Page 49 of Chased By the Fairy

“I will destroy your mother’s farm!” she yelled as Sorrel ran down the steps she’d just climbed.

“Not if I make sure she calls the exterminator before you and your rodents arrive!” It was the only hope he had that maybe he could warn Greta before they caused too much devastation to the farm. “You bring all your rodents, and I’ll make sure they die.”

Before he got too far, she grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “If you do that, you’d be breaking the treaty with the animal sprites.”

Hatred filled his expression as he turned to her.

“I’m not a fucking flower fairy!” He shoved her until she stumbled backwards and landed on her arse. “The damn alliancebetween your kinds has nothing to do with me. I’m not a fairy, just a wingless, magiclessfreakwho is sick and tired of all you people!”

She looked up at him with shock, but there was nothing she could say to refute what he’d publicly admitted. His words rang true, and everyone in this room had witnessed it.

For the first time in months, his heart was calm despite the quiet rage that simmered beneath his skin.

Sorrel headed towards the stranger who tried to block his path.

People were pushing the stranger back to prevent him from approaching the podium and interrupting the wedding further, but he clawed his way through them. The stranger put his hands up like he was intending to grab Sorrel when he was close.

Sprites dressed similarly to him entered the room, but instantly ran into a wall of burrow sprites.

“Get the hell out of my way,” he muttered under his breath with a determined glare.

He dodged the stranger’s reaching arms, but someone else grabbed his long hair and tugged him back. He cried out as he clutched his scalp, especially when a few strands were ripped out. Dragged across the ground backwards, he was unable to get to his feet.

He’d never known betrayal like this as he stared up at Cindy while she pulled and yanked on his hair as if it were rope.

“You will marry her! She won’t pay me if you don’t.”

I am so tired of people touching my hair!

He patted the dirt, desperately searching. He needed something sharp. A rock or a piece of glass, it didn’t matter.

He heard a ring of shocked gasps in the background.

One moment he was tugging to free himself, and in the next, the tension and pressure on his scalp disappeared. Before he could finish climbing to his feet to make a run for it, someonebashed their shoulder against his hips and lifted until he lay hanging down their back. Then they sprinted off with him.

“Time to go!” a male sprite yelled.

Sorrel beat on his captor’s furry back with all his might, kicking his knees into his chest. He tried anything and everything to be let go, to be free.

No! Not again!Not another damn kidnapping!

Sorrel was tired of doing what everyone else wanted him to, and he was done being nice and obedient. The world was warming, and the winter wasteland outside was fading. Tomorrow brought the first day of spring.

Hewouldbe going home.

Cypress gave a groan of dismay when Sorrel dodged him, only to have his hair captured by some tiny mouse sprite.

Sorrel not recognising him had cut him deeply, but he also understood it was because of what he was wearing. Cypress imagined his fur coat made him appear like a sprite, and he hadn’t had the chance to remove the hood of his cloak before Sorrel incited chaos by trying to leave.

Cypress hadn’t cared if he revealed his face. He was beyond caring about regal things like that.

He’s so close.He was right there, right in front of him. Sorrel was in his sights, and the man didn’t know the wretched Miss Mole was darting forward to help the mouse sprite.

He ran towards her with his wings vibrating furiously under his cloak.Removing his dagger from its hilt, he flicked his wrist forward, and it flew through the air. Miss Mole stumbled back when the blade embedded itself in the middle of her throat.

Gasps rang out around the room as she cupped her neck and blood pooled between her furry fingers. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to speak, but Cypress paid little mind to her, to the enraged burrow sprites around him, or even the royal guards at his back.

Mr Toad had given him a very similar horrified expression,and it was delicious. Betrayal, confusion, fear. The powerful falling to the quick strike of a vengeful prince.

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