Page 30 of Ellie and the Prince

“Yes sir,” Ellie said. “Thank you.” He could only be speaking of the director.

“Now tell me what you know about this siren situation,” the Gamekeeper said. “You have twice rescued young men from the island?”

Ellie once again related her siren-related adventures.

“Was Prince Omar siren-enchanted, would you say?” asked the Gamekeeper.

“No sir. Not at all. He said he had a headache, but he knew who I was and had no desire to stay at the island or find a siren.”

The Gamekeeper turned his head toward her, and she felt the weight of his gaze. Without thinking, she took a step closer to Briar, who rested one hand on the side of the wagon behind her in a subtly protective stance.

“Are you certain this Prince Omar is fully human?” the Gamekeeper asked.

“Yes.” She paused. “Is it terribly unusual for a man to be immune to sirens?”

“Some enchanters can resist a siren call,” Prince Briar said, as if with firsthand knowledge. If his magic was that strong, Ellie thought, little wonder he could block her clumsy efforts to probe his emotions!

“Yes. So can a man who is already deeply in love with a woman,” the Gamekeeper countered, “which is less common than one might imagine.”

“Oh.” Ellie could only hope the dim lighting concealed the heat she felt spreading up from her collar.

Running footsteps approached, then Ellie heard feet skid on gravel and what sounded like a stifled gasp. The Gamekeeper lifted his head, looked past her, and faded away. One moment he was there, huge and looming, the next moment he was gone.

“Well, hello there, Omar and family,” said Prince Briar.

Ellie turned quickly. On the far side of the delivery road stood Omar and three of his younger siblings. He was carrying Rita piggyback. All five of them observed her, Briar, and the cart with round, dark eyes, and all but Rita puffed for breath.

“What are you doing here?” Omar sounded deeply shaken.

“Wh-what was that thing?” asked Rafiq. “A monster? Its eyes glowed red!”

“Teeth!” Karim wailed. “Big teeth!”

“Where did it go?” Yasmine cried, her voice panicky.

Karim clung to Omar’s leg, and Rita whimpered quietly into his shoulder, while the older two partially hid behind him.

Ellie walked toward them and used her soothing voice: “There is nothing to fear, children. The Gamekeeper looks frightening but is gentle and kind, and he will take good care of the cinder sprites for us. I caught some new ones today in the ballroom, and Prince Briar helped me carry them out here to the Gamekeeper’s wagon. See the cages stacked there? The sprites we caught in your suite are here too. He will take them up to his home, where he has a safe place for all of them to live together. The mother sprite let me know that she wants to go there. I would never give our sprites to someone who would harm them. Would you like to see them?”

All four children visibly relaxed and nodded, so she beckoned them to her. Omar brought Rita then lifted her down from his shoulders, still looking wary and worried. “That was the Gamekeeper I’ve heard you speak of?” he asked.

She nodded shortly, gave him a warning look, and lifted a sprite from one of the cages. “Do you remember this little fellow? He is all recovered from going ember, and now he isn’t afraid when I hold him. See?” She held the fluffball down at Rita’s level, and the little girl gingerly touched its back then smoothed its fur. “He isn’t smooshed anymore,” she observed with a smile.

Behind her, Ellie heard Omar and Briar speaking but couldn’t understand them at first. Then Briar said clearly, his voice edged with humor, “You’re the one who sent me to find her this morning. And for my trouble I ended up scooping melted sprite off the ballroom floor. You will pay.”

A light drizzle was falling early the next morning as Ellie began to clean out her cottage and sweep the porch and front walkway. It bothered her that someone—even a strange, beastly person—may have witnessed her disorganized clutter, so before heading to the gardens, where she had promised to help Rosa in the greenhouses, she cleaned diligently. One day too late.

Just as she finished the walkway and ducked inside to escape what was becoming a steady rain, she heard Omar call her name. He jogged toward her across the grass, wearing his running gear. Even as he approached, the rain fell harder. “Here, step inside for a minute,” she offered.

“Thanks.” He first shook his head like a wet dog until his black hair stuck out in spikes, then stepped just inside the door, leaving it slightly ajar. Water trickled down his face and arms and dripped from his clothing. He rubbed his hands down the front of his soaking tank shirt, ruefully regarding the puddle at his feet. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t this wet until I was almost here. Maybe I should stand on your porch.”

He was a mess. He was every bit as sweet and adorable as his little siblings. He had been too gorgeous for words even as a gawky teen, but now he was a man. Six feet of lean, fit perfection. And he stood in her house, nearly filling her entryway. She tried not to notice how his wet shirt clung to his skin or how his eyes sought to hold her gaze. “It’s all right.” She sounded breathless even to herself. “I haven’t put my cleaning supplies away yet.”

His usual bright smile was absent. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“The resort director is still absent, and Briar told me this morning that he was invited to join an unofficial unicorn hunt scheduled for today at twilight. Apparently some of the lords brought rifles along even though shooting game of any kind is banned on resort property.”

“What? Twilight?” She panicked but tried to hide it. “Why twilight?”

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