Chapter 1: Introduction
The last thing I remembered, I was canoeing in the lake near my parents' summer house—Second Home, as I used to call it when I still had the energy to joke about the fancy house on the lake. The sun was bright and cheerful. The paddle silently dragged against the water but still sliced through it with ease. I'd been trying to paddle closer to a blue heron that perched on a weathered buoy, in vain. I swear, these blasted birds and their haughty "I'm above you" posture.
The thing took off just as I was making headway towards it, and I may have splashed water a bit harder upon realizing its departure. Annoyed and slightly embarrassed, I decided to give up on the wildlife and paddle back towards the western edge of the lake. Back towards the second home that I'll visit for the last time.
As I glided closer to the dock, it felt like I blinked and the cerulean sky and calm water disappeared in a schism of green and mist. I scrambled for the paddle as the current tugged me into the whimsical unknown.
Still grasping onto my last lifeline—my paddle—I planted the carved piece of wood into the mossy ground as soon as I felt solid ground beneath my feet. My heart raced, hands trembling like an aspen in a tempest.
This forest was dreamlike, swathed in throat-tightening mystery, used the cloak of fog to keep its secrets. Peculiar fairytale-like electricity surged through the air. I was caught in its bewitchment, unsure if my sudden appearance was either its happiest miracle or a terrifying trick.
Just as I turned around to decide whether I should run or surrender to the unknown, I heard the rustle of the green canopy above me.
"A human!" A melodic voice tugged my attention down through the forest's endless veil.
Where there was once silence, a woman emerged. She was otherworldly—an ethereal aroma of wet earth and lavender. Standing taller than any human, her luscious, pale hair danced around her lithe form, each ripple like moonlight shimmering on the lake.
Her eyes glowed softly with an inquisitive, otherworldly cobalt—searching, studying, owning the space around her. Her gown, a triumph of delicacy and sheerness, was strategically placed to caress a woman's curves, revealing velvety skin just as a sliver of silver moonoutlined a woman's silhouette on a warm night.
She gave me a knowing—almost devilish—smile.
"What are you?" I stammered, sinking further into my realization she was no figment of my imagination.
I tried to gather my thoughts: What was I doing here? Why was I magically transported? My mind raced like a deer from a predator's snare; it wanted to scramble back to my comfort and understanding, but she tethered me with her countless questions.
"You're a human?" she purred, pupils expanding as her gaze languished over my frame. "A most exquisite enough specimen, I can see that."
The forest which had moments ago threatened me now seemed less menacing under her generous survey.
My anxiety began to give way to the strange enticement of her intrigued eyes.
"I am an Elf," she replied, closing the distance between us. "A being from this very forest, and one who has watched you for quite some time."
She reached out slowly, removing the bindings at my wrists. My skin tingled as the ropes fell away, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
Gently, she stepped closer, tracing the side of my face with her otherworldly cool fingers.
A gasp escaped from her red lips, a sweet contrast to our magically bound reality.
"A human as splendid as you," she whispered, her tone dripping with precarious desire.
My heart stammered like an old engine in winter, caught between the apprehension that she was an unfathomable predator and a fascination with her otherwordly beauty pulsing just beneath the surface.
Her husky voice caused my nerves to quiver and reshape my unwilling fascination into a raw, fire-blooded hunger.
"You find me pleasing then?" I murmured, barely recognizing the practiced confidence I strained to maintain. It had been so long since I had entertained a fleeting attraction, let alone an all-consuming lust that rose in a dizzying crescendo in my core.
The corners of her mouth lifted in a ravishing smile. "Oh, human.
This forest has given me many treasures, but I find you the most splendid," she whispered sensually, her eyes piercing mine as her hand slipped to the nape of my neck.
My eyes fluttered as her cool fingers brushed against my heated skin. I shuddered, although I could not tell if it was from the foreign sensation of her skin against mine or the blunt, intoxicating honesty in her words.
"Why am I here?" I finally choked out, ripping my gaze from hers.