Page 49 of Once Upon a Woven Wish
“The Well tried but did not succeed.”
“How?”Her brows drew together in question.
He caught her hand in his and delighted in the way her fine-boned fingers fit into his palm.“You saved me, Serena.Once by speaking my name.”He lifted her fingers to his lips, pressed a kiss there.“And once by reminding me how to love.”
He said this so simply, it sent heat coiling through her belly.He was not jesting.He meant it.Her mouth turned dry as she swallowed but she found she could not look away from his blue-green eyes.
“Oh.”A breath shuddered out of her.
She didn’t know what else to say.So instead, she tugged her hand from his and pressed it against his smooth cheek.From the moment she decided to find his true name, she never imagined she would end up in his arms on the top of the mountain wanting to kiss him again.
“I give it to you freely, Serena, if you will have it.”
The words were sweet, endearing, and made her heart thump.“Can a Fae prince truly love a mortal girl like me?”
“He can.And he does.”
“Then this mortal girl will take not only his love, but him as well.As he is.”
He smiled.It was the first time she’d ever seen him smile.And for the first time she noticed he wore no gloves.When she looked at his hands, they were devoid of the golden runes.Like hers, they had the marks that he, too, had once paid the price.
She glanced at the well, then.“Is it…?”Her words drifted away.
“No more.”
“Good,” she said and meant it.“No more wishes.No more bargains.”
He helped her to her feet.They stood together, for a long moment, looking at the well.Then she saw the book half buried in the snow and bent to pick it up.She held it out to him, the gold embossed letters still glittering in the faint morning light.
“I found the answer in this,” she said.
He peered down at it.“The Hidden Courts: Folklore and Forgotten Histories of the Fae.”His gaze lifted back to hers.“Where did you get it?”
“In the king’s library.”As she said it, the blood drained from her head.“I took it.And…” She sucked in a breath, blew it out.Her nerves jangled.“I left in the middle of the night.I’m sure the king’s men will be looking for me.”
“Because you took a book?”He sounded confused.
“Because I healed the crown prince and…I think he was going to ask for my hand.”
It sounded absurd even to her own ears.But she could not stop thinking of what the prince said to her.I have something I’d like to ask you.
“Oh,” he said.
Her head snapped up to him.“I would have said no.”
He grinned.“I’m glad.But, Serena, they will want to know why you ran in the middle of the night.”There was a hint of worry in his words.
“Yes.That’s why I must see to my father and sister.”Her gaze drifted toward the village nestled against the base of the mountain.“The king’s men will look for me there first.”
Caedon moved closer to her, his warmth radiating from him.“I worry for you.”
She looked up at him, a smile pulling at her mouth.“I will be fine.I have to face it.At least now I know I am not alone.”
“You’ll never be alone as long as I have breath.”
Without thinking, she stepped to him and placed her head on his chest.The steady beat of his heart was beneath her ear.He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.
“Whatever happens?”she asked.
