Black Moon Draw

He takes the animal head off to reveal a normal human head.

I stare, stunned. Never did it cross my mind that they wore the heads of animals like most men wear hats. Here I thought they were half-man, half-beast creatures.

"Nice, LF. I did not see that coming," I murmur. I raise my voice to address the destroyer of kingdoms. "Leave me alone!"

He ignores me and begins climbing the tree with inhuman ability. Any idea I have of him being normal is dispelled by the way he moves, with agility that shouldn't be possible for a man his size, and strength that far exceeds any human I've seen in superhero movies with all the special effects.

I watch him in alarmed fascination, my gaze falling again to the exposed, muscular torso. I've forgotten the most intriguing part of him until he's almost close enough to touch me.

God, I love brownies. I breathe in his scent, momentarily transfixed by the scent of sweet, dark chocolate.

"Come down, witch," he orders me. His pace slows and he grows more cautious as the thinner trunk of the treetop starts to bend beneath our combined weight.

"Leave me alone and find a new witch," I say firmly. "I'm going home." I scoot over to keep from touching him, his scent and strength something I'm not prepared to handle, even on our second meeting.

"This is your home now." He draws his head abreast of mine and pauses. "I do not know what they tell you when you leave the edge of the world, but you will stay with me in Black Moon Draw."

The tree creaks in warning, but his eyes have me riveted in place.

Wow.

Large and deep set, they're flickering between foggy gray and the entrancing color of the depths of the ocean, a mix of blue, with splashes of green and purple, depending on how the light hits them. His jaw is heavy and forehead broad, his dark hair mussed from the animal-head, flat cheeks and gold-bronze skin.

His features are as chiseled as the abs brushing my knee, heavy and masculine, every part of him hard and planed. He was created to be the ultimate warrior from the intelligent gleam in his multi-hued eyes to the way he manages to balance himself on the balls of his feet, ten yards off the ground. Not handsome in the Calvin Klein sense, he's striking, powerful, commanding, and capable of arresting people with a single look.

I really wish I didn't know Disney Princess existed.

I like my space and he's all up in it, but something about him makes me not mind. Maybe it's the brownies or the fact I've never seen a man this good looking and sexy - and probably never will again. Awkward around men, I can't help wanting to be different this time around. What do I have to lose?