Chapter 24—Kahlo

“That was a waste of time.” I nudged Reed as we passed crowds of people on the streets, standing around and blocking the path as they chatted with friends. “The local pride dispersed and moved away ages ago. I bet that decision wasn’t of their own doing but due to someone forcing them.” I sidestepped a man selling apples in the center of the road.

“Bet you’re fucking right,” said Reed, “but we got a name for the albino lion, which is a start.”

“White Venom! Who the fuck calls themselves that?” I mimicked pulling my dick and gained a frown from a nearby older woman, so I dropped my arm and looked away. “A wanker, that’s who.”

“Yeah, but it tells us a lot. He’s an arrogant son of a bitch who believes he’s untouchable. He needs to show others he’s better than them. That means he wants revenge for something.”

I cut Reed a hard stare. “You got all the from a try-hard name?” My attention fell on a flower shop. Gorgeous white flowers mixed with pink ones filled the front window, and my thoughts soared to my Elliana. She’d been on my mind non-stop since our time together. “Give me a moment.” I rushed into the store and bought the biggest bunch of flowers before heading back outside.

Reed arched an eyebrow. “You’ve got it bad for her too?”

“Man, it’s like she’s tapped into my veins, and everything makes me think of her. The sun reminds me of her hair—even these flowers smell like her, and every time I hear laughter, I turn, hoping to see her. Hell, I’ve never felt this before, but I’m not embarrassed to admit I’m smitten. She deserves so much more than these, but I’ll make it up to her once we deal with White Venom.” I chuckled. “I can’t even keep a straight face while saying that name.”

Reed smirked, but I noticed his stiff demeanor.

“Listen,” I said. “Hope you’re not pissed that I spent the night with her last night.”

“Nah, man,” he said. “I told you that before. If we’re sharing, I want it to be with you. Plus, I’ll spend time with Elliana soon enough. I’m too worried about my sister right now, you know.” His hands curled into fists at his sides. “It kills me to know she’s out there under a spell, treated as a slave, or gods know what. I want to rip out the fucker’s spine and shove it up his ass for harming my pride. For daring to harm Elliana.”

“Shit, yeah.” Without another word, we made our way through the town and finally reached Old Reindeer Hunt tavern. Upstairs, I unlocked the room I’d shared with Elliana and found it empty. Nothing was out of place, and the bed remained unmade. Unease slithered through my gut. “Elliana?”

A thump hit the wall from next door, and my heart leaped into my mouth. I rushed into the corridor, Reed on my heels, and burst inside the room next door.

At first, I couldn’t make sense of what I was staring at. I swung my head in every direction.

Blonde hair spread across the walls, ceiling, and floor. At the ends of the hair, they coiled into a dozen cords, moving, slithering around as if they were snakes.

And in the middle of the room stood Elliana on the bed, deliciously naked, and her tresses covering her breasts and across her hips. What had happened to her? Was it the witch, trapping her?

“Hi there! It may not look it, but we’re all right, really.” She waved, her voice shaky, and her face blushing as if caught red-handed doing the dirty, except this was something else. “Oh, are those flowers for me? They’re gorgeous.” A lock of hair snapped toward me. I recoiled, but the prehensile hair struck toward my wrist and wrapped around the bouquet, then ripped it from my grip.

“Hey, give them back!” I cried out.

It carried them over to Elliana, placing them in her grasp as if she were the queen of crazy. She smelled them and shrugged nervously.

“What the fuck’s going on?” I hissed, my hands curled into fists. “Is the witch here? Did she hurt you?”

Reed stepped deeper into the room when the door behind us snapped shut, locking us inside.

“No witch. But funny story,” Elliana said. “Gage bought me a supposed magical shampoo to help make my hair brittle and cuttable.”

Gage laughed from our left, and I turned to find him plastered to the wall, golden hair pinning him there for only his face showing. “My mistake. Turns out it brought her hair to life and now it does what she asks it to do, except there’s a small glitch.”

“And that is?” I scanned the room, wondering how in the world we were getting out of this.

“It seems to misinterpret what I ask it to do.” Elliana smirked. “So I asked it to go back to normal and be limp, but that seemed to mean spreading itself across the room. Gage thinks it’s trying to dry itself, which might mean it will stop moving after a while. But it’s anyone’s guess. So we’re just waiting, you know.”

“This is some fucking weird shit,” Reed said, his wide eyes glued on Elliana’s nudity, his chest heaving with each breath.

Elliana sighed. “I say we stay relaxed and calm.”

Which was close to impossible, given I was both turned on at seeing my beautiful love naked, but disturbed by the hair with its own mind. I couldn’t refocus my attention away from Elliana’s gorgeous, dark blue eyes, the way the bridge of her petite nose scrunched up each time she worried. Her curvy form, tiny hips, and…Man, where was the wind to blow away the strands? I could stare at her naked for an eternity.

Two tentacles curled up my legs, rushing over my groin. I tensed and kicked it away.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” Gage cried out. “It doesn’t like being pushed around.”

More of the slithering serpents surged toward me, and Reed backed away into a corner. Great help he was.

I punched and bucked, but the restraints tightened around my wrists and ankle. “Fuck! Make it stop!” They dragged me across the room and curled around my chest, lifting me, shoving my back against the wall.

I thrashed and fought, but I might as well have been battling a giant. Slammed against the wall, hair swarmed over me like insects, covering every inch of me, and with only my head free. “Let me down!”

“Told you,” Gage said.

“Sorry,” Elliana said, wincing. “I’m trying to work out how to control it but figured I’d wait until the hair dries. Maybe then the spell will wear off.”

“Reed? Do something!” I yelled, the restraints keeping me glued to the wall. Across from me, Gage was in the same predicament.

“Any suggestions?” Reed asked, scanning the room.

Elliana shrugged. “This is new territory for me, but let me try something.” She shut her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. Was that her asking the hair to behave or taking to her alter ego?

At once, the blonde strips over her body fell away, revealing her perky breasts, flat stomach, and small mound of light hair between her legs. And I cheered, apparently out loud because everyone turned toward me.

“What? As if all of you didn’t want that to happen?”

“I sure did.” Gage wolf-whistled.

Reed grunted, and I twisted my head to find him caught up in the snake hair, throwing punches to no effect. None of us were going anywhere, but on the bright side, while we waited, we had the best eye candy in the world.

But instead of getting tied to the wall, the hair shoved Reed toward Elliana. He stumbled forward and the locks scooped him up and placed him on the bed. Both stood there, threads of hair attached to each of them as if they were puppets and we were about to watch an orchestrated show.

“What did you tell it to do?” Reed asked.

Her cheeks reddened, and she shyly looked down.

“Oh, you dirty girl,” Gage called out. “You thought of getting it on with Reed, didn’t you?”

“Is that how it works?” I asked. “Because I think all of us at once.”

Gage piped in. “Hey, tiger man. Already told Reed I was into watching, but not joining in on male action.”

I glared at Gage. “What are you yapping about?”

“Shut up,” Elliana hissed.

“What did you ask the hair to do?” Reed repeated, and already the hair holding him tore at his shirt and pants, unbuttoning his clothes. He didn’t fight, simply stared at Elliana, and all I could think was, bring it on.

“I told it to release all three of you, but then you popped into my head along with your promise.” She cringed, but Reed reached out and lifted her chin with a finger.

“I meant every word.” His shirt got torn off his back and his pants pulled down. Okay, we were about to get to the action.

Her lips pinched. “Yeah, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts, and I pictured you naked.” She lowered her voice, “With me and you doing stuff.”

“Yes!” Gage yelled, and I flinched from his sudden outburst, my muscles tighter than my balls. “What the hell is your problem?” I hissed.

“They’ll do the nasty and we get front-row seats. Tell me you don’t want to see this?”

My blood soared, and already my pants constricted at the thought. Reed was like my brother, but at the core, seeing my baby cakes taken by someone I trusted had me hard, and I needed this. “I’m in.”

“This isn’t a show,” Reed responded. “Maybe shut your eyes.”

“Fuck that!” Gage laughed. “Now if we’re here trapped, at least get it on already.”

Elliana collected Reed into her arms, both naked and pressed together, his arms gliding around her silky white skin. But in that same instant, the hair curled around their bodies.

She writhed. “Stop. I command you to end this.”

All the hair slackened, cascading to the floor, along with Gage and me. I hit the floor. Elliana broke out in a laugh, and Reed right along with her. Both lay on the bed covered in blonde locks, staring only at each other. I didn’t need a poke in the back to know where this was going. Reed’s first time with Elliana should be alone without an audience—as much as I’d love to watch. But we weren’t locked in place anymore. So we’d give him alone time. I snatched Gage by the elbow and hauled him to the door.

He frowned. With a sigh and his shoulders curled forward, he followed me outside into the corridor, and I shut the door. “I need a fucking stiff drink after that,” Gage blurted out.

“Not sure I’d use the word ‘stiff’ right now.” I glanced down at my pants but laughed at how ridiculous the situation had become.

“I should have told Elliana the shampoo came with side effects.” Gage clapped my back. “The shop assistant said it sometimes made the user horny. Didn’t realize that meant her hair tapped into her thoughts and her lust.”

Once we reached downstairs, I headed to the bar and took a seat, Gage by my side. I tried not to let my mind wander to the pleasures going on upstairs. Elliana was still mine, and I’d have her again.

“Makes sense her hair would pick Reed,” said Gage. “He hasn’t been with her yet. Plus, it wasn’t as if it would select me since I’d just finished banging her.”

“You did?” I twisted in my seat, adjusting myself. “Let me order drinks, then talk.”