Page 101 of The Masked Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 1)

She nods.

“Fairies are another high race of Faerie, originally from a small court in northern Evelsa, high in the mountains. They’re shapeshifters—highly attuned to the natural elements, arguably the most powerful of our kind. They can live hundreds of years. They believed humans and the Fae should live together—supporting one another with natural talents. But when the tragedy befell Draegan and Renove, their ideology was shunned by most. After that, the fairies all but disappeared.”

“Where did they go?”

“Many still reside amongst humans, usually preferring the outskirts of small hamlets and villages, where they can quietly live their long lives. I’m sure many reside in our courts as well, and we simply don’t know it.” I carefully steer Alice clear of another couple, pulling her just a touch closer as we maneuver around the dance floor. “It’s rumored that many have returned to Draegan and Renove now that they’re back on the map.”

“Have you been to the isle?” Alice asks, her eyes lighting. “Have you seen the healed rift between the kingdoms? Or visited their medieval villages?”

Trapped under a curse for more than a hundred and thirty years, separated from the rest of civilization, the sister kingdoms’ people lived as if frozen in time. People say that visiting their isle is like taking a holiday in history.

Laughing, I shake my head. “I have not.”

“Maybe we’ll go someday,” she says, grinning up at me.

I smile back, intrigued by the idea of traveling the world with Alice by my side. “Maybe we will.”

We dance until it’s late, well past the hour I usually excuse myself.

I’m lulled to a state of complacency, paying little attention to those around us. So when Alice’s hand tightens on my shoulders, it takes me by surprise.

“Brahm,” she says urgently.

“What is it?” I ask, falling out of step. I follow her eyes, and then I nearly laugh. “They won’t bother you.”

“They’re goblins,” she hisses.

“I’m aware.”

“What are they doing here?”

“A few always show up—they come for the food.”

And sure enough, the beasts linger in the shadows near the refreshment tables, likely thinking they’re stealthy. They wear an odd assortment of pilfered items. One is in a waistcoat that falls to his knees. Another wears a human maid’s cap, along with a wreath around his neck that he must have stolen from a lamppost in the garden.

They’ve adorned themselves with other bits and trinkets as well—jewelry that catches the light, bunched up stockings worn as ill-fitting gloves, and ribbons tied around their necks like chokers.

I watch with disinterest as one sneaks to a platter of tartlets and tilts it into a grubby bag—tray and all.

The creatures near him shake with laughter before they make their way down the table, stealing anything and everything that will fit into the bag.

“Shouldn’t we tell someone?” Alice says, aghast.

“No one cares,” I assure her.

She looks back as if she’s going to scold me. “You said they are dangerous.”

“They are dangerous—if you’re an untethered human. They wouldn’t dare touch you now.”

“If you’d confronted them in the woods, would they have known you are their prince and run away?”

“Yes, though it’s likely they would have caused trouble when they saw I was alone. They’re wicked opportunists. They’d try to dispose of me if they thought they could.”

“But they can’t hurt me now?”

“The tether would likely kill them if they tried, and they are aware of that.”

Alice looks as if she’s thinking about it. “You’re certain?”