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The truth was I didn’t have one. All the hope had left my body. I was adrift.

As Hawthorne lifted his boot, I prepared for a final crushing blow.

Instead, he nudged me hard with his boot. "You’re not even worth killing. Hop along now. The grown-ups have important matters to attend to."

CHAPTER 38

The Stolen Bride

With my heart pounding in my ears, I turned and ran. All I wanted was to leave this wretched island and forget I had ever laid eyes on Forrest.

I could hear him calling my name, but I didn’t turn back. I was afraid if I looked at him, I would change my mind. I didn’t want to change my mind. He had lied to me. He had betrayed me. All I wanted was to go home.

I ran down the castle steps and then I stopped.

There was only one way off the island—fae intervention. If I called Forrest, maybe he would help. He had freed me, but I couldn’t face him, not now.

So, I called for the only fae I thought might help me, "Hawthorne!"

The man with golden eyes appeared before me in seconds. He stood firmly with his broad shoulders and heavy stance, taking in my tear-streaked face, wild hair, and dirtied gown. He wrapped me in his warm embrace. "What’s wrong, princess?" he asked.

"It’s Forrest. Our engagement is over. I need to leave."

"He freed you from your bond?" he asked curiously.

I looked back over my shoulder. "Yes."

"And you wish to leave?" Hawthorne glanced back over his shoulder. If I had been paying more attention to him and less to my heartbreak, I might have noticed the uncharacteristically cruel glint to his smile.

"Please, he’s coming. I can’t"—my voice broke pitifully—"I just can’t face him. Not now."

He held out his hand and offered a small, simple seashell. "Take this."

Forrest was closer now, just a dozen or so steps away. I could hear him moan, "Please, Georgia."

I felt like my heart was being cleaved in two.

No, I couldn’t stay. Not like this. Not anymore.

I snatched the shell from Hawthorne’s outstretched hand.

To my surprise, there was no time to consider my choice. There was no time to say thank you either. A gust of wind encircled me like a tornado, and moments later, I landed frightened but unharmed on the wooden deck of a sailboat.

I clutched at my heart. "Oh, my stars. Where am I?"

I sat up and looked around, feeling dazed. I was alone on a small sailboat in the middle of the ocean. I looked down at my palm where Hawthorne had pressed a small, simple shell. A faerie circle. I had no idea one could be contained in such a small object.

I looked out at the mist-shrouded island. There was no turning back now. There was only one thing to do.

Sail home.

CHAPTER 39

The Stolen Bride

Sailing the ship wasn’t difficult. A powerful gust of wind seemed to be blowing me straight to the harbor. So, I sat on the deck, wrapped my arms around my knees, and watched the sun rise.

Wait. The sun. A thread of worry began to weave its way through me, wrapping around my spine and ensnaring my mind. What if Forrest had transformed? He had been standing right in view of the castle steps, and the sun had broken over the horizon just seconds later.