Page 16 of Fairy's Forbidden Touch
“So,” I said once we were alone. “What’s up?”
Thalen’s formal posture relaxed slightly now that we were private. “I have a request that may seem… presumptuous.”
“Okay,” I said cautiously.
“I would like you to accompany me to my residence in the fae realm. Not the small dwelling we have visited before, but my actual home.”
This was unexpected. “Your home? In the fae realm?”
He nodded. “The transition between realms is simple for those under my protection. It would be for… an extended visit. Perhaps two days in human time.”
“Like a weekend trip?” I clarified.
“Something similar, yes.”
I studied his face, sensing there was more to this invitation. “Why now?”
He hesitated, fingers absently adjusting one of the silver cuffs on his ear—a nervous habit I’d come to recognize. “There are aspects of my life I wish to share with you. And privacy we cannot fully achieve in the human realm.”
The implication sent heat through me. Despite a month of increasingly intimate “exploration,” there were still boundaries we hadn’t crossed—namely, actual intercourse. Thalen had been hesitant about that final step, though whether from inexperience or some fae cultural factor, I wasn’t sure.
“When would this trip happen?” I asked.
“I had hoped… tonight? After your work tomorrow, we would return.”
It was impulsive, potentially unwise, and definitely another entry in my catalog of questionable decisions. But the vulnerability in his expression—the prince who was uncomfortable making a simple request—made my answer easy.
“I’ll need to text Maya so she doesn’t worry,” I said. “But yes, I’d like to see your home.”
The tension visibly drained from his shoulders. “Thank you. It… means a great deal to me.”
The process of entering the fae realm was both simpler and stranger than I’d imagined. Thalen led me to what appeared to be an ordinary stone wall behind the café, placed his palm against it, and murmured words in a language that seemed to slide around my comprehension. The wall shimmered, then seemed to melt away, revealing a path that definitely hadn’t been there before.
“Stay close to me,” he instructed, taking my hand. “The passage recognizes you as under my protection, but it’s best not to stray.”
The path twisted in ways that made my eyes hurt if I tried to follow them too carefully. Lights that weren’t quite lights illuminated our way, and the air felt thicker, filled with scents I couldn’t identify. After what might have been minutes or hours, the path opened into a clearing surrounded by impossibly tall trees with silver bark and leaves that seemed to glow from within.
“We’re here,” Thalen said, a note of uncertainty in his voice. “My home.”
I looked around, confused. “In the forest?”
He smiled slightly. “Look up.”
I tilted my head back and gasped. Above us, suspended among the massive trees, was what could only be described as a palace. Gleaming structures of crystal and some material like polished wood spiraled around the enormous trunks, connectedby bridges that seemed made of solid moonlight. The entire complex glowed with the same subtle luminescence as Thalen’s skin.
“You live up there?” I asked, unable to keep the awe from my voice.
“The Winter Court resides in the trees,” he confirmed. “It is… our way.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said honestly. “But, um, how do we get up there?”
In answer, he wrapped an arm securely around my waist and made a gesture with his free hand. The ground beneath us shimmered, and suddenly we were rising, standing on a platform of what appeared to be solidified air. I clutched at him instinctively.
“I have you,” he assured me. “You cannot fall while in my hold.”
The platform carried us upward, through layers of glowing foliage, until we reached one of the moonlight bridges. Up close, it appeared to be made of the same material as the “woven moonlight” garments Thalen sometimes wore—solid but with an inner luminescence that shifted and flowed.
As we stepped onto the bridge, I became aware of figures watching from various points in the palace complex—fae of different sizes and appearances, all with that same otherworldly beauty, all regarding me with unconcealed curiosity.
