Page 33 of Chased By the Fairy

“Arrogance and self-centredness come with the position.” Cypress didn’t know how much he could tell the swallow sprite. “But I have no intention of harming Sorrel. He’s one of our people and therefore we must protect him.”

His answer must have been unsatisfactory because he didn’t receive a reply. Sunny’s brown eyes just wandered over the ground as he thought.

Migrating sprites like his type are often uncertain of strangers. They were always wary.

But there was something Cypress needed to know more than anything. His arms loosened as he asked, “Was he taken?”

Did Sorrel run away, or was he stolen?Did he leave me that night?He never had the chance to explain himself.He learnt I was the prince...Did it freak Sorrel out and he bolted while Cypress was distracted?

“Yes,” Sunny answered.

Both relief and worry rushed through him at the same time. Relief that Sorrel may still want to see him, and worry that Cypress may never be able to.

“Where is he? Who took him?” Cypress stepped forward, his façade of calm fading away. It could have been someone cruel. Someone who intended to hurt him. “I was supposed to protecthim, but when I turned around, he was just... gone. And of course, the sprites sawnothing.”

It was a lie. He knew it was a lie, but he couldn’t be violent to them.

It was against the law for flower fairies to harm others unless in self-defence, even if Cypress thought that was a silly law. The line between the hierarchy amongst the fairy types, especially with the animal sprites, was remarkably thin.

The animal sprites felt intimidated and inferior compared to the flower fairies and their magic, and found any and every reason to hate them. However, they needed each other. The seasons needed to rotate, and the animals needed guidance through it. Each fairy had their tasks to complete so this order wasn’t disrupted.

A war would create an imbalance.

Cypress wondered if this issue was just in his kingdom or if the bordering forest kingdoms had the same issues. There were millions of fairy kingdoms all over the world, and each of them was different.

“The alliance in our kingdom is weak,” he admitted. “As an outsider, I’m sure you’ve been to many others and know just how easy it is for this to happen. The sprites are resentful.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. He lifted his index finger and shook it up and down. It trembled weakly from either pain or tiredness. “You think he might have been taken to spite you.”

“Yes,” Cypress admitted with a sigh, letting his eyes fall to the side. “He’s important to me. What is a better way to lure me into a trap than to take someone I care about?”

“I don’t know who it was that took him, but I saw him inside the toad sprite’s dance club.” Sunny shrugged off the assistance of Cypress’ guards and shakily took a step forward. “I lost my flock and needed a warm place to stay for the night. Just as I was preparing to leave the next morning to find my birds, I sawhim on the stage. He looked so damn uncomfortable, but I did nothing because I thought it wasn’t my place.”

Cypress bit out a curse.FuckingMr Toad!

The sprite was nothing but a damn nuisance. To discover he was the one who had kidnapped Sorrel was gut wrenching. He could only imagine the treatment he’d received at the hands of that foul cretin.

He was often the centre of rebellion and hatred. Mr Toad was regularly the starting force of the strife between the sprite fairies and flower fairies. Just one seed sprouting a contagious disease.

He forced him to dance.The only person Cypress wanted Sorrel dancing for was him.

He gritted his teeth as his eyes squinted into a glare, the flames of vengeance flaring to life in his veins.

“And you left him there?” Cypress snapped, the urge to stomp forward and strangle this sprite in front of him overwhelming.

“No,” he huffed. “Just as I was leaving, he almost crashed into me as he was fleeing.”

Pride soared through Cypress. Of course, Sorrel fought back. He should have known better than to think he was some weak kind of damsel.

He still remembered the way Sorrel had nearly broken his nose when Cypress first met him, and blood had instantly rushed to his groin to make him hard. He knew then that Sorrel would be feisty.

The swallow sprite looked down at his hands.

“I had him. I almost saved him, but they took him from me before I could fly away. They trapped me to the ground as a beetle sprite stole him instead. It has to be better than being with that toad guy, but I have no idea where he is. I’m not from here and I’m worried.”

So was Cypress. Beetle sprites were fickle and vain little creatures.

“What kind of beetle?” Cypress asked. “I need to know which bug hollow to go to. Did you see what he looked like?”

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