Page 1 of Curse the Fae

Prologue

It’s safe to fall for the hero. But it’s deadly to fall for a villain.

Submerged within the space between dreams and nightmares, the division is as clear as water. As a girl, I’d known this. Truly, I heeded this.

If the stars come out, a knight will rescue a maiden, protect her virtue, and bow for a kiss. Yet on darker nights, a serpent will emerge from the depths, a reclusive monster who lurks beneath a rippling surface, his voice penetrating the marrow of her bones.

In dreams, the hero saves the girl.

In nightmares, the villain hisses in her ear, “Fight me.”

While one vies for her affection, the other demands her courage. And while one longs to take her hand, the other wants to unravel her mind.

But which choice will she make?

*

It’s forgivable to desire the hero. But it’s forbidden to desire the villain.

Swept into fantasies under the cover of night, the differences become warnings, the sum of cautionary tales urging you tobeholdandbeware. As I grew a little older, I’d also grown to believe this. Obediently, I relied on this.

If the midnight hour is kind, a noble will draw sighs from a virgin’s lips. Yet in darker hours, the enemy will twist those sighs into fractured moans, the noises slick on her tongue.

In dreams, the hero coaxes her.

In nightmares, the villain rasps against her mouth, “Stop me.”

While one is a refuge from sin, the other is a curse to the body. And while one will caress a female’s cheek, the other will thrust and strike her heart.

But what price is she willing to pay?

*

It’s harmless to choose the hero. But it’s vicious to choose the villain.

Caught in the midst of slumber, the natures of good and evil are separate, the dividing line a shield against immoral magic. While maturing from a child to a woman, I’d still understood this. Eternally, I trusted this.

If the moon glistens like a white pool in the sky, a prince will light a candle for his lady. Yet from darker corners, a viper will slither into view, his golden eyes cutting through the blackened distance and stoking a fire in her blood.

In dreams, the hero spares the female from drowning in darkness.

In nightmares, the villain sinks with her and murmurs, “Trust me.”

While one guards his lady from the murk, the other knows that in darkness, the light must be stronger. And while one will brighten her path, the other will flood the world in shadows for her. And within those depths, he will illuminate her soul.

But how deep is she willing to go?

1

Tonight, I’m being fed to a monster. Humans like me call them Faeries.

But my sisters and I call them many names including abominations, seducers, tormentors, tricksters, villains, and, yes, monsters.

Truthfully, I’ve forgotten one more: captors.

Midnight bleeds dark teal across this forsaken wild. I stand on a shadowed path beyond The Faerie Triad—the dividing line between my world and theirs, the boundary between my haven and this prison. My arms hang at my sides, listless yet warm from having clasped my siblings in a tight hug only moments ago.

I turn and manage one heavy step in the direction I’ve been ordered to go, then change my mind. “No,” I sob. Whipping around, I leap toward the place where I’d last seen my family. “No, wait!” I beg. “Wait, please!”

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