Page 36 of Fae Games

“The day he visited Her Majesty, the outsiders arrived with iron warships in response to a message in a bottle that had floated to England. King Oberon moved the Royal Court to the Prudence Plaza and sent the duke down to handle the negotiations.”

I nodded. Prince Caulden had mentioned something about that area being a hiding place from the United Nations.

Pokeweed exhaled a long, shuddering breath. “She went into heat, and someone whisked her away to mate.”

My hand clapped over my mouth. “The duchess was raped?”

“It’s complicated.” He bent toward a low branch, picked off withered leaves, and left them on the ground. “When a female goes into heat, all her magic goes into strengthening her body for hours of vigorous mating and the subsequent pregnancy. If she doesn’t mate within an hour of the start of her heat, then that magic will attract every male with a scrap of power.”

I reeled forward and held onto the trunk for balance. At least now I understood why Prince August had said I had an unfair advantage over the Fated. Being sturdy enough to enjoy sex all year round had to be attractive.

“Who mated with your mother?” I asked.

Still hunched over the low branch, Pokeweed shook his head. “She can’t remember.”

“Or her memories were wiped?” I asked, remembering what high faeries did to cast-offs to prevent them from gaining their rightful inheritance.

Pokeweed straightened and walked around the massive trunk. He reached a spindly twig protruding from an overhead branch, snapped it off, and healed the wound between his fingers. “It’s possible that the faerie didn’t want to risk the duke’s wrath, but that would mean performing the darkest of enchantments.”

I followed after him, my throat convulsing. “I couldn’t help but wonder about your appearance. Are there any faeries who look like you?”

“The curse that stole her memories caused me to be born like this.” He turned around and spread his arms wide.

“I’m—” The unspoken word hung in the air. Saying that I was sorry was an admission that I found him horrendous. He wasn’t. Pokeweed had an inner beauty that so far, none of the princes could match with their sweet words, talented hands, and gorgeous exteriors.

Pokeweed turned his head and smiled. “This accursed body has been the source of much misery. But you can help me.”

A flutter of hope rippled through my heart, and I reached for his arms, only to snatch my hands away before I upset him with an unwanted touch. From everything I knew of Pokeweed, he was the type of male any girl would be happy to have at his side. Strong, kind, reliable, and capable. But I already had two princes and didn’t think they would share me with someone they considered beneath them.

I ran around Pokeweed’s large frame, making him stop walking. “What can I do?”

“I’ll do everything in my power to help you win all four princes,” he said.

“What?” I stepped back. “I despise the other two.”

Pokeweed’s face split into a wide smile of perfect teeth. It made me jerk back a little because I hadn’t been expecting to see something so dazzling, given his peculiar exterior.

“How did you feel about the other two you when you met them?” he asked.

A laugh bubbled from the back of my throat. “I hated them, too.”

Pokeweed chuckled, the sound lightening my heart. I shook my head and asked, “Why do you want me to have them all?”

“A little bird told me you’ve already captured the hearts of the Autumn and Winter princes. If you want to survive Queen Titania’s wrath, you must mate with them all.”

“That’s easier said than done,” I muttered.

“I’ll help.”

Tilting my head to the side, I asked, “Why?”

“The faerie who bonds with all four princes will unite the courts and become a queen in her own right.”

I stepped back, holding both palms out in a double ‘stop’ motion. It was one thing to wake up with faerie wings, another to stumble into a death trial to mate with fae princes, but becoming the ruler of the Isle of Fae? That was ridiculous.

Tiny beads of sweat formed on my brow. Wouldn’t it be great if the past few days were a nightmare brought on by Elijah’s warning that Lady Gala was going to come after me. Then Sicily could shake me awake, and we would wake up the next morning and disappear to Balley Chashtal.

“Pokeweed,” I rasped. “But I don’t want to be—”