“You would not like what you would become here, Cailleach.” He pronounced my full name with an Irish lilt. Kay-Lex. “Without human contact, the fey are bloodless creatures: beautiful, but unfeeling, ageless, but with none of the fire of youth.”

A trill of laughter interrupted him.

“That sounds pretty youthful to me,” I said, punching his arm playfully. “Are you sure you don’t want to get rid of me so you can hook up with one of the undines?”

He made a face. “Those poor creatures? One can only pity them. Sure the young ones come back full of the zest and fire they’ve absorbed in the muck and mire of the human world …”

I remembered the taste of raspberry on the young undine’s lips and wondered how she was finding her first moments in Faerie.

“… but after a century here they lose that. Come.” He got to his feet and held out his hand to help me up. “I’ll show you.”

“You’re going like that?” I asked, looking his long, lean naked body up and down. “They’ll never be able to keep their …” But before I could finish my sentence Liam was clothed in a loose white tunic, slim dark green leggings and soft leather boots and I wore a long linen dress that swished as he pulled me to my feet.

“In Faerie you can make yourself into whatever you like,” he said, pulling me close to him. “Although I prefer you unclothed,” he growled. “Those damned undines are just as likely to jump you as me.”

“Maybe we should stay here,” I said, pressing against him. I pictured myself wearing a flimsy nightgown and … presto! I felt the silk slide over my skin. I added a pair of kitten heels and a whiff of Diorissimo.

“I could get used to this – an unlimited wardrobe and no dry cleaning bills!”

Liam gave me an admiring look, but turned to walk up the hill, pulling me with him. “There are other bills to pay,” he said. “Come, I’ll show you.”

I followed him up the grassy hill over which the undines had run, a bit crestfallen that my seduction ploy hadn’t worked. I changed into jeans and t-shirt as we walked, but then, remembering how pretty those undines had looked, switched to a sundress I’d admired in the Anthropologie catalog. As I’d suspected, the halter top was too snug for my breast size, but maybe I could change that …

“Don’t you dare,” Liam growled without turning around.

“Could you always read my mind?” I asked, adding a lacy cardigan to my outfit.

“Not in your world, but in Faerie everything is transparent. It’s one of the things that can get a bit … tedious here.”

I tried to read Liam’s thoughts but got only images – mostly of me naked underneath him.

“Sorry,” he said. “I want to remember every moment.” We’d come to the top of the hill. Turning to me, his eyes were wide with sorrow. “Those memories will have to last me a long time.”