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“Please have a seat wherever you’d like,” I hear him say in a casual tone. “Get comfortable. I won’t hurt you.”

Seconds later, she starts screaming.

The glamour. He must’ve lifted the glamour.

Of course he did. He needs the bloodthirsty crowd in the banquet hall to hear her screams. He needs them to think he’s tormenting her.

He needs the soldiers, other highborn fae, and his advisors to believe he’s as cruel as his two older brothers, both of whom have had turns leading the Summer Court army.

Still, just to make sure he’s not truly harming her, I flash into the room all while keeping my invisibility shield in place.

I’m taking a huge risk, yet I cannot resist the overwhelming urge to guard the female’s safety.

If the prince knew I had the ability to bypass the numerous wards he’s erected around his quarters, he would likely dismiss me as general, and I’m careful to remain quiet.

I worry that if I summon a soundproof bubble around myself, he’ll finally sense my magic and detect my presence.

So, I stand utterly still against the wall as I observe the goings-on in the room.

Relief fills me when I glimpse the prince seated on a plush chair, drinking a bottle of wine as the girl continues to sob and scream. She’s in hysterics again, but she’s safe. He doesn’t appear inclined to hurt her.

But if he tries, or if I suspect he’s even contemplating it, I’ll end him before he can take his next breath.

Why am I so drawn to this golden-haired female?

What is it about her that makes my chest tight and makes me want to slaughter any individual who’s ever done her wrong?

My mouth goes dry, and I gulp hard. My heart thumps so loudly in my chest, I’m surprised the prince doesn’t hear it over the girl’s screaming. Like me, he’s always had exceptional hearing.

An unnerving thought strikes me, and I almost gasp.

Could this female be my fated mate?

I stare at her, astounded, as I contemplate the possibility.

It’s rare for a fae to be fated to a full-blooded human.

And I’m not just any fae, I’m a highborn one.

I’m the highly respected and feared general of the Summer Court army, and I’ve never lost a battle.

How could I be fated to a human? Most highborns are fated to other highborns.

I should be fated to a highborn fae female who commands powerful magic and exceptional battle skills.

I suppress a growl as I remind myself that my oldest friend, Lord Kaiden, otherwise known as Warden Valloc, recently mated with a human... sort of. A highborn fae just like me, he believed the female named Mira was fully human when he set out to claim her, only to later discover she was part-fae.

But as I study the weeping human female, I don’t believe she possesses any fae ancestry. She’s so tiny, there’s simply no way. Her delicate ears are curved rather than pointed, and though she has expressive, soulful blue eyes, they don’t glimmer the same way a fae’s would.

No. She’s not my mate. She’s just an attractive human female who’s garnered my admiration and nothing more.

Yet I cannot summon the will to depart Prince Lucas’s quarters, and I eventually resolve to stay all night if I must. I’ll stay until he sets her free, and I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to her in the aftermath of her release.

Then I’ll depart Sorsston when the majority of the army leaves in a few days, and I’ll never see her again.

This last thought makes my chest tighten further, but I push the feeling away.

Lonely. I’m just lonely and impatient to finally meet my fated mate. I’m over nine hundred years old and I still haven’t encountered the female the gods have marked as mine, though I pray the day comes soon.

But how will I know when I’ve met the female who’s meant to be mine forever? Will it feel similar to what I’m experiencing for this small human woman?

At last, the girl stops weeping, and the prince treats her with kindness and offers her a bottle of wine. I watch, stunned to my core, as Prince Lucas engages her in a friendly, albeit unusual, conversation.

“What’s your name?” the prince asks.

“Amelia, sir.”

Amelia . My heart quickens. The pretty, feminine name suits her delicate, golden features.

“Hello, Amelia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The prince straightens in his chair. “Tell me, have you ever been in love?”

I tense at the strange question, and I scoot even closer to Amelia, ready to intervene if I must.

“No,” she says after a long pause. “I’ve had crushes, but I’ve never been in love.

I’m promised to an old lord who lives on the edge of the kingdom, though I haven’t met him yet.

” She sighs. “We’re supposed to be married next month.

I doubt I’ll love him, but my father says he’s a decent man. I hope we can become friends.”

“Are you certain your old lord survived the battle?” Prince Lucas asks as I reel from the shock of learning about her betrothal. I’m equal parts surprised and angry, though it’s difficult to sort out the exact cause of the irritation that’s quickly building to rage.

Betrothed. Fucking fires.

“Oh yes. He sent his sons to fight in his stead,” Amelia says.

“My father received a missive from him two days ago informing us of his survival. Sadly, his sons both perished.” Her cheeks become flushed, and she swallows hard.

“My mother says he’ll want to be getting me with child as soon as possible since he’ll be needing to create an heir before his time in this realm comes to an end. ”

I’m on the verge of roaring my rage, but I quickly remind myself that she’s not my fated mate. I’m simply entranced by her beauty and so impatient to meet the female who will belong to me forever that I’ve allowed my imagination to get the better of me.

Amelia . Gods, I love the sound of her name, and I long to say it aloud just to savor it on my tongue, but I don’t. I won’t risk getting caught. Though she might not be my mate, I’m still going to remain in Prince Lucas’s quarters and keep watch over her. I feel compelled to do so.

The remainder of the conversation is so very odd, and it makes me see the prince in a new light.

He truly isn’t the cruel, conniving monster he wants the soldiers to believe he is.

He engages the girl in a lively conversation about love and asks how he might woo a particular human who apparently holds his affection.

Remarkable. I almost have to cover my mouth to keep from gasping, but I press my lips together and breathe slowly through my nose. The prince proceeds to ask the servant girl for advice on how to make the young human woman called Yvette fall in love with him. How extraordinary.

I peer at Amelia as she becomes animated, and perhaps a bit drunk on the wine, while she excitedly offers Prince Lucas advice on how to steal Yvette’s heart.

Gods, Amelia is so radiantly beautiful, and she emanates so much sweetness that I’m not certain I’ll manage to resist the temptation to take possession of her.

I could claim her as a war prize. Why not?

“Here’s what you do, sir,” she says with a gesture toward the prince.

“You take your lady on moonlit walks, tell her you think she’s the most beautiful woman in the entire realm, and perform acts of kindness not just to her but to people she cares about.

If you can make her family and friends like you too, then she’ll more easily fall in love with you.

As for gifts, you don’t want to go too large at first, as you don’t want her to accuse you of trying to buy her love.

So, start small, and try to make it personal.

A bracelet made of beads the color of her eyes, or a box of candies from her favorite shop. ”

I listen intently, wishing I could dismiss the invisibility shield, step forward, and swoop Amelia into my arms. I wish I could fly her to every candy shop in the realm and buy her whatever she craves, and I long to shower her with lavish gifts even though she believes a male shouldn’t go too large at first. I want to drape her in rare jewels and the finest silks.

Slowly, very carefully, I push off the wall and approach her. I sink down on the floor next to her, and I breathe deep of her sweet, floral scent. I lean as close as I dare and smell her hair.

A slight shiver affects her body, and I immediately send her a wave of summer warmth, wanting to ensure her comfort.

It pleases me when she ceases shivering and her eyes briefly flare with relief.

Summoning more of my summer magic, I send her another wave of warmth followed by an infusion of scents reminiscent of the season.

Honeysuckle, lavender, gardenia, and jasmine, just to name a few.

She peers around the room as though searching for the source, but her gaze softens as she takes a deep breath, and she appears even more relaxed than before.

Gods, why is everything about her so enticing?

I think of the female soldiers in the Summer Court army. I’ve enjoyed discreet amorous encounters with many of them, though it’s been a while since I’ve done so. Maybe I’m due for some female companionship. Maybe that’s another reason Amelia has caught my attention.

I scoot even closer to her, admiring the way her face lights up as she talks about love.

Perfect. Amelia is so perfect.

Mine . The word resounds in my head, and I shove it away.

Eventually, the prince shocks me further when he promises to escort her outside the castle in secret, deliver her to her parents’ house or to any location she desires, and give her twenty pieces of silver just to thank her for giving him advice.

It’s perhaps the most shocking scene I’ve ever witnessed.

If the prince’s father, King Haratt, ever found out just how merciful and secretly kind his youngest son was, he would likely disown him and banish him to the far reaches of the realm, if not kill him outright.

I almost laugh when I consider how close I came to attacking the prince in the banquet hall, all because I’d feared he might harm Amelia.

I remain in the prince’s room until he escorts the human woman outside at dawn, summons wings, and flies her to her parents’ house.

I follow them at a distance, keeping my invisibility shield intact.

The prince, of course, glamours Amelia after he passes her a bag of silver.

But I suppose he can’t have her blabbing to everyone about how he helped her.

“Your services are no longer needed in the castle, Amelia,” the prince says.

“Do not return. Marry your old lord in a month and have a happy life. Put the twenty pieces of silver in your skirt pocket and hide it from your parents and your soon-to-be husband. Keep it for yourself in case you ever have need of it. It’s yours and yours alone.

Be well, Amelia.” His eyes glow bright blue, and I suspect he’s silently erasing her memories of him, and understandably so.

Prince Lucas turns Amelia to face the door, knocks on it three times, then bolts skyward.

I observe as a middle-aged woman answers the door, and Amelia soon enjoys a happy reunion with her mother.

I watch through the window as her father approaches and gives her a suspicious look, but he eventually welcomes her home, though his manner is standoffish.

Safe. The pretty human female named Amelia has been safely returned to her family. I exhale with relief. Then I launch into the sky and fly back to the castle while trying to ignore the painful tug in my chest.

Amelia . Will I ever see her again?