Pest took no pleasure in watching the faun and nymph mocked. He felt even worse for the faun sitting at the table because each big smile he forced for his woman resonated.

Fauns weren't gregarious. Most ran free—the ones Pest had seen. They also panicked with ease. So to watch this faun slowly die inside while feigning composure and joy for the woman he loved became unbearable.

When Pest made the mistake of focusing on Fanli to find her watching them unabashed, he felt even worse. Sure enough, it came, she said to go help them.

But go help them how? Even if those two went back home it wouldn't help them. They'd come with something in mind they weren't going to find. Some cheap sense of adventure.

Besides, Pest had trouble of his own—trouble Fanli was oblivious to. From Wen whose hand he had to push off his knee more than once, to several women looking his way, he was in a hell of his own.

Part of him wanted to tell her. But then when he thought about the why of his situation, he prayed she'd never know.

Fanli's final plea to Pest left him a wreck. He regretted dismissing her worry, but it was when Wen echoed his sentiment that he truly gave up. He must have been in the wrong if someone like Wen agreed with him.

He'd told Fanli to ignore the faun couple but deep down he'd thought Ved and his damn patrollers would do something about it.

More and more, Fanli's deep look of worry concerned him. That was why he jumped up and did something he loathed—became a court jester for everyone's benefit.

This time was the easiest of all. He was sure to gravitate to the women whose eyes said they wanted him, urging them to dance, all in an effort to save this blasted faun and his nymph.

All this, because he happened to know what they both looked like naked and grinding against one another.

One particular pair of blue eyes took Pest's interest. He'd seen it following him from the moment they'd walked in.

Against his better judgement, he tugged at the hand of the woman in all black to get her up and cheering as well.

For the first time ever, someone resisted.

Instead, she caught him. "What, in the world, are you, pray tell?"

He wanted to ask her that. Her eyes were strange, blue with gray peppered in. The strength of her body almost made him believe she was an ogre.

But as far as ogres went, she was a bit too small. Even Fanli, who was on the slim side, rivaled her in height. Not in strength it seemed.

"Let me go," Pest commanded.

Those eyes held daring. "It's not your imagination you can't move. Few creatures of magic can escape a dragon's grip."

A dragon.

Pest scanned the joyous crowd.

She read his action. "Traveling in threes makes our presence too easily felt." Leaning in, she said, "I am curious about your services, however."

"Services?" Pest wondered what services she meant.

At his silence despite the roaring crowd, she glanced past him in Fanli's direction.

"You bring an ogress in here and stimulate her to heat. Then draw in males who'll pay handsomely for a ripe fuck. I can't say I've seen that often. But in my experience, it's not always the employee who's up for sale. So, what is your rate?"

Pest had no air to breathe out a word. He was stunned. Beyond stunned.

His reaction had her laughing. "Come now. Half the women in here were drooling at you. I can recognize a band of satisfied customers. And I do not take no for an answer."

She sounded like Wen—not in her request, but the arrogance that all in their sights were theirs for the taking.

"The ogress would do me little good. I doubt she'd have much treasure worth the hunt."

As she spoke, something came over Pest. He felt...cold.

"Let me go."

Her hold tightened, and he made a fist.

A spark flew from her grip, and she drew her hand back, impressed.

"What was that?"

That was a fairy's last act of defense, invoking the fates. For all who knew what a fairy's vengeance could do, it would keep at bay, but as this was a dragon, a creature not native to this valley or even this realm, it did little beyond giving her a tingle. Besides, he didn't look like a fairy to those who couldn't see bloodlines.

There wasn't much more Pest could do.

She looked past him and he followed her gaze to see the men gather, counting their gems between them.

"If you need the help keeping them in check—" the dragon began but Pest walked away from her.

He had to keep the party going, at least for a bit longer in order to give Fanli's pet faun couple a decent time.

Once it all settled and he found his way back to their table, Wen's fat grin greeted him. She was pleased. And why not? She got what she wanted.

Pest sat down, gave Fanli the last of his energy with a whisper—the only thing he could at a place like this, and he tried to rest.

The harder the people cheered, the more he hated them.

So, ten minutes later, finding two massive ogres before them had him feeling the worst he'd ever felt.

"...The whore."

Pest was too shocked to move.

He'd caused this.

Here he was, admonishing that stupid faun, while his own hubris was far worse. Pest scrambled for a possible course of action, but the defining moment came to him when Fanli stood, a haunted look plastered on her face.

The betrayal. Pest couldn't express it. Her or the ogre, he didn't know who he wanted to cuss more.

But before he could muster up any plan for a rescue, or at least to die trying, the dragons arrived, and it was all over.

"But we'll be taking that ogress," the woman said.

An eerie silence fell over the pub. Pest didn't know much about dragons, but he knew that if someone put one hand on his ogre, everyone in this place would regret it for years to come.

"Excuse me. Pardon me. Excuse me." The faun came to a stop at the table and clapped his hands together as he told Fanli and Pest, "We're all done. We're ready to go home now. Thank you ever so much for this tour. It was rather insightful." He rummaged through his pouch and handed one gem each to the stunned dragons. "Very, very convincing. Thank you. Dragons can rarely find these. I assure you." He held out his hand for the nymph who hurried to him. "Come, my love. I think it's time we returned."

But he didn't leave. Instead, he stared up at Fanli and then Pest, waiting. Ironically, this was their attempt at rescue.

Ved cleared his throat and took the cue. "All right, go on. We'll clean up here."

Pest couldn't find the strength to move. Fanli was no better. The nymph took her by the hands and guided her out. Pest blinked himself awake when the faun went behind him and shoved him in the direction of the door.

The evening air tasted stale.

Once outside, they started to walk. The faun no longer hid himself, and the nymph at his side held her lover's hand with pride.

For Pest, there was nothing but anger welling up inside him. They were barely out of town before it became too much.

"You stood." He turned to Fanli with all the composure he had but she wouldn't even do him the courtesy of defending herself. "You stood up, ready to leave with them. Right in front of me. Right before my eyes!"

The faun flinched. He looked ready to scurry away like a scared animal. "Oh, you should not fight. Please don't fight. It was just pheromones. Blame the pheromones."

His woman was less than sympathetic. "Pheromones that wouldn't have spread if he hadn't conjured them."

Gasping, the faun turned to her. "How can you say that? It is perfectly normal to entice the one you love. No matter the where. He had that right."

The nymph sighed. "I don't think things like these can work well outside our forest, love. You were wise to bring enough gems to buy our freedom but...." She looked between Pest then Fanli and ultimately shook her head. "Well, look at them. She's a pretty ogre and he's a pretty...whatever he is. Those ogres respect territory. Maybe not with us, but certainly with their own. If he'd have simply stood up and said she was his, wouldn't they have left? Trolls certainly would have."

Her words gave the faun pause. "Oh. Oh, you're right." He turned to Pest and asked, "And why hadn't you done that? That was a very dangerous situation to be sure. Very dangerous. I could at least ram a few through with my horns." He lowered his head then stood fully and nodded to his woman. "And she could turn small and maybe fly." Taking her hand into his, he added, "Which was always the second plan, by the way."

The nymph patted his hand in sympathy but then they both turned to look at Pest.

He had nothing to say.

After a grueling minute, the faun took his nymph by the hand and declared, "Well, farewell, you two. You do make a handsome pair, even if nobody knows it."

With that, they ran on a head and were swallowed up by the forest.

Knowing they were safe brough back the dangers of tonight.

"I hadn't known it would attract others," Pest admitted. "I...I just wanted to be close to you."

Fanli made no sound.

"What would have happened?" Pest asked, "What would have happened with those ogres?"

She needed some time to find her voice. "If I'd gone with them?"

Pest's gut roiled.

"If I was lucky, they would have fought, and the victor would have—"

"That wouldn't have happened," Pest affirmed. "I wouldn't have allowed that."

But what could he have done? The fear of the fairy's curse only worked if something claimed by a fairy was ever slighted. He hadn't claimed her. This could have all ended if he'd done that.

"Perhaps.... Perhaps we should rethink this—whatever this is." She didn't say relationship. She hadn't said love affair.

Even now, the disgust directed at the faun and nymph as they walked through the streets resounded. Pest searched himself, desperate to find a hint of courage that he could withstand that. And if they somehow had children, could they withstand that as well?

When he opened his mouth, it was with the intent to assure her they were okay but the word, "Perhaps" was all that left him.

Fanli didn't move after that. And neither did he. Instead, they simply stared at the path ending at the forest.

"Who were the women you danced with?" Fanli asked, shocking Pest to his core.

Even Wen hadn't noticed the familiarity.

Without moving, Pest told her.

"Lovers? All five of them? Even the baker's wife?"

Mouth dry, throat tight, Pest let out a slow breath. "I can't feel happy after I make love. Before it, after it, there's nothing. Just this...hollow empty feeling. But during, during, it...it feels so good. I'd do anything just to feel that way again. But it never lasts."

Fanli muttered, "Even with us it wouldn't last, I suppose."

No. This was different. Everything in Pest said to correct her and explain that she was the only one he felt whole with even without intimacy. And what little they'd shared of one another was so powerful that he feared it. He feared ruining it. He feared losing it. And he truly feared someone else taking it away.

The blind rage that came with the thought alone terrified him.

And yet he'd put that at such risk.

He hesitated only once, and it was too late. Fanli turned, heading back to her own hill. She paused then said to him, "And I think I'm going to take Wen up on her offer. I just wanted you to know that."

Pest's insides churned; it propelled him to rotate to face her. "That mountain is dangerous and going there is reckless. We have a living goddess in the enchanted forest to grant all wishes."

Fanli considered his words then said, "Fine. Then I'll get my ogre treasure and bring it to the goddess and ask her to grant my wish."

But she never indicated what that wish might be. Despite her languished pace, within minutes, she was gone.