The ancient Sorcerer Demart has found his rebellious son the perfect, fertile young bride to carry on his bloodline. The only problem is that neither the bride nor the groom want anything to do with one another!
In secret, each of them has taken a fae lover - members of the mysterious forest people known as Woolgatherers.
Together with their magical lovers, the betrothed couple hatch a plan to counteract the old wizard's wedding plans. There's only one problem: in order to fool the powerful sorcerer, they're going to need to switch bodies... and the wedding ceremony isn't over until the marriage has been consummated!
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"Put your arms around me," Tyall whispered against her ear. Kara did so, and nestled into the crook of her neck. The woolgatherer continued to murmur. A warm wind kicked up around them, swirling leaves up from the earth and fluttering against their skin. Black and red hair swirled into tangles together. The human woman clung tighter as a strange dizziness overtook her. She began to lose her sense of balance as her stomach fluttered into her throat. All she could hear now was the sound of Tyall murmuring her strange song. She gasped as the world lurched around her. For several moments, it felt like she was falling through the air, turning over and over without purchase, until suddenly she jolted back to solid ground again.
"Oh!" she cried out and pulled back from the embrace. Her heart was racing and her vision swam. The world felt different. Sounds were sharper, smells clearer. A naked figure stood before her, that of a short, slim, muscled woman with black hair and a steely, hazel-eyed gaze. She was staring at herself. Kara broke out in amazed laughter. Terren smiled wider from his position at the edge of the circle. Aidan turned back around, annoyed and curious.
Tyall, in Kara's body, picked up the discarded nightgown and pulled it back on. She stretched, acclimating to the new body.
"Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully, then waggled a long finger at Kara, who stood uncertainly in Tara's lithe, tanned body. "It would seem Demart didn't choose an untouched woman for his son."
"What?! How do you know that?" Kara's skin turned darker in a blush. She looked to Terren, who shrugged.
"I see," Tyall's laugh was like a bell as she winked at other woolgatherer. "You worked faster than I expected."
She walked toward a bewildered Aidan and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was still thrown that the woman who had previously hated the sight of him was now in his arms.
"Don't pull away from me, my love," she laughed. "We are to be married!"
"How… How long will this last?" he asked between kisses.
"You're suddenly so shy. It's adorable."
"Don't get too friendly with my body," Kara frowned with Tyall's full red lips.
"Well, the same goes for you, kitten. I'm going to have to ask you to keep away from your little lover boy here until this business is finished. Though I understand that may be rather difficult for you to manage," the disguised woolgatherer winked at her and glared purposefully at Terren, who looked so chagrined that Kara almost laughed out loud. Kara had never realized her glare was so effective until seeing it in action.
Maybe she'd go out of her way to make Tyall eat her words.