by Ivy Clyde
“Who are you to teach a lesson to a princess?” asked Cade with raised brows. The crowd around us stared at me with different eyes now.
“Princess?”
“Don’t any of you know who she is?” Cade looked around at the gathered crowd for effect. When no one said a thing, he continued, “Queen Brenna announced Prince Rowan’s marriage to her yesterday.”
Gasps of surprise rose up.
“When a princess of Aelia wants something, you give it to her,” said Cade.
“Of course, Your Highness,” said the slave trader with a bow of his head. Turning to me, he added, “You can have her, princess. No need to pay this humble servant.”
Even though his head was bowed, I could see the anger and defiance in his dark eyes. He ground his teeth despite acting respectfully before Cade.
“Thank you,” I muttered. Kneeling beside Gilly who’d collapsed back on the ground, I wound her thin arms around my neck and pulled her on my back. She barely weighed anything. People around me stared harder, like I’d grown horns on my head.
I walked away with the brownie. Thankfully, the crowd dispersed and other than Isla and Cade, no one followed me.
“Are you going to leave without even thanking me?” asked Cade, coming up beside me.
I came to a stop and looked up at the handsome prince. “I am not sure what you’re up to.”
His luscious lips curved in a smile so dazzling, it was difficult to remember exactly why I was so wary of him.
“How are you going to thank me?” he asked.
I looked into his beautiful lavender-hued eyes but saw no malice there. Even my magic didn’t send me any warning against him. It didn’t seem like he was here to hurt me today.
“What do you want?” I asked slowly.
“You don’t have to look so scared,” he said with another dazzling smile. “I am not going to hurt you. Well, not today anyway.” Stepping closer to me, he said, “Come with me for a drink at the tavern.”
“I was supposed to go there with my friend.”
“Hey, don’t mind me,” said Isla at once. The traitor! “How about I take your new brownie back to school with me?”
“Thanks, charming maiden,” said Cade, flashing her a beautiful smile.
Isla blushed at once and grinned like an idiot. Without a word, she pulled Gilly off my back. “I’ll see you back at school. Have a good time.” She gave a little wave and dragged the drooping brownie away.
“Shall we?” said Cade, gesturing toward the street.
My shoulders slumped. He had me cornered and defeated. I’m going to burn that pretty smile off his face if he tries something, I decided. Magic hummed in my veins. Keeping my mental shield up, I started walking with Cade on my side.
Even though I was wary of him, a deeper part of me wanted to enjoy the moment. Whether it was the magic of the mate bond between us or something else, I really wanted to be wrong about him too. Leon and Rowan turned out to be completely different people from what they portrayed before. I couldn’t help but want the same for Cade. I desperately hoped he would show me a different side to him too.
21
Cade
Moira’s movements were stiff as she walked beside me. From time to time, she glanced up at me with eyes the color of summer lakes. I regretted playing those stupid pranks on her the first few days of meeting her. She didn’t trust me at all now. Still, I had to try.
“Over here,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders and turning her toward my side of the street. It was a cheeky move to touch her but I had to do something to show her I wouldn’t be biting her.
She glanced up at me but didn’t say anything, allowing me to lead the way to the tavern.
I pushed open the wooden door. At once, we were greeted by the loud sounds of people talking and laughing. The smell of meat pies and dark beer was heavy in the air. Keeping a firm hold on Moira, I walked inside.
“Your private booth is ready, Your Highness,” said Poppy, the resident barmaid at the tavern. I gave her a nod, noting her usual preference for a voluminous skirt and colorful sash at the waist. She smiled broadly at both me and Moira.
“Come along,” I muttered, steering Moira through the boisterous crowd to reach the small flight of stairs that led the way to the upper floor which was divided into several private booths.
“I am guessing you come here often enough to have a booth all to yourself,” said Moira.
“Yeah,” I said. “They sell the best food in the village. You won’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Not even the palace?”
I glanced at her. “Why would I go to the palace? I don’t need my mother’s maids keeping an eye on my every movement.”
To my surprise, she chuckled. Did she find the idea of my overbearing mother funny? She was still too new and naïve about the ways of our world. Gesturing toward the booth in the distance, I said, “We’re sitting there.”
She followed me into the tiny space filled up by a round table with four plush chairs set around it. Settling down opposite to me, she eyed me with a mix of emotions.
Moira was proving to be a challenge.
Generally, any girl would be all too happy to be invited by me. All they cared about was being on the arm of a prince. I never had to spend much energy to charm them.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked.
“I don’t know what’s good. This is my first time here.”
“Then, let me recommend the tavern’s specialty mead. It is sweet and fruity. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
She gave a nod. “Isla was talking about it too. I guess I’ll try some.”
Poppy knocked on the door of the booth. “May I come in, Your Highness?”
“Enter.”
“Your usual, My Prince?” asked the barmaid with a bright smile. I gave a nod. “And for the lady?” she asked, looking at Moira.
“Bring her a tankard of your mead.” Glancing at Moira, I said, “What would you like to eat?”
“Do they have anything with chocolate in it?”
“We have chocolate tartlets, My Lady,” said Poppy at once. “We have hot chocolate too. Or you could go for a chocolate fondue served with cake rusks, fruits, and marshmallows.”
I noticed Moira’s eyes brightening up at all those suggestions. “Forget the mead,” she said boldly. “I will have hot chocolate and your chocolate fondue.”
Another trait I hadn’t seen in some time. The girls I hung out with rarely spoke of what they wanted, choosing to accept whatever was chosen for them.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked when the barmaid left us.
Moira looked nervous but gave a nod. “Sure.”
“Why did you bother saving that brownie?”
Her blue eyes met mine. “She was being treated horribly. I had the means to save her, so I did.”
I stared at the complete sincerity on her face. She did the deed with the sole intention to help the poor creature. The high fae from the noble families rarely did anything without an ulterior motive that would serve them in some way.
“Why were people whispering and frowning like I’d done something wrong?” she asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“The fae don’t like ugliness. Any flaw is seen as a mark of misfortune. A poor creature like that brownie maid whose face was so badly mutilated would be an outcast in our society. The onlookers found your actions quite strange.”
Moira frowned. “She is still a person,” she said in a low but forceful tone. “No one deserves to be abused so badly. Her mistress hurt her so viciously. That woman is the one who should be thrown out of society, not an innocent, hard-working person like Gilly!”
Her eyes burned with a fierce fire. My heart pounded hard in my chest at the look on her face. It felt like I’d been sleeping for a long time and suddenly was jerked awake. “You are right,” I said, knowing that if my mother or the nobles ever heard me agreeing with her, they would make me an outcast. Som
ehow, they’d all forgotten their reasons for existing. The royalty and those who worked under them were there to serve the people. Everyone in the court was so busy snatching power and wealth, they’d completely failed in their duties to the citizens of Aelia.
I liked how Moira perceived the people around her. Her ideas were the same as my father’s. He’d done his best to instill the idea of serving our people instead of becoming pawns in the hands of the nobility but somehow, we were all failing. My mother, the queen, was blind to justice, only focusing on securing the throne for me. My father, the king, was drowned in grief after his mate, Lady Cynthia, was murdered in his presence.
Anarchy reigned strong under the influence of nobles like Lord Coran. He took advantage of my family’s internal rivalry to pave the way for his own sinister plans. Even though his daughters stuck to me like glue, I knew they had other motives behind their actions.
A hand waved before my eyes. I glanced up at Moira.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” she asked.
“That you would make a great mate for a king.”
Surprise flitted through her eyes. Before she could say anything, Poppy arrived with our food. A brownie accompanied her with a second tray which had Moira’s order for a chocolate fondue. Together, they set up the table.
“This looks amazing,” said Moira appreciatively.
“Thank you, My Lady,” said Poppy with a pleasured smile. “I hope you will enjoy your time here.” Turning to me, she gave a low bow and left with her maid.
“I have never had anything so fancy,” said Moira, staring at the large copper bowl before her. A candle at the base kept the chocolate melted. I watched her dip a piece of cake rusk into the chocolate with an excited look in her beautiful eyes. Her eyes closed in pure bliss as she put the piece into her mouth. “Mmm…so good.”
I stared at her unblinkingly. She was so open with her thoughts and feelings. Once again, I couldn’t help but compare her with the girls from the noble classes. They always wore a mask of compliance to hide their true feelings and intentions.
“Was your life quite hard?” I asked.
She looked up at me. A shadow passed over her beautiful blue eyes at the mention of her old life. Moira gave a subdued nod. “It wasn’t so bad when I was a child but things changed once I grew up. After that, every day was torture. I knew something was different about me but had no idea I was a completely different species.” A hollow chuckle escaped her. “It wasn’t all hearts and roses when I got here either.” Her expression morphed into an accusing glare. “You and your friends made sure I was shown my place.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said, feeling guilt swirl in my gut. “Lady Chantal should have given us more time to get to know you instead of springing the news that a stranger was meant to be our fated mates. At the time, you were a complete stranger.”
“And Rowan’s refusal had nothing to do with it?”
Rowan? Was she close enough to him to say his name so casually? Ignoring the fact for the moment, I said, “Yes. I didn’t want his seconds.”
She gave a nod and lowered her head.
We were both silent as we ate through our meal. I noticed how Moira ate everything that was served to her. She even made sure to scrape every bit of chocolate from the bowl. Her actions were both funny and endearing.
“Thank you for the treat,” she said, releasing a happy, contented sigh. Leaning against the chair, she surveyed me. “Why did you really want to spend time with me?”
“I want to get to know you.”
“Cool,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. “I guess I’ll go back to Belenus Court now.”
“Wait!” I lost the train of my thoughts as she watched me expectantly. Why was I so flustered before her? Taking a deep breath, I tried again. “Stay,” I said. “We can do something else you’d like.”
She looked thoughtful. “I really wanted to take a look at the goldflower fields.”
I smiled at that simple but wonderful request. It had been ages since I spent time among the beautiful blossoms and plucked a few to take back with me. “We can do that,” I told Moira. Getting to my feet, I held my hand to her. “Come on. I’ll take you to see one.”
Moira looked doubtful for a moment but took the chance. She caught hold of my hand in a firm grip and stood up.
We headed down to the main floor of the tavern. The crowd seemed to have swelled in size. I took care to maneuver through them so Moira wouldn’t bump into a stranger or be pushed.
“It feels good to be out here again,” she said with a deep breath as we stepped outside the door. I agreed with her. The noise and smoke from a hundred pipes made it almost claustrophobic.
A cold breeze blew past us, bringing with it the subtle fragrance of goldflowers. Moira pushed away the locks of her sunshine-blond hair away from her face and looked up at me. This close, I could see the gold flecks around her dark irises. Her lips were full and a natural pink. There was no hint of any rouge or makeup on her flawless skin.
My breath seemed to get stuck in my throat. Moira was beautiful. Why had it taken me so long to notice it? Were my brothers as blind as me or had they already taken the chance to get closer to her?
“Which way?” she asked.
“Over there,” I said, pointing to the western horizon where a field of goldflowers stretched out as far as the eyes could see. “That one belongs to the royal house. No one will disturb us there and you can stay as long as you want and pick up as many as you’d like.”
Moira grabbed my hand and pulled me after her. I stumbled forward, nearly falling on her. She walked in the direction of the flower field, tugging me along in her wake. Laughter caught in my throat. Her excitement made me forget about the burdens weighing on my chest. Suddenly, everything seemed to dissolve and all my attention focused on her.
Letting out a long breath, I decided to enjoy the moment. I had the rest of my life to deal with my mother’s madness.
Reaching the edge of the field, Moira let go of my hand and ran into the rows of tall goldflower plants.
“Wait for me!” I shouted, running after her.
She didn’t stop for me, running at top speed through the tall plants, shouting and singing something that made absolutely no sense. I increased my pace, catching up with her. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her back against me.
Moira gasped as her back hit my chest. She was about to fall but my arms encircling her waist tightened, keeping her steady on her feet. Slowly turning around, she confronted me. Afternoon sunshine fell on her beautiful face, lighting it up with an orange, gold glow.
A frown twisted her lips. “What was that?” she asked, hitting me lightly on the chest.
“You wouldn’t stop,” I said with a grin.
She smiled back and was about to step back but I kept my hold on her.
“Enough,” she said, chuckling. “I want to check out the rest of the place.”
I didn’t want to let her go yet but decided against being too forceful. Moira needed to trust me.
She walked toward a cluster of goldflowers and stood looking up at the large blossoms. Dust of gold particles waved in the breeze over the flowers. “What are these things?” she asked, reaching out to capture the glittering powder.
“They are pollen,” I said, stepping beside her.
The shimmering gold dust was mirrored in her wide, blue eyes. I was glad the goldflowers were too enrapturing for her to notice the way I was staring at her. She was just as captivating to me.
Holding her hand in a gentle hold, I turned her to face me. “May I kiss you?” My heart seemed to beat harder while my lungs seemed to stop working completely as I waited for her answer.
She was hesitant for only a moment but then rose on her toes to press her lips onto mine for the briefest second.
“More,” I whispered.
Moira stepped closer. I could see desire and uncertainty swirling in her beautiful eyes. Putting a gentle arm around her waist,
I pulled her against my chest. Leaning down, I captured her lips between mine.
Moira tipped her face toward me, giving me full access to her sweet, luscious lips. She was gentle but something deep inside me urged me to take a deeper taste. Slipping my tongue through her parted lips, I let it swirl around the sweet cavern of her mouth.
She tasted of summer berries and a deep, rich wine. My arms tightened around her, keeping her flush against me as I kissed her deeper. Her body seemed to melt against mine. The fragrance of apple blossoms wrapped around me in a haze, drowning away all thoughts from my mind. At that moment, I could think of nothing but the woman in my arms.
I parted from her only when all the breath in my lungs was spent. Still unwilling to let go, I took a soft bite of her full bottom lip. She moaned out, her fingers digging into my shoulders to stay steady.
My happiness was almost boyish and unbridled. I was basking in her forgiveness and acceptance. In the fading sunlight, I noticed her cheeks stained a deep pink, reminding me of cherry blossoms in the height of spring. Her shoulders shivered. I frowned. Was she cold?
“Do you want to stay out here long?” I asked. “It will get quite chilly soon.”
“Can we?” she asked. “It feels so good to be here.” Looking around, she added, “There doesn’t seem to be anyone around here. We can be free.”
Moira would soon be forced to move into the palace. Once that happened, she would rarely get a chance to step outside its walls.
“All right, then,” I said. “Would you wait for me here though? I know the farmers who live on the other side of the field. They will let us borrow some rugs and blankets. I will take you to the lake hidden deeper beyond those clusters of trees. It’s beautiful on a full moon night.”
“Sounds really good,” she said, her eyes shining.
“I will be back within ten minutes,” I told her. “Just stay here, okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll wait for you.”
Pressing my lips to hers in a quick kiss, I turned around and hurried down the path in the opposite direction. My excitement surprised me. It had been years since I felt so eager to be with someone. Moira made me feel emotions I thought had died away a long time ago. I’d kissed so many women, both old and young, but none of them made my heart pound so hard as my kiss with Moira.
