Page 18 of Treasured By the Fae Royal
It's a secret we’ve tried to keep hidden in the dark, but it will emerge soon enough. Because my father ordered me to marry a human, and he issued the same command to my brothers. I imagine it’ll be all anyone can talk about after our marriages are announced, and the curse will finally become common knowledge.
“Lucas? Did I say something to offend you? I am simply surprised that you are speaking of love when you are fae and I’m human, and I don’t believe it’s possible for you to love me even if you wanted to. We just met the other day, and while the circumstances of our meeting might be considered romantic, especially the part where you rescued me, even if we were both full-blooded humans, falling in love with someone you’ve only known for a day isn’t really possible. In my humble opinion. There are some people who believe in something called ‘love at first sight’ but not me. I think you must know a person for a while and allow time for affection to bloom.”
“You didn’t say anything to offend me, sweetling.” I offer her a smile, and I’m grateful the tension from earlier has eased somewhat, though I know there are plenty of unresolved issues between us, obstacles we must overcome as we try to understand each other. “Thank you for explaining how love tends to work with humans. I am used to watching friends and acquaintances suddenly encounter their fated mate and—boom!—instant deep and endless love and devotion.”
She tilts her head, and her lips curve in a thoughtful smile. A faraway look enters her pretty dark eyes, eyes that are currently reflecting the intermittent flashes of the nearest fireflies. “Boom. Instant deep and endless love and devotion,” she eventually says. “That sounds nice. It sounds like a fairytale. The fae are lucky in that regard. I wish it worked that way for humans.”
“We’re not all lucky,” I reply before I can think better of it. Fuck, what am I doing? Am I really about to tell her my sad story? Am I really on the verge of confessing that I don’t have a fated mate? My tongue suddenly feels thick and heavy in my mouth, and I almost take a step back from her. Instead, I breathe deeply and readjust my grip on her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.
“Not all lucky? What do you mean by that?” Her gaze brims with curiosity.
“I don’t have a fated mate.” There’s a lull in the buzz of the summertime insects right before I speak, making my words ring out louder than intended. The truth I just revealed hovers in the night, a terrible darkness I’ve been hiding for years. Now that I’ve said it aloud to someone outside my family, it feels more real than ever. My chest grows tight, and the next few breaths are difficult.
I don’t have a fated mate.
“But you’re a full-blooded fae,” Yvette says with a frown. “You’re highborn. You’re a Summer Court prince. I don’t understand. How could you not have a fated mate?” Her frown deepens. “Oh no. Did your fated mate die?”
“Long ago, thousands of years before I was born, a human mage cursed my parents’ eventual offspring.” I pause and watch the little human carefully. I don’t want her pity, but I’m not averse to her understanding, and as I prepare to tell her the rest, my chest no longer feels as tight as earlier. “The mage was apparently in love with my mother, though she held no love for him. Using dark magic, the mage decreed that no children born of my mother and father’s mating union would have fated mates of their own. And so, I am alone in this realm, and so are my two brothers. According to our highest priestesses, it’s a curse that cannot be broken.”
Her features melt with concern, and she places her free hand, the hand I just healed, on my arm as she steps closer. The glow of the ussha-blessed forest bathes her in a multitude of colors. “Gods, Lucas, I am so sorry. How awful for you and your brothers. What happened to the mage? I assume he’s long dead since he was human, but if he’s not, if he somehow used his dark magic to lengthen his life, is there a chance you might find him and get him to reverse the curse?”
“He’s long dead. My father hunted him down and killed him, though not before trying to make him reverse the curse.” I can see the mage’s death clearly in my mind, as my father once shared it with me. My father has the ability to share vivid memories simply by touching another individual, a gift I sometimes wish I possessed. Sometimes, when I’m feeling at my lowest as I contemplate my lonely future, I replay the moment my father slit the mage’s throat with a long fingernail, then ripped the male’s head from his body.
“And no one else can break the curse? You’re certain?”
“I’m certain it can’t be done. My father spent thousands of years consulting with priestesses as well as human mages he captured, and all came to the same conclusion: the mage that cursed my parents’ offspring was the most powerful mage in the history of the realm. His dark magic cannot be reversed or broken.”
“Again, I’m so sorry.” Yvette strokes my arm, and the gentle repetitive touch brings me comfort. Her expression, filled with more understanding than pity, also helps calm the rage I feel over the loss of something I never had.
She glances into the forest as a long silence descends between us, but to my relief, it’s not awkward or tense. It’s soothing. It’s just what I need after telling her my deepest, most painful secret.
“Are you the oldest child?” Her voice is a soft whisper that barely reaches me over the renewed buzzing of the locusts.
“No, I’m the youngest. The weight of the Summer Court throne isn’t upon my shoulders. Not really. My oldest brother, Axton, bears the burden of knowing he might be the last ruler accepted by the Summer Court fae.”
“What about arranged marriages for all three of you?” She shrugs one shoulder and gives me a sheepish look. “Well, I’m sure your father has probably already thought of that, and for whatever reason, it won’t work.Oh, wait!” She shakes her head as a knowing look comes over her. “Of course. Arranged marriages won’t work because it’s not like you can steal someone else’s fated mate, even if they haven’t met their mate yet. Ah, I see how this is an extraordinary problem.”
“An extraordinary problem indeed,” I agree, and I appreciate that she understands the gravity of my situation, especially considering how much harm my people have caused hers. Not only is she perceptive, but her eyes hold a wisdom that belies her youth. I doubt she’s a day over twenty, yet she seems wiser than some of the thousand-plus year old fae with whom I’m acquainted.
“Shall we continue walking, Lucas?” she asks with a nod at the forest, and gods how I adore the sensual way she says my name.
“I would like that.” Rather than offer her my arm this time, I keep holding her hand, and we set off into the trees.
With each step, I project my magic further, wanting her to enjoy the full splendor of a Summer Court forest at night. Considering that this area contains especially high levels of ussha, it doesn’t tax my powers very much, though even if it did, I would fucking drain myself just for her. Just to give her an enjoyable night to remember.
“I’m going to ask you another question, Lucas, and I hope I’m not being too bold by asking it, but I need to know.” She glances over at me, and her features are bathed in the purple glow of the overgrown ferns lining the walking path I’ve created. Not for the first time in her presence, my heart skips a beat as I admire her radiant beauty.
“You may ask me anything, sweetling, and I will give you an honest answer. Anything.” I pause, turn to face her, and I pull her flush against my body.
Her breath catches, and I swear I detect the sweet pungency of her feminine arousal in the humid night air. Fucking delicious. Perhaps we’ll end the night with me feasting on her and letting her cries of pleasure join the echoing thrum of the summer insects and trilling frogs.
This far away from the cottage and all other civilization, no one would hear her screams of ecstasy.
“What is your specific interest in me? Are you looking for a female companion to share your bed? Are you hoping I’ll agree to become your concubine?”
I smooth my hands up and down her back, then I reach to cup her face. As I allow my thumbs to trace the softness of her cheeks, I detect a fresh wave of the slickness that’s gathering between her thighs.
Honesty. I must give her honesty.
