and I almost asked them what they were having and if I could join them when Kaschel caught the corner of my eye, glowing before me.

His existence was otherworldly, more so than usual, and not in the grim reaper type of way where he’d reap my soul if he had the chance and drag me down to the fiery pits of hell. No. He wasenchanting.

My fingertips to my toes tickled, and a wave of giddiness washed over me as all the little pixies gasped again and shot a look right to the crowned pixie.

A weird buzzing hit my stomach as Kaschel scooped me up and spoke, his voice in a low growl. “I leave for a second and I find you not only disappeared but have been dragged to this filthy place by a horde of grigs. What am I even looking at?”

So Kaschel was saying the little creature was a grig, not a Greg.

I let out a loud cackle and squinted my eyes at them. His name being Greg made more sense. Grig? What utter nonsense.

“She’s ours!” the crowned grig yelled, blocking Kaschel’s path with me.

“I’m afraid you will have to wait. She’s a little preoccupied with some affairs at the moment,” Kaschel said, clicking his tongue.

“You don’t speak for her.” The tiny grig crossed his arms, and I had the urge to pinch his adorable cheeks again.

Kaschel crouched down low and flicked the grig into a dirt wall. “I forgot how bothersome you little vermin are.” Kaschel snatched my wrist and tilted it downward so they could see the crescent moon. “This means she’smine. So don’t cross me.”

The tiny grig stood up and pointed at Kaschel. “You will regret this!”

Kaschel chuckled and walked away from them. All I could see now was Kaschel’s face and the tips of the trees passing me by and how the moonlight reflected off his pointed ears. Now more than ever, I could tell he was a faery.

I wondered if I called him that would it piss him off?

Kaschel noticed I was staring, and I erupted into a fit of laughter. His face pinched into a scowl. His choppy alabaster hair framed his square jaw perfectly. A faint pink scar starting athis plump bottom lip went all the way down his neck to under his loose shirt. I hadn’t noticed it before.

And I was dying to know,did he have more like me?

He tilted his head. I mimicked him and watched as his lips moved up and down again. “Trouble seems to find you no matter where you go, doesn’t it?”

I reached out my hand and pressed my finger to his lips. “Shhhhhhh, faery man. Shhhhhhh.” I stopped, brought my hands to his back and moved them downward, feeling every muscle along the way. “Do you have wings too? Where are you hiding them?” I patted his back when I couldn’t find them and squeezed his firm cheeks. “No surprise you’ve got such a great backside.”

Kaschel snatched my hand and pulled it away from him. I followed the sparkles around his face and an uncontrollable urge hit me.

“Boooooop.” I squished Kaschel’s nose with my pointer finger, and his dark eyebrow shot up. “I caught the sparkles for you,” I said, crinkling my nose, suddenly annoyed he didn’t appreciate my generosity. “Not like you would care, you Geralt-looking motherfucker.”

Kaschel’s lips moved again, but a dense fog occupied my mind and thickened until it all went blank—except for a soft melody pulling me to sleep. I let it carry me as my whole world spun to darkness.

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