Page 69 of A Thief Among Fae

I clench the hilt. Sweat rolls down my neck, mingling with humiliation. Every part of me yearns to lash out. Slap her, shake her. Anything.

I thicken the layer until it’s heaping and then wait for her approval.

“Now eat.” She smiles as I take my first bite.

Oh gods, it’s delicious. The bread is as fluffy as unspun wool, and the jam is sweeter than strawberries, but with the tangy aftertaste of blackberries. Why is she forcing me to eat something that tastes so good?

“You’re moaning,” Auri comments. “No need to debase yourself to compliment the baker. She’s not here.” She leans against the counter, so keenly watching me that I don’t think she’s blinked. “How does the jam taste?”

I take another bite, then another. “Good,” I grunt, and at this point, I can’t tell if it’s the glamour compelling me or the truth. “Really good.” In fact, the explosion of flavors makes the whole kitchen seem brighter and more vibrant. The crackling of the flames in the oven sounds like music. I could dance to it. I could melodize along with it.

Blackberries. A memory flickers in my mind. Blackberries with a rainbow sheen in sunlight, full of such a heady enchantment that even the birds won’t eat them.

Before I know it, I’m standing. I’m reaching for Auri to have her join me. She slaps my hand away and smirks. “No, no, I’m more than happy to watch you have your fun.”

“Alright,” I agree, but it sounds a little slurred. No matter. I’m too happy to care about the room spinning a little, about my endless stream of giggles as I waltz around the table.

Finnian enters, his brows shooting up when he sees me. “Hello!” I skip to him and grab his gloved hands. “Isn’t the music so lovely? I’m glad it’s you who’s here and not Desmond. You’re a lot more fun than him.” I giggle. Yes, that was really funny. He should be laughing too!

Finnian casts a suspicious glare at Auri. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“Oh, I did.” She gestures at the empty plate. “And she loved it, too.”

“Why do you wear these?” I start to pull off Finnian’s gloves. He curls his fingers to stop me. I give up and prance across the kitchen instead.

“What were you thinking?” Finnian demands. I don’t know who he’s talking to.

“I want to help you,” I say. “You don’t need to hide your hands. What’s wrong with them, anyway? Are they blue?”

Auri laughs. “I was thinking how boring it is, being cooped up in this cave. I wanted a bit of fun. Desmond said to watch over her, not coddle her. She will be fine once she pukes it up.”

Finnian’s being boring. I totter toward Auri and stroke one of her braids. “Your hair is so pretty. So are your eyes. People must tell you that a lot.”

“Am I so pretty that if I asked you to do something, you’d do it for me?” She bats her lashes.

“Sure.” I nod. She has to know that I mean it. “I’ll do anything for you.”

“Come on, let’s go have some real fun.” She grabs my arm and leads me through the foyer, then outside. I hiccup. The sun is bright. The trees are so green that they’re glowing. It’s beautiful. How did I never notice that the forest is so beautiful? Finnian tails us as Auri takes me to the cave where the horses are eating their hay. It must be tasty. Maybe I want some hay, too.

“You see that horse?” Auri asks, pointing at a stallion. “He’s really a prince. A cursed prince. If you kiss him, it’ll free him from a spell. Or something.”

I nod so vigorously that my neck feels funny. “Is he a handsome prince?”

“Auri. . .” Finnian warns.

“What? This won’t hurt her. Yes, he’s a very handsome prince. Dare I say, much fairer than I.” She pushes me toward the horse.

“Hello.” I wave shyly. The horse prince snorts. “I’m going to kiss you. So close your eyes!” My nose brushes against the horse’s. Its hot, damp exhale puffs against my skin. There might have been some snot in it. Princely snot.

I tilt my head and stand on my toes. My lips brush against the horse’s chin as it raises its head. “Oops! Look at me! I can’t kiss you if you’re staring at the ceiling!” The prince grunts as I plant my hands on its muzzle, wrestling its head down. There’s a warning flare of its nostrils, an agitated stomp of hooves.

“Aether, stop it!” Finnian scolds.

Then the horse licks me.

Finnian laughs. Auri does too. Laughter is bubbling everywhere and filling the cave. I think I’m laughing. I don’t know why. My breath hitches as I clutch my ribs. A sob bubbles up, but it warps into another laugh. I can’t stop.

I want to stop.