Page 13 of How To Please A Princely Fae (Wild Oak Woods #3)

WILLOW

R uby’s bookstore smells nearly as much like home as my own greenhouse and shop.

Something about the scent of paper and ink and many, many books will always feel like home, and I pause as the door closes behind me, breathing it in, soaking it in.

Kieran’s hand is at the small of my back, but he doesn’t push me ahead or tug at me in any way.

He’s simply there, a comforting presence, and one I’m suddenly intensely grateful for.

“We’ll get your memories back,” I tell him, tilting my face up to him.

“As you wish,” he responds, and glee rushes through me as he brushes his mouth against mine, a sweet, gentle gesture that’s just as delicious as everything he did to me in my kitchen only a short while ago.

“Oh, look at you two,” Piper coos, looking totally thrilled. Velvet, her deer familiar, is curled up by the stone hearth, where a fire roars in the grate. Comfortable chairs are arranged in a circle, and as far as coven meeting places go, The Listening Page is my favorite.

Especially since Piper still manages to provide refreshments.

Ga’Rek’s busy setting out trays of sandwiches and cookies, and there’s a large steaming pitcher of tea on an enchanted warmer on the low table centered between the chairs.

“Is it a coven meeting if non-witches attend?” Nerissa asks archly, tossing her black hair behind a shoulder as she glowers at all of us.

I grin at her, though, and she winks at me, eyeing Kieran’s touch on my lower back.

“We want to help,” Kieran tells her, matching her imperious tone.

Violet clears her throat, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the tension. “I think anyone who wants to be here should be here.” Her voice is firm, despite the uncertainty on her face.

“I agree,” Wren says, and Piper nods as they both look at me.

In fact, everyone is now looking at me. At me, and at Kieran, who wraps his arm fully around my waist. I don’t think I like the attention as much as I imagined I might.

Chirp rocks slightly on his perch on my coat before taking off and settling high on a wreath above the fireplace mantel.

No one’s ever looked to me as the deciding vote before. Not that I can remember, and if so, never on something as important as this.

Which is the crux of the question, really.

“Of course they should stay,” I answer decisively, surprising myself. “They live here. What happens next impacts us all.”

“So you think the rest of the villagers should have a say?” Ruby asks, wringing her hands. “We could call a town meeting?—”

“No,” Piper answers, echoing my own thoughts. “We might be well-liked here, but we all know too well what could happen if witchcraft is to blame for our current predicament. We handle this as a coven, since we shoulder the burden.”

“Wild magic doesn’t differentiate between magic users and regular folk,” Nerissa adds drily. “The burden will be everyone’s.”

“So you think we should invite the whole town?” I ask her, flummoxed.

“No.” She snorts in derision. “They’re just as likely to pick two of us and throw us into the woods for the gods with pitchforks.”

“You don’t believe that,” Ruby tells her testily.

Violet hugs herself, her face pale.

“You’re scaring her,” I admonish Nerissa.

“They might, though,” Nerissa says glumly, picking at a dried speck on her leather pants.

“It’s what they did to me.” Violet’s voice is pitched so low I almost miss it, but the room falls silent at her quiet words as if she shouted them.

“We won’t let that happen,” Ruby says crisply, standing up straighter.

“Neither will they,” Violet says.

At that, I startle.

“They?” I ask.

Kieran’s fingers dig into my waist.

“You are communicating with them, aren’t you?” Piper’s voice is hushed, and Ga’Rek pulls her against his chest.

Caelan, who’s been unusually somber, watches her carefully, Wren at arm’s length in the chair beside his.

Violet’s throat bobs. “The wild magic isn’t their magic. They want to protect us.” Her voice is all but a hushed whisper. “They’re bound to this place.” Her eyes take on a far-off look, staring at something none of us can see.

The hair prickles on the back of my neck, and I press into Kieran’s side.

I’ve seen plenty of magic in my life, so much that it’s commonplace, ordinary.

What Violet is doing is anything but ordinary.

Not inviting the rest of the town in to witness her magic is the right move, there’s no doubt in my mind. If I’m unsettled by it… the many species that make their home here will be, too. And that?

That never leads to happy outcomes for witches.

No, better to keep this behind closed doors.

“The spell you did on me. The summoning spell and binding…” Caelan pauses, bending down to scratch his dog’s chest. Fenn watches from his spot on Wren’s lap.

“We could try it,” Wren muses, raising an eyebrow at Nerissa.

“Something with the power of an elder creature is not the same as some Unseelie trickster,” Nerissa announces, waving her hand dismissively.

“That’s quite rude,” Caelan drawls.

“If I recall correctly, that ended up with more than either of you bargained for,” I say plainly.

Kieran snorts, and Caelan glares at him. “As if whatever spell you’re under is any better,” he mutters.

At that, Kieran releases me from his grasp, thrusting his sleeve up. The tattoo stands out in stark relief against his lilac skin.

Caelan, however, looks bored. “No surprise there. Congratulations on your mating.”

Ga’Rek whoops, pulling Kieran away from me and into a huge hug. “I’m pleased for you. May you both find immense happiness.”

Wren and Piper are both beaming at me, and though my heart feels warm and full, I can’t help the thread of guilt.

“No wonder the Elder Gods want to make brides of us,” Nerissa says darkly. She cocks her head at us. “You all are disgustingly in love.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Rosalina interjects for the first time, smiling warmly at us.

I don’t say anything, though, making myself smile back at them in spite of the guilt weighing on me. Kieran can’t remember who he is—how could he possibly love me? Anything he feels is a result of his mate bond, nothing more.

My stomach sinks at the truth of that thought.

I’m so suddenly miserable.

“They don’t want to be summoned.” Violet’s voice is miniscule, her gaze on the floor. “And they can’t be bound.”

The atmosphere turns tense, full of crackling energy that sends me back into Kieran’s arms, seeking safety there despite all my strange, jumbled up feelings.

“How do you know?” Ruby whispers the questions, the fire loud in the grate. Her cat yowls from near the front door, and when Violet raises her head, the blood drains from my face.

Her eyes are full white.

“They’re already here.”