Slumber Party

© 2002 Thistle

And yet another cancellation.

Iolanthe had stopped blaming Davy for the broken dates. Lately, her ire was directed totally at his bastard of a big brother, Mark.

Sometimes she toyed with switching to Iolaus (her incubus form), heading over to Zaubercorp, and bashing Mark into a twitching pulp.

Of course, he'd probably flash-fry her, but it might be worth it. So instead of spending the weekend at a cute little B&B on Long Island, she was sitting around her apartment in black flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that read, "You call me a FREAK like it's a bad thing." Her long violet locks were pulled into a ponytail on the back of her head, and she was flipping through a new sex manual she'd found on BAMM.com while laying on her stomach on the chaise lounge.

She was also wishing for a better form of entertainment. Later on, she would regret that rash wish. For as she lay there, idly thumbing through pencil sketches of various positions (most of which she already knew), she suddenly heard the doorbell rang.

Hey! Maybe it was Davy! Maybe Mark had had a change of heart and given his sweet little brother the weekend off. Yeah, and maybe little winged pigs would fly out of her ass. Sighing, she tossed aside the book and trudged to the door, not bothering to look out the peephole before opening it.

Yet another mistake.

"IO!"

Iolanthe's eyes widened with shock as a dark rainbow of colors flew through the door and tackled her. As she lay beneath a dog pile of pillowy breasts, long legs and huge wings, she groaned and tried to take back her wish. It didn't work.

"Hey girls," she sighed, propping her chin on one fist and trying to look out the corner of her eye. "When did you blow into town?"

Nixie and Pixie (or Nix and Pix, depending on what gender they were currently wearing) were the only two succubi Iolanthe knew of that were actually fluffier than her. Of course, both were older, and so their colors were the dark and seductive jewel tones of mature lust fae, but personality-wise? Teenagers forever. Slutty teenagers. Which would make them cheerleaders, right?

"Hi, Io!" Nixie squealed, jumping up and in front of Iolanthe's field of vision. She was wearing a short, flirty little hot black skirt that barely covered her thighs, thigh high black tights, a emerald green tank top and a white shirt tied at the waist over it. Her emerald green wings, like the green of a hummingbird, fluttered with just about the energy of said bird around her. Her matching green hair was pulled into little pigtails over her shoulder.

"We hoped you were home!" giggled Pixie, who was suddenly standing by her twin's side. She was wearing almost the twin of the outfit as well, except the tank top was a deep red in color. Her wings were the color of rubies, as was her hair-- which unlike her sister was pulled into loose tails on either side of her head. Both were wearing make-up to compliment their coloring, and as always they looked like Christmas ornaments.

Io sighed and slowly got to her feet, wincing as her knee popped back into place. "You didn't answer my question, girls. When did you get into town? And why wasn't I warned in advance?"

The two glanced at each other, and then broke into twin giggles.

"We wanted to surprise you!" Nixie said, tilting her head to one side.

"Did we surprise you?" Pixie asked, tilting her head to meet her sister's.

"Oh yeah," Io said, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. "Definitely surprised."

*** *** *** Iolanthe managed to sneak off as the twins began raiding her closet and scrambled for the phone. A hastily dialed number, two rings that lasted an eternity each, then-

"If you're not a young Julian Sands look-a-like, I'm hanging up."

"Bel!" Iolanthe screeched as quietly as possible. "It's me, Io. Dammit, you've got to help me!"

"Io...sweetie? I'm in the middle of something here," Belamy replied peevishly. "Such as the sweetest young man-French even!-in my apartment. He's not sure where his orientations lie. So I'm helping him find out."

"He'll have to wait, Bel. This is a freakin' national emergency here!"

"You have a zit?"

"No, I-"

"You mistook Nair for shampoo?"

"Dammit, Bel-"

"Davy's gone impotent?"

"Like that would ever happen. No, it's-"

"I'm sorry, love, but whatever it is, you'll just have to handle it on your own. Monsieur Etienne simply cannot be put off."

"Bel, it's the twins."

"What?"

"The twins are here. They're in my closet. They're gushing about makeovers, now get over here and HELP ME!"

"Oh dear, this is an emergency, isn't it? All right, here's what you do. Order a pizza from Juliano's Pizzeria and ask for Gabriel to deliver. I suggest getting the Supreme. It's the most expensive one they have and it'll make them more likely to humor you. I'll be over as soon as possible. Until then...well, try to keep them distracted."

"What do you want me to do, start throwing shiny things at them?"

"I know you're scared, baby, but you'll just grin and bear it for awhile. Shame you couldn't have been warned in advance about this."

"Iolanthe!" Pixie yelled from the bedroom, "what happened to all your leather?"

"It looks like Mary Poppins picked out your wardrobe!" Nixie called.

Iolanthe rubbed a hand over her forehead, sighing. "What's the number for Juliano's?"

*** *** *** Belamy arrived before the pizza, landing lightly on the balcony and carefully entering through the open door. "Iolanthe? Are you here?" "In the bedroom," came the resigned call.

He frowned, taking a moment to check himself in the living room mirror. Yes, the Japanese knot was holding perfectly, the midriff blue knit shirt with its deeply scooped neckline was still straight, and the long blue skirt wasn't hiked up anywhere. As usual, he looked marvelous. If he hadn't, he would have had to leave Iolanthe to her own devices. Bel never left the house looking anything put perfect.

"Yay! Bel's here!"

He winced at the twins' collected cheer. Oh, the things he did for friends. Oh well, nothing for it. He took a deep breath, plastered a smile on his perfect lips, and stepped into the bedroom, posing dramatically.

"Hello, children! Oh my...Iolanthe. That certainly is an...interesting look."

If looks could kill, Bel would have been a mere pile of ash on the carpet. Iolanthe was not amused. The twins had managed to find her hidden stash of costumes (the lust fae were nothing if not masters of disguise-they never knew what kind of fashion their meal might require of them) and were having a ball. Bel mentally dubbed this one "Raver."

Either that, or raving. Iolanthe looked ready to go a little Norman Bates on the siblings. She was wearing a fishnet shirt beneath a sleeveless black baby tee with "SLUT" written in glittering script across it. A pair of torn, baggy jeans rode very low on her hips, enough to show that she probably wasn't wearing anything under them. Metal-toe boots hid her dainty feet, and she was wearing enough bracelets, armlets, necklaces and earrings to make a metal detector explode. Her make-up was wild, extreme, and heavy.

The twins were in the process of finishing up her hair, which consisted of tightly twisted rows along her scalp, then teasing and hairspraying the rest into a violent violet mane. The Aqua Net was heavy enough in the air to trap flies.

The girls had found Iolanthe's belly dancing costumes. Nixie was wearing black-fringed bra and a full circle skirt of black gauze with a silver-embroidered accent skirt-also black gauze. Pixie was wearing a deep purple choli, also embroidered with silver thread, and a pair of matching harem pants with a heavily embroidered and fringed belt. Bel clucked his tongue chidingly.

"You two give the Pan my regards when you head back to Never-Neverland," he said, trying very hard not to giggle. "So, are we having a sleepover tonight?"

"Yup!" Nixie said cheerfully, bouncing over to hug the androgynous faery tightly. "We're so glad you're here! Will you do my make-up? You're so good with it!"

"Could you do my nails?" Pixie asked, eyes wide and pleading as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I've never been able to find a manicurist as good as you."

"Can you get them out of my hair?" Io growled, her hands clutching at the vanity's bench so tightly Bel was surprised the cushion hadn't torn yet.

"Did you order the pizza?"

"Yes, and he's taking way too long."

"Oh, don't worry...it'll be worth it." Bel picked up one of Pixie's hands and examined it critically. "But until then...I'll keep the girls entertained."

"I owe you one."

Belamy gave the relieved succubus an evil smile. "Yes, you do."

*** *** ***

Iolanthe knew if she got back into her comfy clothes that there was danger of a second makeover. Instead, she chose a purple and black lace corset and a pair of lace-up black jeans to ward off the evil ones. She left her hair as it was, though she did comb through the spray-frozen tangles until they hung loosely down her back.

Belamy wasn't going to be enough to hold their attention forever. She needed more distractions. One lone pizza boy wasn't going to do it, either. Back-up was sorely needed.

"Be right back," she said sweetly, heading for the bedroom door. Bel glanced up from carefully trimming Pixie's cuticles and gave her a hard glare.

"You're not sneaking out, are you?"

"I've just got to go make a couple of phone calls," she said innocently.

"If you leave, I will hunt you down."

"I'm not leaving."

Bel waved the cuticle clippers warningly. "See that you don't."

Iolanthe jogged into the living room, fighting the urge to bail out for spite's sake, and picked up the phone. She hit the auto-dial and waited patiently.

"Hannah's House of Punishment, how may I help you?"

"Very funny, Thorn. Is my sibling in?"

"Aerael? Yeah, he's around here somewhere...might be tied up at the moment...let me check."

"If he is, cut the damn ropes and let me talk to him. It's urgent."

"Mistake Nair for Shampoo? Ah, here he is. Hey, feather butt-your sister is on the phone."

"Why, thank you, Miss Friday. You can return to those memos now." Iolanthe could just envision the raspberry.

"Hey, lil' sibling of mine. What's shaking?"

"Me. The twins are in town. Guess who they looked up first thing?"

"Oh, you poor thing," Aerael said sympathetically. "Did you call Bel?"

"You bet your sweet bippy I called Bel. We've got a delivery boy on the way, too."

"Juliano's Pizzeria? Gabriel?"

"Yeah...you know him?"

"Bel introduced us once. Hmm...I doubt the twins will be enough for him. You'd better get a few more over there."

"I don't suppose I could get you over here, could I?"

"Not a chance in any hell, little sibling. You could call Lily."

"But me and Jonas are just now getting her out of her shell! These two'll put her right back in."

"Oh, she's gotten a lot better now that her succubus side is starting to take. And Jonas is a horrible influence on anybody. She may not join in the fun, but she'll be a good distraction."

"Okay, fine...besides, Lily has to be subjected to these two horrors sooner or later."

"They're not that bad...just incredibly annoying. Let's see...who else can you get...what about Dee? She owes you, you know."

"Yeah, that's true...I'll call her. What about Rory?"

"Nah, you don't want her and Dee there. Gabriel would never survive. I think you'll have enough with the five of you. Look, I've gotta go. Thorn's discovered the joys of handcuffs and I think she just found where I hid them."

"Good luck, big brother. Catch ya later." She hung up and quickly dialed Dee's number. "Hey, Dee! What are your plans for the night?"

*** *** ***

Dee still managed to show up before the pizza. The older succubus almost had Iolanthe's coloring, except her wings and hair were a glorious mix of purple and black. She wore a dark purple minidress with a halter neck, and her silky straight locks hung around her face in an ear-length bob.

"Hey, sweetie," Dee cooed, giving Io a quick peck on the cheek. "Has the food arrived yet?"

"Not yet," Io sighed, ushering her in. "Neither has the pizza. Bel is doing manicures and make-up in the bedroom, but I think she's getting a little tired. Wanna help distract?"

"Do I have to?"

"Why else did you come over? Go on, I'm still waiting for Lily to get here. See if you can't get them out of my best dancing outfits, will you?"

"Fine, I'll put them in your best leather."

Iolanthe sighed and tossed up one hand. "Why not...it's not like I use it anymore. Thanks, Dee."

"Be glad I owe you," she tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the bedroom. "Otherwise nothing short of Keith Hamilton Cobb tied up and naked on your bed would get me there."

"Right...we'll work on that. Thank, Dee."

Dee had no sooner disappeared into the bedroom when Iolanthe heard a "whumph" of displaced air on the balcony. She turned around in time just to see Lily step through the sliding glass door.

Dating Jonas had done wonders for the once painfully shy and broken succubus, but then, a puck's greatest gift is showing how to squeeze every drop of joy out of life. Granted, it was usually at other people's expense, but it was nice to see Lily smile so easily now. It was also nice to see her out of those awful jumpers and blouses as well. She still covered herself from neck to ankle, but Jonas had introduced her to the concept of style.

Tonight she looked even more like the angel/devil crossbreed, with a touch of Neo-Victorian tossed in for fun. She wore a dress of some sort of stretchy shiny stuff, like the offspring of satin and Spandex, in a brilliant crimson. It fit tightly in the bodice and the high neck, with long sleeves in two gathered puffs around the upper arms, fitting tightly around the forearms and ending in gloves. The skirt was full and draped around her legs, with a gathering in the back like a loose bustle. One long row of buttons marched from the back of her neck to beneath the bustle somewhere, and the buttons around the openings for her wings were skillfully hidden. Iolanthe made a note to get the name of her seamstress.

Some of her knee-length pile of pale gold hair was pulled into a bun on the back of her head that was a mix of smooth locks and tiny braids, but most of it simply hung free down between the dazzling white feathered wings that curled slightly around her like a cloak.

Iolanthe felt a welcoming smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Oh sweetie, you look wonderful."

"You like it?" Lily smiled and made a little twirl. "Jonas had it made for me. He said he couldn't take all the white I was wearing. It made him uneasy."

"Probably because you look like an angel in white. Now you just look like an angel gone bad."

Lily gave a light little laugh, lifting the back of her hand to her mouth. It was one habit no one had been able to break her of. She still persisted in trying to hide signs of facial happiness. But in that dress it was a very coquettish gesture. "I do, don't I? So, what are we doing tonight? You said on the phone you needed help keeping some visitors entertained. And then you promised that meant no sex."

Iolanthe tried for an innocent look, and then gave up. "Well...none on your part. There might be some later. But really I just need help distracting these twins."

Lily had her perplexed look on. "I still don't understand why you need so many people to help you with a pair of twins. How bad can they be?"

"Gods, Lil...never ask that question. It's like a dare to the Universe. Okay, you went to high school, right?"

"Yes, but what-"

"Remember cheerleaders?"

"Yes. And?"

Iolanthe blinked. "You...liked cheerleaders?"

Lily blushed and started playing with her hands nervously. "Well, I was a bit jealous. They were so popular and well-liked and, um..."

"Everything you weren't and wanted." Io rubbed the base of one small, twisted horn wearily. "Gotcha. Well, then you might be the only one here to actually like these two. Until the makeovers start anyway."

Blink. "Um, makeovers?"

*** *** ***

"Can't really play right now, beautiful. Rather busy." Mark Sartain meant to just glance up at his incubus plaything, but he hadn't counted on Aerael having a friend with him. The second incubus was worth a longer look. Both his wings and hair was a lovely mix of deep reds and purples, perhaps even a touch of black near the tips. He had a more slender build than Aerael, more like his own build, and the face had an elfin prettiness in its pointed features. His ringed horns were also smaller than Aerael's, closer set together on his forehead and curving back and up over his forehead, much like those of a gazelle. And the leather pants he wore were tight enough to be skin. Mark entertained the notion of cleverly applied body paint for a moment before discarding it.

"Then again, you do propose a tempting argument," he murmured, curling a hand around his chin.

Aerael glanced back at the other with a smirk. "See, I told you he'd jump immediately to a sexual conclusion. And you wonder why I chance it."

Then he turned back to Mark, who kept an inquisitive look on an otherwise expressionless face. "This is Naen. Iolanthe has a rather impressive gaggle of succubi over at her apartment for a sleepover. We're going to crash. Wanna help?"

Mark groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Aerael, please tell me you're not seriously considering some juvenile panty raid."

"We're talking about succubi here," Naen said, snorting. "Like any of them is wearing any."

"Iolanthe is getting better about it," Aerael mused, then glanced around and hurriedly added, "not that I've ever checked or anything."

"Aerael, I never realized you were quite that perverse," Mark chided.

Naen snickered and elbowed the other incubus in the ribs. "Yeah, that's pretty bad, man. She started crawling into your bed again or something?"

Aerael growled low in his throat, flitting his wings with an annoyed air. "You both suck. Now are you coming or not, Mark?"

"Not, I think. Although it would be amusing to see if you could get Davy to go along. He'll probably want to rush over there and protect his lady love from a night of depravity anyway." Mark began to smile as sweetly as he could manage at Naen, who had wandered to the desk and was trying to read a few upside down papers. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stick around here? I'm sure I've earned a bit of a break."

"We've really got our hearts set on being juvenile," Aerael said, glaring as Naen gave his best seductive smirk and sidled closer.

Mark's smile turned predatory as he let his eyes roam in a blatant examination. "But what's an hour or two? The night's barely begun."

"Oh, Mr. Sartain," Naen said in a mock-girlish squeal, pressing his hands to his cheeks, "you make me blush like a schoolgirl." Then he looked over at Aerael and, ignoring the other incubus' murderous glare, winked. "He makes a valid point. Let the party start before we go crashing it. I'm sure we can entertain ourselves here for awhile."

With that he suddenly dropped into Mark's lap and pressed a long-fingered hand over the vampire's heart, gathering his glamour to trail over the other's body to seal the deal. "Besides, we haven't dined together in ages."

"Dammit, Naen! Will you get off his lap? I knew I should have left you outside."

"You once told me to learn to share, Aerael," Mark reminded him, running a hand over a leather-clad thigh as Naen defiantly curled his arms around his neck.

"I also remember taking it back." Aerael strode over, meaning to grab the other incubus out of Mark's lap but forgetting how fast Naen used his glamour. Unfortunately, incubi aren't immune to each other's glamour and Aerael found himself caught up in it as quickly as Mark.

"Oh...shit," he murmured weakly before desperately capturing Mark's mouth in a savage kiss.

*** *** ***

The doorbell rang again and Iolanthe jumped up, glad to have an excuse to escape. The twins had managed to give everyone makeovers-including the normally shy Lily. Io was still wondering about that one. But Lily still was a teenager and obviously not that long out of high school to still be enjoying such perky attention. She'd even let them put her in a pair of Iolanthe's tightest jeans and a black brocade corset, with a pair of stiletto-heeled black pumps. Quite a bit of her pale golden hair had been plaited into braids of all sizes, and many were looped or twisted around each other. It was odd seeing such extreme make-up on her pretty face. The heavy black kohl and bright red lipstick turned the angelic Lily into a stranger in front of her friends. But Lily just blushed and giggled.

Iolanthe liked that. It meant she was healing. She levered a measuring gaze at the twins and wondered if maybe they weren't what Lily needed. Io wasn't the perky type, and it seemed Lily trusted that type. Of course, she hated to think about the first time they tried dragging Lily to a strip club...

"Pizza!" she cheered, running for the door.

"I hope they sent Gabriel," she heard Belamy mutter.

Okay, her curiosity was up. Just who the hell was this Gabriel and why was he so bloody important? Iolanthe liked to be in on jokes, and she had the unsettling feeling that both Belamy and Aerael knew something she didn't. And she hated surprises.

Her wariness grew as she laid a hand on the knob and felt the presence on the other side. There was something strange on the other side of that door, something...familiar? It almost felt like another lust fae, but she could feel the mortality. Iolanthe suddenly had a sneaking suspicion about Bel's favorite delivery boy and opened the door.

"Pizza for Ms. Iolanthe?"

Wow.

Belamy had superb taste in all her/his lovers. Gabriel had probably been an incredible find. He was very Italian, with a head full of collar-length, silky black curls and olive skin over very handsome, strong features and a well-muscled body. He was wearing a very tight black tee-shirt under a blue windbreaker bearing the pizzeria's logo, and his jeans clung to very nice legs. Iolanthe looked into a pair of sweet, dark eyes and smiled her best come-hither smile.

"Sure. Come on in, won't you?"

"As you like." She watched his eyes look her over slowly as he stepped inside, balancing the insulated pizza bag on one hand. He followed her into the kitchen and set it on the table, then pulled out the bill and read off the price. She was reaching for her purse when she felt the presence of the other five succubi walk into the living room.

"Well, hello!" Belamy purred, slinking over and running his fingers over the sleeve of his windbreaker. "So wonderful to see you again, Gabriel."

"Hello, Bel. Beautiful as always, I see."

He giggled and wrapped his arms around one of his, cuddling his face against Gabriel's shoulder. "You are such the sweetest man. Come, let me introduce you around."

It didn't take Iolanthe to figure out just why Gabriel was such an important prize for the night. She could feel the lust gathering within him already. The boy glowed with it. He lingered over each succubus as if smelling a rich, sumptuous feast of which he was about to partake. But there was a touch to his energy that made her question his parents. Belamy wandered close to the kitchen, letting the twins and Dee flirt and coo over the young man. Iolanthe leaned over and muttered, "Okay, which one was it? His mother or father?"

"Father. Some incubus over in Rome. Neither Gabriel nor his mother knows the name. But he's got a hunger to him like every other incubus/mortal offspring."

Mortal lust fae offspring were rarer than a female Shifter, and far more prized. They had a hunger for sex that often made it difficult to live a normal life. All the jokes about sex being on a man's mind 24/7? That was true for those like Gabriel. They were literally one big walking hormone. A lust battery that never lost its charge.

Iolanthe watched Dee and the twins circle the man like a shark, reaching out to slip the windbreaker from his shoulders and trail inquisitive fingers along his arms. Lily, wide-eyed at the sudden sexual tension filling the apartment, scampered into the kitchen and glared accusingly at the violet succubus.

"You said no sex!"

"I said none on your part." Iolanthe raised one eyebrow as Pixie moved in for the kill, pressing herself full against the front of Gabriel's body and capturing his mouth in a long, deep kiss as he wrapped wide hands around her small waist, his fingers very nearly meeting at her back. Nixie pressed herself along his back, slipping her hands beneath the shirt to touch bare skin. Dee went down on one knee, fitting a hand between his body and Pixie's to work at the snap of his jeans and the zipper, her questing fingers searching for her favorite bit. Lily made a small, distressed noise and hid her eyes-but Iolanthe noted with some amusement that she was peeking through them.

Belamy slid the pizza out of the warmer bag and opened the box. "Oh good, no anchovies. I hate those things. Here, Lily darling-quit being such a goose and have a slice."

*** *** ***

That's it. David was done, through, finished for the day. And if Mark had a problem, he could just sit on it. He hadn't seen Iolanthe in nearly a week now, and dammit, he was going to go see his girlfriend whether Mark cared or not.

Brave words, but he was frustrated as hell. It's not fair for a guy to be introduced to sex and then denied it at the whims of a sadistic older brother. Dammit, hadn't he suffered enough in life?

Of course, all the bravado Davy had managed to work up on his way to Mark's office was completely blown to sheds when he peeked inside. The sight of Aerael topping Mark topping some other incubus Davy didn't recognize turned him right around on his heel and marching towards the elevator.

"Screw it," he muttered. "If Mark gets to play on a work day, I get to play on a workday. Hello, Iolanthe-here I come!"

*** *** ***

"I'm gonna go blind," Lily whimpered, keeping one hand over her eyes while the other held her third slice of pizza.

"You sure you don't want to watch?" Iolanthe asked, grinning as she munched on a slice of her own. "Pretty neat little situation. I mean, siblings among our kind have to decide at an early age whether or not to ignore the incest taboo. But among twins, born from the same egg-damn, it's impossible. They certainly seem to be enjoying themselves, huh?"

"This scene covers several of the porn industry subjects," Dee said, shaking her head. "We've got lesbian, incest, group sex, non-human...I'm still feeling left out."

"I'm sure you'll get a chance once the twins are done with him. Hey, Bel! Are you taking a turn?"

"Hmm?" Bel was busy with a handheld camcorder in his hand, filming the menage a trois with a wicked grin on his face. "Oh, I've had my fun with him before. I'm just content to watch the fun this time around. Besides, you know me, precious. I'm not into the exhibitionist scene."

"Just the voyeur, eh?"

He gave a girlish giggle. "Damn straight. My, isn't Gabriel a little stud, though? Such a wonderful find. Are you going to have a turn, Io? Or are you still playing around with the whole fidelity idea."

"I'm not playing, Bel. I'm completely serious about it. I like Davy!"

"Sweetie, couldn't you at least have found a guy with urges that go both ways? Davy's sweet, but he's so straight!"

"Who's Davy?"

Bel and Iolanthe looked over at Pixie, who had crawled away from Gabriel's talented mouth and her sister's hands and was lying languorously along the living room floor, obviously listening to them talk. Io shot a warning look at Bel, who ignored it and gleefully replied, "Iolanthe has a steady, the little pervert."

"Is he cute?"

"It doesn't matter," Iolanthe growled, fisting her hands warningly. "He's off limits."

"He's a completely gorgeous young vampire," Bel sighed, turning off the camcorder and setting it aside. "And one of the few straight ones."

"It doesn't matter!" Iolanthe howled. Strange ripples started to work under skin, straining at the corset and jeans she wore.

"Oh, we'd better back off," Bel said grumpily, reaching for another slice of pizza. "She's about to go all testosterone on us. Shesh, Io-you go steady and you lose your sense of humor."

Iolanthe calmed herself, forcing her body to stay female, and got up off the barstool. "If anyone needs me, I'll be on the balcony."

She stalked off, taking a good, deep swallow of the lust energy as she passed the three (Pixie had rejoined her sister and the yummy fae half-breed) on her living room carpet. She was going to have to call in a good carpet cleaning service tomorrow. Every lust fae kept the number of good cleaning services on hand. Certain messes were just workplace hazards for stationary incubi or succubi. She slid open the balcony door and stepped outside, then snapped it shut behind her.

Iolanthe leaned on the railing, taking a deep breath of the New York night air and staring out at the lights. Oh, this was so not turning into a good night. Okay, the snacking was good, but it was still an annoying night. Damn Mark. This was all his fault. She and Davy could be surrounded by lace and quilts in a quaint little B&B but no! If big brother had to work, everyone had to work. Or at least Davy.

"Hey, gorgeous. Why so pensive?"

Iolanthe looked up in surprise and broke into a beautiful smile as Davy landed on the balcony beside her. As usual, the wind had wrecked havoc on him, putting both hair and clothes into disheveled disarray. She launched herself into his arms, nearly cracking a couple of ribs in her joy to see him.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tight hug. "You look...um...what's with that hair?"

"Evil twins...eeevil twins..."

"Io?"

She flung out a trembling arm and pointed inside the apartment. Davy followed the shaking digit and blushed bright red as he caught sight of the acrobatics going on in the living room. "Um...hello?"

"Pixie and Nixie. You think I'm cute and fluffy? Those two make me look like evil incarnate."

"I thought you were."

"One egg prank and I'm branded for life. Look, I'm guessing you snuck off-"

"Mark was-um-occupied. With your brother. So I took off."

"Great!" She clutched the front of his shirt and jerked him down. "Let's go to your place."

"But what about--?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm perfectly willing to sacrifice Lily to get the hell away from here. Besides, I think she can sneak off. And Bel and Dee are big, um, girls. So let's just fly away back to your place where we can crawl under the sheets and diddle. 'Kay?"

"Um...'kay?"

"Yay!" She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a brief, strangling hug, then jumped onto the railing. "Let's go!"

"But are you sure about--?"

"Davy, I'm begging you! Take me away from all of this!"

He just stared at her for a moment, then grinned and climbed up beside her, leaning down to kiss her gently. "As my lady wishes. Come on, sweetheart."

They were gliding off into the night when Dee and Bel wandered out, watching them go.

"I knew she'd make a runner," Bel said, shaking his head and holding out a hand. "Pay up."

"It wasn't that good of a bet," Dee grumbled, fishing about in the front of her dress and coming up with a twenty that she slapped into Bel's hand. "I've seen her face down trolls and dark elves and goblins and some giggly guy with a knife fetish, but give her the twins and eek! She's off."

"What a wimp."

"Definitely."

"Guys! Help!"

Both turned slightly at Lily's panicked voice and sighed in unison.

"She owes us big," Bel muttered.

"Oh yeah."

"She's gonna have to share Davy for this one."

"Think there's a chance?"

"Like a snowball's in hell."

"Pity."