This story first appeared in the Beltane: an Anthology.
It has been re-edited for this collection. If you would like to read more Beltane-themed short fiction, you can find it here.
It was the third glass of faerie wine that did me in.
Being a halfling—half human, half fae—I handled the spirit better than humans, but not as well as my fae brothers and sisters. Not that I called them that. Most of them thought halflings beneath them. Humans weren’t much better. But I digress.
Like I said, I blame it all on the faerie wine. I couldn’t get enough of this varietal, which tasted like a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc with hints of ginger. Not too sweet.
I knew I was over my limit when the obnoxious airkin, a fae with air element powers, who’d been circling me all night, started looking good enough to drag off into the shadows. I set my fourth glass down and tried to find Ginny. We’d skipped the public festival in the park in favor of an invite-only Beltane party. I’m not sure how Gin scored tickets, but the more I drank and danced, the less I cared.
Had I known it was going to be FuckFest 3000, I may have opted for the festival instead. I knew things would be sexually charged, given it was Beltane, but this was beyond my wildest dreams, no nightmares.
My gaze snagged on the hottie in green shorts I’d been eyeing all night. Scratch that. No. Definitely dreams… If I found a way to catch his eye.
The top half of his face was obstructed by a matching green mask, but I liked what I saw. Tawny skin, inky black hair, tattoos, the body of a god, and full lips that I could have imagined kissing for hours. Days even. Just like—
Free readers, this is where it starts getting good. Paid subs get first dibs on short stories, serial episodes, and bonus content. If you’re just here for the free stuff, no hard feelings. It’s coming, you just have to wait awhile. xo Sarah 🖤
