Page 4 of Hunted By the Fae Warden

If I visit a temple and beseech the gods to reconsider, will they take mercy on me?

I think of my people, the regular faefolk who live on my family’s lands, those who depend upon more powerful fae likemy father and me for protection. There’s a scourge of malevolent spirits called greshhlins inhabiting our lands, and it takes great skill to maintain the wards that keep our people safe, and even greater skill to fight the greshhlins during an outright attack.

Not only must I return home soon, but I must figure out a way to bond with a powerful fae female who will be an asset to my people. I think of the female soldiers who joined in the battle against Trevos, trying to summon warmth as I picture their faces in my mind. But it doesn’t work. The only female who brings me warmth is Mira.

Distance. Perhaps if I place a great distance between us, the bond will shatter and the gods will place a different female in my path, a powerful fae one.

I cannot fail my father or my people, and I must honor the memory of my mother by doing what’s right. Claiming a human would be foolish. Disastrous.

I draw in a long breath, savoring one last inhale of Mira’s delicious scent, then depart her living room in a flash of light she doesn’t see, returning to my previous location on the porch. The moment I glance through the window at her, she turns to face me again and mouths, “Hello.”

The prospect of leaving her fills me with so much agony, my body physically aches, and a blazing pain sears my chest. Everything inside me calls out to stay with her and claim her, and yet I cannot.

I retreat from the window and lift my hands. Tingles sweep up and down my arms as I place a protective ward around her home. I wish I had the ability to place the ward directly around her, rather than her home, but very few fae possess powers so great. After summoning wings, I jump-fly over the fence that circles her property, then place an additional protective ward around her property.

There. It’s done. No one will be able to set foot on her land or enter her house unless they are specifically invited by Mira herself. The wards will even keep fae out. Well, everyone except for me. Not that I’m planning a return visit.

Distance, I remind myself. I must do whatever I can to shatter the bond.

A dark thought strikes me. Humans have such short lifespans in contrast to my people, though humans who mate with fae tend to live about as long as their mates because they absorb their mate’s magic. If we never consummate our union, her time in this realm will end well before mine. Then what? Will the gods eventually match me with a fae female?

My gaze is drawn to Mira’s lovely silhouette in the window. A growl borne of frustration leaves me.

I shoot into the night sky and welcome the cold winds.

CHAPTER 3

MIRA

There’sa dark cloud over the city, and I doubt it’ll lift anytime soon. Not when the fae are currently occupying Trevos. Will they ever leave? Or will their soldiers remain in our kingdom forever?

As I approach the market, unease creeps through me. It’s Saturday, which is usually the busiest day of the week, but very few vendors are open and even fewer people traverse the streets. A cold wind sweeps down from the sky, and I pull my hat lower and wrap my cloak more tightly around my body. I’m shivering so hard my teeth are almost chattering, and my stomach flips when I remember the dwindling stack of firewood back home. Yeah, I need to do something about that and fast.

But first… I need to make some money.

Yesterday morning, a creditor showed up at my house and screamed for me to come outside. When I’d glanced out the window, it appeared he was having trouble opening the gate, which is weird because it doesn’t have a lock. Even stranger, every time he tried to crawl over the fence, he immediately fell backward on his ass. I suppose he might’ve been drunk, but theincident was still frightening. Because I know he’ll be back, and so will the other three creditors to whom I owe money.

I move the bag I’m carrying to my other shoulder, groaning at the weight, then head for Barry’s Trading Post, which rests at the far end of the market. A group of fae soldiers walks by, and my shivers deepen as I keep my head down and pray they don’t pay me any notice. I sneak a quick glance at the group from the corner of my eye, just to make sure the dark-haired, white-winged fae from Tribute Day isn’t among them. He’s not, and I’m not sure why that saddens me.

It's been over a week since that encounter, yet I cannot stop thinking about him and almost hoping I run into him somewhere. I haven’t seen him since he followed me home that day, though I swear I’d felt his presence, his compelling warmth, later that same evening.

He might’ve left Trevos, I remind myself. Much of the fae army has departed. The sea of tents outside the city walls is growing smaller by the day, though the majority of the fae army remains.

Not for the first time, I wonder what King John was thinking when he ordered his men to attack a new settlement of fae near the northern border of Allostus. It’s said that the magic of the fae lands is spreading across the realm, and with it, the fae themselves are spreading out and leaving their courts to settle in more rural areas, areas that are often close to human towns and cities. King John, whose nickname happens to be The Crowned Fool, has always been a reckless leader, but I never imagined he would be so stupid as to attack creatures as powerful as the fae.

Before I reach Barry’s Trading Post, a tall brunette steps into my path, halting me in my tracks. I set the bag down and throw my arms around my dearest friend, Yvette, hugging her close. She returns the embrace while peppering me with questions.

“Why haven’t I seen you since Tribute Day?” she asks. “What have you been up to? Have you received any more marriage proposals since we last spoke? And did you manage to pay those creditors off yet?” She withdraws from the hug, takes one step back, and looks at me with concern.

“You saw me on Tribute Day? Why didn’t you say ‘hello?’” I glance over my shoulder as a carriage approaches, and we move from the middle of the road to stand beneath the overhang of a tavern. I recall how relieved I’d been to find Yvette unharmed in the aftermath of the battle. The day after the fall of Trevos, I braved the streets and stopped by her house to verify her wellbeing.

Yvette rolls her eyes. “Papa said I wasn’t allowed to talk while we stood in line. In fact, he made me wear a dreadful old cloak, and Mama smudged dirt on my face too. They wanted me to look as ugly and unappealing as possible to the fae. So yes, I saw you standing ahead of us, but I didn’t say hello.”

“But your family had the required tribute, right?” Confusion spreads through me, along with a sense of foreboding as I recall the tearful goodbyes I witnessed in the castle. “Why would your parents bother to make you look unappealing to the fae if they had ten pieces of silver?”

“Because Papa heard a rumor that earlier in the day, one of the fae wouldn’t stop staring at a particular young woman who’d arrived with her family. When the father handed over his ten pieces of silver, the fae accused the man of trying to use stolen funds and demanded the young woman be handed over instead.”

“Oh, that’s awful.” Shivers seize me as I think about the huge, white-winged fae who’d stared at me in the castle and later followed me home. Perhaps I’m lucky to have escaped the same fate as that poor young woman. Oh gods, we really are at thefae’s mercy. I swallow hard as another group of enemy soldiers passes by.

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