Enamored To A Fool (2 page)

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back on the tree. He was going to have to figure out a way to get to his brother and find out if he was okay. The forest was deadly quiet, which was why it surprised the hell out of him when he felt the envelope being ripped off his chest.

Axle’s eyes flew wide, and his mouth dropped open in shock. The guy standing before him was fucking hot. Ice blue eyes swept over the envelope in concentration for a few seconds before one of the corners of his mouth pulled up in a smirk, and holy hell, what a mouth it was. He had full lips, hair that was green with white tips. Must be a dye job, but it looked great styled in a windblown mess. Tall, lean muscles covered in sun-kissed skin. His defined abdomen was at his eye level, and it was completely ripped. Axle could even smell the suntan lotion that lingered on the guy’s bare upper body.

Green’s bottom portion was covered with a pair of long red swim trunks that seemed completely out of place with the bow strapped to his back. He looked like a cross between a surfer and a hunter. Weird mix, but somehow, it completely fit the man standing before Axle. If he wasn’t in such a shit situation and worried about his brother, he would have already had the guy bent in half, fucking him.

Green squatted down, staring with those piercing ice blue eyes, “I can’t figure out if Puck is playing another joke on us or if he’s out of his fucking mind giving you to our queen.”

Axle tilted his head to the side. “Puck? You mean Red? You must be the brother I’ve been waiting for. Mind untying me? I have to take a piss.”

The guy’s cool blue eyes were penetrating. “Yes, Puck is my brother, and if you don’t shape up, you can rot here all night and piss in your jeans for all I care. Drop the attitude and I might not kill you where you sit.”

For some odd reason, that stopped Axle in his tracks. The guy might look like he was on spring break, but his eyes looked vacant of any warmth. Being an ass to this guy would definitely get him killed.

Trying to reason with the guy, he asked, “Look…what’s your name again?”

“Foster,” Foster grunted out while taking a quick look over his shoulder before refocusing on Axle.

“The name’s Axle, not that you asked or anything. Look, Foster, if you could just untie me, I could take a piss and get out of your hair. I need to go find my brother so I can get out of la la land,” Axle admitted. His mouth ran rampant when worrying over his brother, and a hangover made him extremely irritable.

“Didn’t my brother tell you the situation you are in?” With his long fingers, Foster began tracing the vines that tied him up, ending on one of the knots.

“No, just that my brother was injured, and he was going to take care of him from now on. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but my brother was hurt when Puck carried him off. I think he may need a doctor, and I have to get untied to get him to the hospital. So, be a champ and cut these suckers off me.” Axle raised a dark eyebrow at Foster.

“Your brother belongs to the Unseelie now, where you belong to the Seelie. Your brother is no longer your concern, and from what you say, it seems my brother is quite fascinated with him, so I don’t think you need to worry about him. Come, I’ll untie you and you can meet your queen. Don’t even think about giving me a problem. I have no idea what my brother was thinking. Your ass should be over on ice mountain.”

Foster pulled a blade from behind his back and began cutting the vines from around Axle. Again, if he hadn’t been an idiot partying and tied there for hours, he might have been able to do something about getting away and going after his brother. Unfortunately, Axle’s pride took a hit when he needed Foster to help him stand. Axle was no small guy either. He was built just as muscularly as Foster, and it pissed him off to need assistance in a moment of weakness.

Axle leaned against the tree and turned his back to Foster to take care of business. After zipping, he turned. “By any chance, you wouldn’t have any water on you?”

Foster shook his head and began putting Axle's arm over his shoulder to help guide him to the unknown.

Foster was completely confused with his brother Puck’s decision in bringing this human as the Seelie changeling. This guy was so dark, he would have been a bottom feeder in the Unseelie court. Yet, Foster tried to look deeper, and what he saw was a human with a lot of damage.
Is this what Puck saw? Did he think this human needed the Seelie court to find himself? Or was he so enamored with the other mortal that he didn’t give a fuck who he gave to Titania?
He didn’t have a clue; however, the latter seemed the most plausible.

Whatever his brother’s intentions were, Foster was going to keep a close eye on Axle. It wouldn’t be a hardship since Axle was extremely handsome with dark hair, standing over six feet with tanned muscles. The only unattractive feature about him was the bloodshot eyes. The dark blue eyes would look so much better after they cleared up—which upon further thought, Axle reeked of alcohol, might take a while.

Foster could feel his desire growing for the mortal that he knew would be more trouble than he was worth to the Seelie. He hoped his desire came from the mystery of the mortal he was helping walk the path back to the court. The rest of the Seelie would feel the same attraction to Axle. The unknown always seemed to make the Seelie want to test the waters, so to speak. For some odd reason, that unsettled Foster greatly. He didn’t want to share this human with the others. And what a fucked-up human this one was.

It had been a long time since there was anything new to hit the Seelie court, and Foster had a feeling this mortal was about to turn their world upside down. He had to wonder if his brother was trying to piss off the queen again. This wasn’t some snow on a party, though. Axle was about to take up permanent residence with the rest of the summer fae. What was he doing even taking this guy back with him? He should have just left him tied to the tree.

Axle seemed to be having a hard time walking, and he smelled like he hadn’t showered in a couple days. He smelled of sweat, alcohol and sex. This was no way to present the changeling to his queen. Foster changed his course, trekking his way toward the lake that lay in the center of the fae realm.

Axle was looking around and not realizing the body of water they were approaching. Foster didn’t even slow down, he walked right into the warm waters before dumping Axle into it, knee deep. The guy went under like a rock and remained there until Foster thought he was going to have to pull the guy up.

Sputtering, Axle broke the surface. “What the—”

“You stink. You can’t meet everyone smelling like you do. It’s offensive.” Foster crossed his arms over his chest.

“Sorry if my smell offends you. Next time I get kidnapped and tied to a tree, I’ll make sure I smell like the guys in the damn
Axe
commercials!” Axle began washing his face vigorously in the lake.

Axle needed more than just a good scrubbing. The guy needed fresh clothes and a shave. What had this guy been doing? He looked completely shit-faced. Foster had seen it too many times at the pubs in the mortal realm. The only difference was that not only did Axle’s dark blue eyes hold a sense of loss but also pain.
Did he lose someone special, or did he lose himself somewhere along the way?
Maybe Foster could take him under his wing until Axle got back on his feet even though he could tell it was going to be a major pain in the ass.

Foster bent over and grabbed the bottom of Axle’s shirt then pulled it over the human's head. He could tell Axle was about to protest. “Trust me, there are more unidentifiable stains on there than at a hotel under black light. I’ll make sure you get a new one before you meet everyone. I live on the outskirts, and we’ll go there first.”

Foster watched as Axle closed his mouth and sat there in the water with his brows furrowed. It was the first time Axle looked halfway normal. He began to notice the long, dark, wet lashes and the way tiny droplets slid over his full lips and dripped into the lake below. Looking at Axle's chest, he could see very nice muscles that made him above average in size for humans, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat to his midsection. Instead, he had a six pack with a small trail of hair that lead to where Foster suddenly wanted to be.

What the hell was he thinking? This guy was so not his type. He tended to go for the sprites in the court. They were full of life and energy, where Axle was… sinking below the water.

Acting fast, Foster pulled Axle above the water’s surface. “You’re a wreck. Here…” Foster began guiding Axle to the shore.

“I was just hoping this was some horrible nightmare and maybe I'd wake up and my mouthy little brother would be okay and I wouldn’t be abducted by a guy with hair that looks like a putting green.” Axle stepped away and began walking on his own. A miracle by Foster’s standards.

Foster didn’t live very far from the in-between. He loved looking at the fallen leaves when dusk came, because it was the link between him and his brother. Sometimes, he wondered why he chose to go to the summer court and walk away from his brother. Sure, he had a little bit of the prankster and wickedness in him, but there was just too much summer in him to survive in the Unseelie court. He’d freeze his ass off in the first hour, and then, the Unseelie would eat him alive. The only problem was that he didn’t feel completely summer either. While his brother lived in court with special accommodations given by King Oberon, Foster lived on the outskirts, yearning for a place to fit in. He never had the courage to ask his brother if he felt the same way.

After a short distance, Foster made his way to the stone pathway that led to his small home. The tiny hut was just the perfect size for him. While opening the door for Axle, he wondered what the human would think of his living conditions. His home was neat and tidy. It was a completely open house except for the bathroom, which was enclosed toward the back. The kitchen, living room and bedroom were all open and in various sides of the hut.

Since he didn’t live in court where everything was modern, he lived a rustic life. He cooked out of a fireplace, bathed in the lake and slept under the stars with an open hatch in the ceiling. The only modern thing he had in his house was several LED book lights and a working bathroom. His brother brought the book lights back from the mortal realm when he found out Foster was still reading by candlelight.

Walking over to a wood chest that held his clothing, he opened it and dug out a pair of blue swim trunks. When he turned around, he found Axle lying back on his bed rubbing his eyes.

“Here, these should fit you. We’re about the same size,” Foster dropped the trunks onto Axle’s stomach, hoping to cover the enticing image. A great-looking, half-naked guy in his bed was not the norm. It was all he could do not to join him there and keep him all to himself. Once Axle went to court, Foster knew he would lose him to the other more attractive Seelie. Being a Halfling to both courts tended to make him the odd one out.

“Thank you. Do you have a T-shirt I can borrow? I’m not in the habit of going without one,” Axle stood up and without an ounce of modesty opened his wet jeans and dropped them to the floor.

Fuck, that is a perfect body.
Foster wasn’t even sure what propelled him into action, but with a few short strides, he reached out his fingertips to trace all the muscles on Axle’s stomach and chest. He was completely mesmerized.

“Hmmm…that feels excellent.” Axle closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

As much as Foster wanted to go farther in this, he knew Axle wasn’t in any state for it. “Why?” he blurted out.

Axle looked at him with deep blue eyes. The redness was finally clearing up. “Why what?” Axle asked.

“Why were you in that condition when Puck took you?” Foster whispered.

Axle looked away and shrugged, but Foster could see shame written all over face.

“I haven’t been such a great guy lately. I keep telling myself that I’ll turn it around, but I’m kind of in a tailspin right now. It’s kind of bad for someone who’s only twenty-one.” Axle looked down at Foster's fingers as they traced the muscles on his chest.

“What keeps you from getting out of it?” Foster moved his fingertips up to his shoulders. He wanted to keep Axle calm, so maybe, Foster could get to know him more. For some reason, it was very important to him.

Axle swallowed what looked like a golf ball before he spoke softly, “Guilt and youth, I guess. I was eighteen when our dad died, leaving Torque and me alone. He wasn’t such a great parent, but when he passed away, everything happened so fast. I got custody of Torque and found a job as a mechanic as quickly as I could. When I still wasn’t making enough, I did some other things I’m not talking about. The guilt comes from getting pissed at my brother for the circumstances that were anything but his fault. Spent my entire childhood protecting him, and I found out one of the people I brought into our home hurt him. Epic fail on my part.”

“I’m sure everyone handles a situation like yours differently. Your feelings are actually pretty normal. But youth? How old are you again?” Foster missed it, but the guy looked young.

For the first time, Axle smiled a little. “Twenty-one. I’ve been going a little crazy since my dad died, and I didn’t have to come home in fear anymore. I need to learn my limits, though. I turn into a complete jerk when I get wasted, and unfortunately, that’s when Torque is at the height of wise ass. We clash during those times, and it’s put a strain on our relationship. He doesn’t like who I’ve become, and I don’t like it when he calls me on it, because I know he’s right. Can I go see me brother?” Axle finished hoarsely.

Foster looked at the sadness in Axle’s eyes. He knew that Axle might not have been doing such a bang-up job raising his brother, but in that moment, he knew Axle wanted to fix it going forward.

Foster brushed a stray hair out of Axle's eyes. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I promise my brother is taking good care of him. I’ll make sure you can see him soon. Why don’t you worry about healing yourself?”