Missing the Present

  Elly is shopping for herself, but she touches a cute object, ends up in a magical realm wearing very magical... uh... clothes, and has to find the winter king to free herself if he is willing to let her go.

  Elly is a modern woman. She pays her bills, has her job, hobbies, friends, and family. She is on the lookout for an after-holiday present for herself, which is when things go wrong.

  She touches the figurine and finds herself whisked away to the realm of Underhill with her body wrapped in bright ribbons and an order to get herself home via the winter king.

  Puck is tired of the elders of the fey hoarding their magic in Underhill while the lesser fey have met and mingled with humans for generations. He makes a deal with the six remaining kings to find them matches and sets about his plan to find ladies for the fussiest fey in history. The idea of modern women seems to suit them, so modern women it will be.

  The winter king is surprised when one of the wolves leads him to a nearly unclothed woman in the snow. He is shocked when she doesn’t recoil at his cool touch. The moment she returns his advances, he stops thinking. It is time to live in the moment.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Missing the Present

  Copyright © 2020 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-989892-63-3

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com.

  Missing the Present

  Falling Underhill Book 1

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Puck faced the six scowling fey kings on their thrones. “So, you see, my lords, this plan would get you the human women that you crave without exposing you to the human world.”

  The small ceramic structure next to him was pastel, gaudy, and definitely seasonal. It was only missing small cookie guards around the front door.

  The winter king leaned forward and cocked his head. “What will this thing do?”

  Puck sighed. “It will appear to the woman most likely to set your senses ablaze. She will be lured into touching it, and once she does, she is transported to Underhill. Once she is here, she will be bound to the object of your choosing. If she finds you and gets you to free her within seventy-two hours, you may court her in the manner of your choosing.”

  The spring king scoffed. “What mother would let her marriage-age child roam about unchaperoned? There would be an uproar in the human world.”

  Puck sighed. “Your Highnesses, this is what I have tried to tell you. The women of the present, they are not tied to home and hearth, father and family. They are alone and single and have sex outside of marriage if they wish. The beauty of the magic is that the women chosen... no one will be looking for them right away. It selects those who would be free for a dalliance.”

  The winter king did something he rarely did, he smiled. “You are sure of your magic?”

  Puck shrugged. “The rest of the underfey and I have been using it for decades. It never fails to find a woman who might be interested if we seduce her properly. I can bring her here and make her recognizable, that is all. So, Your Highnesses, will any of you attempt it? Consider it an experiment. You remember the buxom nature of the human lasses, their soft hair, bright cheeks, and radiant smiles?”

  The autumn king looked at him with a smile. “What do you get out of it, Puck?”

  Puck grinned. “Perhaps you would consider letting a select few underfey remain in the human world.”

  The kings looked at each other. The kings of storm and wind scowled. The storm king said, “Why would we let you wreak havoc there and bring humans in on us?”

  Puck chuckled. “They don’t believe in us anymore, my King.”

  The winter king chuckled and held out his hand. “I agree to try this particular device. It has been a long time since I had a lover from the other realm. It is worth a chance.”

  Puck stepped up, and the winter king opened his hand, showing a red ribbon that coiled in on itself. “Thank you, Your Highness, you won’t regret it.”

  Puck stepped back.

  The spring king said, “Puck, I think there should be a penalty if you fail. Say, fifty years removed from your lifespan for every failure?”

  The kings looked at each other and nodded.

  Puck paused and hoped that luck was still with him. “I would like four tries for every king then.”

  The autumn king raised his head and said, “Three. Traditional number.”

  Puck’s knees nearly buckled in relief. “Three it shall be. Are we in agreement?”

  The kings nodded. The winter king chuckled. “I look forward to my prize.”

  Puck paused. “She is only your prize if you win her, Your Highness. That will be up to your charm. Modern women may be able to choose, but they also have minds of their own. They are educated, feisty, and foul-mouthed on occasion. You have to get through all that to win their hearts or, at least, access to their bodies.”

  Puck chuckled. “Some of these ladies take martial arts.”

  The kings looked at each other in shock, and autumn smiled. “Now I am wishing that winter had not chosen to go first, but if he is successful, I will claim the second attempt.”

  The kings had apparently been spurred by the challenge of a woman who had more to offer than her body. Puck took notes of who was next until all six had a place in the roster.

  He took the ceramic house, bowed, and left the audience chamber with his stomach tightened with tension. Over the last century, he had tried bribery, food, and begging. Sex was the last resort.

  He just had to find the women who would respond to a little light bondage and being stranded in a magical realm. He had to start quickly. It was the height of the shopping season.

  * * * *

  Elly looked at the shop window and smiled then pulled her scarf up and headed inside. She stomped her boots free of snow and opened the door of P.K.’s Antiques to be greeted by a cheerful jingle.

  The mat inside the door caught a good portion of the snow, and she was careful to get all that she could.

  A man looked up from the counter, and he smiled. “Happy Boxing Day!”

  She looked at him, and it was hard to tell if he was young or old. He seemed one of those people caught in between.

  Elly laughed. “Is it more than a shopping holiday?”

  He grinned. “We are in my shop, so it is my holiday. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  She smiled. “Every year, I get an ornament on Boxing Day for the following year. I was just stomping past the window, and I saw that gingerbread house. May I take a look at it?”

  “Sure, but it will take me a few minutes to get at it. It is at the front of the window. Loosen your scarf; this will be just a minute.” He winked and headed for the front, pulling back the display guard and then tiptoeing through the elaborate wonderland that he had created out of carousels, trains, and dollhouses.

  “I am sorry to be so much trouble.” She loosened her scarf and tucked her hat in her pocket, unzipping her coat so that she didn’t overheat.

  Her gloves were wedged under her arm. He dug around for a few minutes, and then, he came carefully out of the chaos with the elegant moves of a dancer. “Got it. Let me just brush it down and get it ready for you to look at. It is a little dusty from the win
dow.”

  She smiled and stood next to the counter as he wiped it down, and she watched the thick snowflakes falling outside.

  He smiled. “It seems that you dress for the season.”

  She laughed. “I love winter, but it doesn’t love me unless I take precautions. Frostbite doesn’t look good on anyone.”

  He finished his work, and it was even more adorable than she had originally thought. “This is wonderful. How much?”

  He laughed. “You didn’t think to ask that first?”

  “I didn’t care. This is a gift for me, and I deserve what I like.” She moved the velvet that it sat on so she could see all angles.

  “Did you get a huge haul over the holidays?”

  She chuckled. “Gift cards mailed from the siblings and a set of potholders from the gift exchange at work.”

  He winced. “Ouch. What did you give?”

  “Quilts. I make quilts to relax.” She opened her phone and flicked to images of her work.

  “Those must be some gift cards.”

  She laughed. “I gave them away. Those aren’t stores that I frequent. The homeless shelter will get some good use out of them.”

  The proprietor frowned. “Wow. I think you are too good for winter.”

  She laughed. “But winter is what I wrap around me. It makes me pay attention to the rest of the world. Green life sleeps, and the world goes quiet.”

  She reached out and stroked one of the glazed candies on the roof. “Winter makes me remember myself.”

  Elly’s world exploded in a blizzard of snowflakes and mint. She looked at the proprietor, but there was a young man in a green jerkin with leaves in his hair. He winked at her, and something began to wrap around her. “Enjoy your trip.”

  Elly woke up seated in a chair with significantly less clothing than she started with. “What. The. Actual. Fuck.”

  She looked down, and she was wearing wide bands of red ribbon, and that was all. Even the huge clear wedges she was wearing were tied on with red ribbon. She stood up and was amazed at the height. She normally didn’t wear heels, as being over six feet tall was disconcerting, but now, she could reach everything on every shelf.

  There was a fireplace with nothing in it and no way to kindle a flame.

  As she took a step, there was a bright column of glitter, and in it, she read, You are the guest of the winter king. To return home, find him and request your freedom. You will not be harmed. Wear the wrap provided, and you will be perfectly safe.

  She looked at the piece of green fabric on the table where she had woken up, and she blinked. “Uh, huh.”

  Elly walked to the door and opened it; the blast of cold nearly made her nipples pierce the ribbon. “Wow.”

  She walked to the table and wrapped herself in the silky chiffon, and returned to the door. She braced herself, opened it, and... the wind went around her. Her feet didn’t even register the steps into snow that she had taken.

  “Winter king. Now, if I was the winter king, where would I be?”

  The curls of icy wind were all blowing from one direction. The snow banked from wind blown from that direction. She went to face where the storm came from, held the wrap around her, and started walking. The heels made things awkward, but since she had obviously been clouted by an icicle or something, she may as well fight her way out of her delusion.

  At one point, a white wolf ran up to her, sniffed at the green wrap, and then, it ran off. It was running in the same direction she was headed, so she continued taking one step after another, even when her limbs were exhausted.

  She didn’t know how long she had walked, it seemed like hours, felt like days, and she was getting sleepy, which meant that she was exhausted or the green wrap was losing its effectiveness.

  She straightened when she heard a sound across the silent landscape. The wolf was back, but there was a white horse thundering behind him. On the back of the horse was a male figure, and the steed and rider were coming right for her.

  She paused and stared. There was a swath of snow-white hair longer than hers, brilliant blue eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a furred cloak, and his face didn’t seem to feel the effect of the cold.

  She was still staring at him when he pulled up next to her, reached down, and plucked her out of the snow. The green wrap slipped away, and she was suddenly freezing.

  He tucked her under the expanse of his cloak, and she burrowed against him for the heat that his body offered.

  The horse was turned, and it thundered in the direction she had been headed. She hung on to him for dear life. The saddle jabbed at her backside, and she slid around on the ribbon. He let out a sound she couldn’t decipher and moved her around so that she was facing forward, peeping out of the cloak. He was one tall guy.

  They rode to a castle made of ice, through the archway, and into the courtyard. He held her against him as he dismounted and then carried her inside.

  She didn’t know who he was, but she suspected that she was at her destination; now, she just had to convince him to free her. How hard could it be?

  Chapter Two

  Elly shivered a little as the silent stranger carried her through the castle. Instead of taking her to his room, he set her down in front of the fire in the main hall. He looked her over and then blinked in surprise. He chuckled. “He actually found you.”

  Elly squeaked out, “What?”

  “Never mind. It does not have an effect on your being nearly frozen to death.”

  She blinked as he rubbed her legs and tried to get the shoes off her feet. They wouldn’t budge. He held her hands. “You aren’t frozen.”

  She chuckled. “No, the message told me to wrap in that green fabric that I was in. It was nice and stable until you came riding up, and then, it just about ripped itself out of my hands. Well, actually, it did rip itself out of my hands.”

  He nodded. “Well, you have not sustained any lasting damage from the cold.”

  His gaze was hot as he looked her over. Her golden skin was dark compared to his pale one, and as she looked at his skin, she saw snowflakes emerge and fade under the surface.

  She blinked, and the silver crown that coasted along the edge of his hairline with icicles pointing upward became apparent. She swallowed. “You are the winter king.”

  He smiled slightly. “That is very formal for a woman in such a state of undress.”

  “This state wasn’t of my doing, and the damned ribbon won’t come off.” She plucked at the sturdy bow.

  He tugged at it. “Allow me.” His brows rose when he couldn’t get it loose. “Interesting.”

  She bit her lip as he tried to loosen the ribbon in other areas, but everywhere he touched, it got tighter. “Stop!”

  When he paused with one finger under the ribbon by her hip, he felt the tension. “Ah. Apologies. Does it hurt?”

  She looked at him and analyzed what was going on. The tension of the ribbon that was currently doubling for underwear was definitely not hurting, but she didn’t know if her furious blush conveyed the depths of her discomfort.

  “No, it doesn’t hurt, but it is distracting.”

  She scooted back toward the fire and scooted again when her back got hot. “If I ever catch the idiot who put me in this thing, one of these shoes is going right up his ass.”

  “You presume it was a man?” He cocked his head, kneeling in waves of white hair and fur.

  She looked at his head and spotted... pointed ears?

  “Um, yeah. No woman would have gone for shoes like that, let alone the ridiculous nature of the ribbon.”

  He chuckled and rose to his feet. “There are chairs if they would make you more comfortable.”

  As he spoke, elegant and spindly chairs emerged. Initially made of snowflakes, they slowly solidified into a dark wood. A table appeared between them.

  He chuckled. “I can’t make something hot out of snow, at least not directly, but I can make a pot of tea.”
He knelt by the fire and pulled an iron kettle toward him, sending a cascade of ice through iron before hanging it over the flames.

  She smiled and shivered a little as she got to her feet. At this point, nothing was offering her much warmth.

  She shivered again, and he sat up, removing his cloak and wrapping it around her. “That should help.”

  “Thank you. This day just keeps getting stranger.” She sat on the chair and tried to pull her feet up like she would normally do, but instead, the stupid shoes got in the way.

  He sat and leaned forward slightly. “What is your name?”

  “Ellora. But most folks call me Elly.”

  “You know I am the winter king, but you may call me Voronwe.”

  She nodded. “Voronwe. Got it.”

  “So, Ellora, how did you come to be here?”

  She sighed. “I saw a gingerbread house in an antique shop and went in to inquire about it. The shopkeeper cleaned it up, and I touched it and ended up here.”

  He chuckled. “We did wonder how he was going to manage that. Did your escort want to go into the shop as well?”

  Elly blinked. “What escort? I haven’t needed anyone to go shopping with me since I was fifteen.”

  He stared with his disconcerting blue eyes. “So, tell me about the world. I haven’t walked in your realm for nearly three hundred years.”

  She looked at him and whistled slowly. “That is quite some time. What do you want to know about? Society, the industrial revolution, the sexual revolution, urban sprawl, the space race? Name a topic.”

  He smiled. “What was the sexual revolution?”

  “A lot more boring than it sounded. Women protested and held rallies for equal rights and the right to bodily autonomy. It is a conflict that is still being fought today.”

  He made her a cup of tea, and their conversation continued.