Page 3

CHAPTER 3

YVETTE

Prince Lucas. Holy gods. The huge golden fae male standing before me is a Summer Court prince. The very Summer Court prince whose army conquered my home city of Trevos last winter.

Given his powers and his great, masculine beauty, I should’ve known, and I berate myself for being so foolish because memories are starting to click into place.

I’ve seen him before.

Nearly a year ago. On Tribute Day. The day all households of Trevos were required to stand before Prince Lucas and his advisors and offer a tribute.

Ten pieces of silver or something else comparable.

On that day, my father had forced me to wear a grimy old cloak, and my mother had smudged dirt on my face to make me look unappealing to the fae. My father had also forbidden me from speaking or even glancing up once while we were in the receiving hall to offer our family’s tribute, though I’d sneaked a few peeks of the massive, highborn fae males who stood on the dais.

“Stunned into silence?” The prince displays another one of his wide, teeth-bearing grins. “I suppose my importance, as well as my sheer handsomeness, has that effect on females. Lots of males, too.”

“I was just remembering the first time I ever saw you. On Tribute Day. In the receiving hall of the castle in Trevos. About eleven months ago.” My voice is heavy with accusation. Because I’m recalling the families that were torn apart on Tribute Day. Households that couldn’t afford the tribute were forced to hand over a daughter or son.

“Are you certain you visited the castle on Tribute Day? If I’d glimpsed your loveliness before, little human, I am sure I would remember.”

“Yes,” I say. “I was there, but I was sort of wearing a disguise. My parents wanted me to look ugly so none of your people would take an interest in me. We wanted to get in and out of the castle as quickly as possible without any difficulties.”

“A disguise? How intriguing. But very wise of your parents. Yes, if I’d seen you on Tribute Day, dearest Yvette, I probably would’ve taken you as mine.” He steps closer and reaches for my hair as summer heat swirls around us. From my peripheral vision, I glimpse the fireflies flitting through the trees and shrubbery.

My breath catches, and I start to move away, but the prince’s gentle caresses feel so very nice. Soothing. I shouldn’t like his touch or anything about him, and yet I’m drawn to him in ways I don’t understand.

He’s not just a highborn fae, but he’s a fucking Summer Court prince, and his army is responsible for the deaths of thousands of my people. I should be screaming at him about what a monster he is. Or I should be trying to escape. Because surely he means me harm. Surely there’s no true kindness in his soul.

But he did save me from the flesh traders. I’ll never forget how he swooped down from the sky and landed with a blast of heat that knocked my attackers over. I recall how easily he healed my injuries just moments ago, and I can’t help but think of my ailing mother.

Would it be the height of foolishness to ask him for help?

I can only imagine what Aunt Heather would say if I arrived on her doorstep with a Summer Court prince at my side. As a child, she used to fill my head with gruesome stories about the fae. She was married once, very briefly, and her husband was killed by a group of fae hunters who destroyed a trading outpost he was visiting. The only survivor of the attack claimed the fae did it for the sheer joy of killing humans.

Is Prince Lucas just as cruel as those murderous fae hunters who killed my uncle over fifteen years ago? I stare at him intently as I try to get a better reading on him. He’s made several comments about my beauty and his desire to keep me as his, but he hasn’t yet visited any violence on me.

Still, I can’t help but fear he has ulterior motives for rescuing me from the flesh traders.

What sort of fae performs such a selfless feat?

“Tell me about this errand you are running for your aunt,” he says as he continues stroking my hair. His fingertips also trail over my ears and down my neck, eliciting pleasurable shivers that make my head spin.

I hesitate to answer his question. I’d hoped to reach Sorsston by tomorrow evening, but that’s not likely to happen without his help. He’s probably right about my pack being taken. I could go without food for a few days, but not without water, and I have no idea where the nearest stream is located. The sparkling lakes in the valley below are too far out of the way.

“I promised to help you, little human, and I will. But you must be forthcoming and tell me what you’re out here trying to accomplish. Are you headed to Sorsston or somewhere beyond? And where does your aunt live?” He cups the side of my face and regards me with a look so tender it causes my heart to ache.

Tears suddenly fill my eyes. “My mother was bitten by a mangga yesterday, and I’m supposed to visit Sorsston to find a healer. My mother is unconscious, and her breathing is ragged and slow. She’s at my aunt’s house at the base of the mountain, and my aunt is looking after her while I make the journey to Sorsston and back.” I blink fast, not wanting to break down in tears in front of this fae male. What if he does possess a cruel side? He might like my tears. He might savor them. That’s what all the stories say. Surely there’s some truth to the sordid tales about the fae.

To my astonishment, Prince Lucas’s tender expression morphs to one of compassion, and his thumb softly caresses my cheek as he continues cupping my face. I pray he’s not faking his sympathy for my plight. I pray he’s not about to burst into laughter and then glamour me to jump off the mountainside, leaving my mother to a grim fate.

Mama. I must return to her soon.

Before I can decide whether to trust the prince, he says, “I would be happy to help your mother. I’ve tended to soldiers suffering from mangga bites before, as well as a few humans who are traveling with my army who were attacked by the creatures.”

Hope rises in my chest, but it’s tempered by my pervasive distrust for the fae. I can’t help but think about the terrifying day the Summer Court army attacked and conquered Trevos.

But if Prince Lucas is truly offering to help my mother, I can’t refuse him. I would make a deal with the darkest being in the realm just to save my mother.

A deal. It hits me like a blow to the chest.

Of course. He will want to make a deal.

That’s what the fae do. They make deals and they ruin lives. But if making a deal with him is what it takes to save Mama, so be it. I steel myself for the rest of his offer, but it never comes. He just keeps staring at me with compassion while his thumb trails gently along my check.

“And?” I finally prompt. “What’s the next part? In return for helping my mother, what will you expect from me? Certain… favors ? Or perhaps even my life? My soul or?—”

“Little human, you misunderstand me.” His expression softens further, and he slowly tucks my hair behind my ears. He’s petting me like I’m a skittish animal he’s hoping to tame. “I said I would be happy to help your mother, and I mean it. I won’t require anything of you in return.”

“You aren’t trying to make a deal with me, then?” Gods, I’m so confused. I think of how he taunted me during our first encounter. But he wasn’t cruel, not truly, and he didn’t hurt me. And ever since he swooped down from the sky in a blast of Summer Court strength, he’s been treating me with a level of deference no male ever has. It’s unsettling though not in an unpleasant way.

He shakes his head. “No, little human, I’m not trying to make a deal with you, though I will confess that I’m sorely tempted to do so.” The fireflies he summoned suddenly circle us, a swarm of magic that should be impossible during winter.

Tempted. He’s tempted to force me into making a deal with him, yet he’s not going to do it. Why not?

My eyes lower to his lips as more fireflies join the swarm that’s already circling us. Magic thrums in the air and a warm breeze ruffles our hair.

Gods, that platinum blond hair of his. It’s long and thick and luxurious, and I find myself aching to reach up and tangle my fingers in those gleaming locks. But I don’t dare make such a move. I don’t want to do anything to make him change his mind about the deal. Or the lack of a deal. I very much want his help. Mama’s life hangs in the balance.

“Thank you for offering to heal my mother, Prince Lucas,” I say, uttering his name, along with his title, aloud for the first time. It buzzes on my tongue in a way that feels addictive. I want to say it again, but I don’t. “She’s quite sick. Could we leave now? Please .” When it comes to saving Mama, I’m not too proud to beg.

“Of course we can leave now.” He glances toward the road. “At the base of the mountain, you say?”

“Yes, it’s a small green cottage with black shutters, and it rests near a pond with a dilapidated dock. It’s also close to a large grassy meadow near the main road that runs from Trevos to Sorsston. But do beware of the meadow. That’s where my mother was attacked by the mangga.”

He summons his wings and scoops me up in his arms, and his face is so close to mine that for a second, I think he might kiss me. But he doesn’t, and I feel like an idiot for having the thought. I also feel guilty. Mama is sick and possibly dying and here I am drooling over a handsome fae prince.

“Lace your arms around my neck, little human.” His voice comes out deep and raspy, and his eyes darken with what I think might be lust.

I try but fail to prevent the flush that covers my entire face.

“Very good,” he says in a praising tone. “Now tuck your head close to my chest, sweetling. I intend to fly fast and I don’t want you to become disoriented by the rapid wind or the precipitous drop to the ground.”

I draw in a shaky breath, and I move closer to him. It feels so intimate as I tuck my head into his chest. His arms tighten around me, then he launches into the sky so quickly I think I left my stomach on the forest floor.

It takes me a few moments to adjust to the new altitude, though I don’t honestly know how high we’re flying. Are we in the clouds or perhaps above them? I keep my head tucked close to his chest, soaking up his warmth and his strength as he soars through the skies.

The wind becomes an endless roar in my ears, and though I’m a bit curious about the view, I’ve never been good with heights, and I don’t allow myself to satiate that mild curiosity. The last thing I want is to become sick mid-flight.

Safe. I’m soaring through the skies in the arms of a Summer Court prince, and yet I feel strangely safe. He’s not stealing away with me. He’s helping me. He’s helping me save Mama.

The wind abruptly stops roaring, and I realize he’s making a slow descent. I finally peek one eye out from his chest, and relief fills me when I glimpse the familiar green cottage with black shutters. Aunt Heather’s place.

With great care, he sets me on my feet but keeps his hands on either side of me, watching to make sure I remain steady. Not for the first time, I marvel at the regard he’s showing me. But I also grow tense as I wonder if it’s a trick. Perhaps I should keep my guard up.

“I’m okay but thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” He eyes the cottage. “Shall we go inside?”

“Yes, but let me go first. My aunt Heather, well, let’s just say she doesn’t hold your people in very high esteem. It might take some convincing to get her to step aside so you can treat my mother.”

“Mangga venom works quickly, and treatment shouldn’t be delayed. If your aunt proves an obstacle, I will simply glamour her into a quiet trance so I might heal your mother.”

I give him a polite smile, though I’m more than a little amused at the idea of someone glamouring my opinionated aunt into silence. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, I trust the glamour won’t cause any harm to my aunt?”

“I will not cause your aunt any harm.” His voice resonates with honesty. “I give you my word.”

“Good. Let’s go.” I gesture for him to follow me, but he instead takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. I’m in such a hurry to reach Mama that I don’t try to push him away.

“Don’t be afraid, sweetling. If your mother still has a pulse, even a faint one, I can save her.”