The Dangers of Fairy Compacts

By Katey Hawthorne

When Aeron heard the summons from the mortal realm, he couldn't resist. The voice, the one that had been echoing through his dreams since he was just a boy, the one everyone thought meant he was going mad just like his mother, was real. And it was mortal.

Aeron stepped through the tear in the worldfabric to meet his destiny. Instead, he found a shy young forest-priest with halting speech and a ridiculous smile--who claimed to know absolutely nothing about why his voice had been stuck in Aeron's head for decades. Not to mention why they both have the strange feeling they've been bound, somehow, for a very long time.

Fairy Compacts is the story of two men, one fae, one mortal, who share a terrible history of which neither is aware. Whether or not their budding affection for one another can overcome the shock of finding out the truth, only time will tell. But this is for certain: one should never make fairy compacts.

They always end in tragedy. Usually for the mortal. But not always.

Warnings and disclaimers:
This is an erotic romance novelette of a fantastic nature. It involves magic, explicit wingsex, and an m/m pairing. If any of that offends, now's the time to back away slowly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: KV Taylor
• Release date: Jun 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476057422

Katey Hawthorne

Katey Hawthorne loves queer romance. Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Pittsburgh with her family of one other human and many furry creatures. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, comic books, B-movies, loud music, video games, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Her favorite causes include animal rescue and bisexual representation in media. She is an unashamed fangirl and collects nerdy tattoos like she’s trying to prove it.

Book preview

The Dangers of Fairy Compacts (Fairy Compacts #1)

by Katey Hawthorne

Smashwords Edition

© 2012-2021 Katey Hawthorne

kateyhawthorne.com

Cover art © 2012 C. Bernard

cbernardillustration.com

This free novelette may be reproduced, copied, and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the story remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please head to kateyhawthorne.com and say hello. Thank you for your support.

The Read Me File

This free novelette was written for the Goodreads M/M Romance group's Love is Always Write event in the summer of 2012. This massive lovey free-for-all let group members choose an image and write a prompt, and then let authors choose the one they wanted to write. The idea for Fairy Compacts was provided by Miya Kressin, who's a continued inspiration for the series. She found a Linda Bergkvist painting of a lonely fairy sitting on a tree branch, and this is what she wrote:

Dear Author,

I was curious when I felt the summons across the Ways between the human world and faerie realm. When the pathway opened, I followed the stone walkway through to his world, disregarding the rules that had been taught to me from childhood. I knew I was supposed to let one of the Court advisors know, but the magic called to me.

The priest who summoned me ran when I appeared; I don’t think he expected his ritual to work. I followed the scent of his magic until I bounced off his wards. His home is protected against all spirits, including me, keeping me away from the warmth of his hearth. He leaves each morning and returns in the late afternoon, often staring into the woods where he must feel my presence. I’m stuck here, sitting on a branch, counting the hours until he comes home again and praying that today is the day he’ll offer an invitation of hospitality after demanding my presence.

Until he dismisses the call, I am bound to him. His voice though—I’ve heard it before in my dreams. I think I’ve always been bound to him.

Thanks and much appreciation to Courtney Bernard for her beautiful cover art, Meghan Brunner for her fae powers of awesome and love, and John Cash for his understanding and patience in edits.

Warnings and disclaimers:

18+ only

The Dangers of Fairy Compacts

Chapter 1

Aeron stretched his wings, turning them this way and that to catch the morning sunshine and melt away the sleepiness. If only he could open up his head and let the sun in there, too. A beautiful day, and all he could think was how difficult it would be to spend it pretending there wasn't a dream voice echoing inside his skull.

Might as well get the show started. He lifted his arms over his head and made a production of yawning.

When he opened his eyes again, Awela had joined him in front of Emyr Hill. She stretched her own wings, the dark green veins and gold-and-silver iridescence of the translucent membrane outshining the sun itself as they caught the light.

He snorted and folded his, a smoke-and-dusky-silver set, against his back. Show off.

She grinned. Envy's ugly on you, brother.

He rolled his eyes and fluttered some more, this time extending the curled feelers on the ends of his wings to test the airflow. They were still sluggish; nothing but a good flyabout would do. You're not really going to dance attendance on Advisor Marth today, are you?

Father went to so much trouble to get me the position. Anyhow, we have it in us to be--

"You. You have it in you. As if I'd be allowed to forget it." He snorted again.

Well don't be such a wastrel, love, and maybe Father won't expect you to disappoint.

He didn't dignify that with a response. Let her ascend to glory through service to the Court, let her reap the benefits of their grasping father's influence. She deserved it. Aeron would find his own destiny elsewhere.

Not because he had to. Because he wanted to. Really.

She laughed and kissed the corner of his lips in goodbye. Before she could pull back, she paused, looking into his eyes. Hers were the same pale furleaf green, the same large round shape; they even applied charcoal in the same pattern. Nearly everything about them was identical.

He had no complaints, except that it made it so difficult to hide anything from her. Awela's eyes narrowed.

Aeron's stomach tightened. He tried to look away, but she'd already seen. She said, You slept badly. You're having the dreams again?

It's nothing. He extended the feelers again and found the breeze gentle. He stepped forward and fluttered faster in preparation. "Try not to debase yourself too much for Marth's