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My mouth went dry. I’d committed myself to him, even though he might not have understood my mouthed words. I’d return tonight under the cover of darkness, and I’d try to free him somehow. Once he was free, I wouldn’t be able to help him further. I was barely able to look after myself, nevermind taking on a stranger with God knows how much baggage.
That was only one of my problems, though. My thoughts went to my immediate issue with my potential royal lineage. I was sure that Prince Prys was my uncle, my mom’s brother, but there was something off about him.
Maybe it was how he’d spoken to Mistress Olwen, or the way he’d ignored Bleddyn. He hadn’t immediately accepted my story and been rude about it. Was that why I didn’t like him? No. If I’d been him, I’d also have been suspicious if a random human girl had shown up and claimed to be the heir to the throne—
I swallowed hard.WasI the heir to the throne? Was I the person who’d be expected to rule over this entire world? And if I was, did I even want it? I halted as my thoughts overwhelmed me.
There was so much wrong with Faerie. The sun providing warmth but no life, the huge disparities between rich and poor, the medieval way of life.
I chuckled to myself and continued walking. It wasn’t as if in my world things were any better. We humans did a fantastic job destroying our planet. There were people sleeping rough and begging for something to eat in the richest places in the world. There were assassinations, repressions, torture of perceived enemies every single day. Why did I think the Fae realm was any worse?
In my world, I had very little chance of making a difference. But if I were truly the daughter of the Lost Princess, then maybe I could do something good. My thoughts turned to Kenzy and Luke. They were here, somewhere, and if I accepted my heritage, I could find them and send them home. A smile stretched my lips as I recalled the last time all three of us had been together.
That’s when I bounced off a man and stumbled back, about to fall on my ass. His arm shot out and steadied me.
“Slow down, Mistress. Are you lost?”
He spoke differently from Bleddyn. His voice was more singsong, and his vowels flatter.
He still held my elbow, and a pleasant warmth crept through my limbs. My eyes widened as I felt the slow charge take over my body. I looked him fully in the face, about to ask him who he was.
Our gazes met, and something clicked. His eyes weren’t silver like everybody else’s, but shades of red. Beyond the flickering heat, there were black shadows swirling around his pupil, drawing me in further. My mouth opened and closed, but words failed me.
His hands moved up to clasp my shoulder, pulling me close, until there was barely a foot between us.
“Little one,” he purred, his voice a delicious, smooth baritone. It flowed through me like treacle, softening my limbs, calming my heartbeat, and, to my surprise, sending a wave of heat through my lower belly. The longer I was caught in his gaze, the more my resistance broke. I had never reacted to any man like that. This Fae creature was more gorgeous than Bleddyn, and I would have let him do what he wanted right here, in this alleyway.
In the back of my head, a voice shouted,Stop it. This isn’t normal. You like Bleddyn. You don’t even know this man.
His hands tightened on my shoulders, and my breathing sped up as I swayed toward him.
And then he let go and took a step backward. “You must return to your home, little lamb. The market is a dangerous place for an exquisite female like you.”
Finally, my mouth worked again. “How can you tell who I am under these clothes?”
He chuckled. “I would know your delicious scent anywhere.”
Instead of weirding me out, his words traveled through my chest, making my pulse stutter. “Who are you?”
Without a word, he turned me around until I faced the main street. Out there, deals were made, and aurints exchanged hands, while here in this alleyway, my life was turned upside down.
I expected him to push me gently forward, but instead, his arms wrapped around my ribcage from behind. He stood so close to me, his breath caressed my earlobe as he whispered, “I hope to see you again, little lamb. Until then, return to where you are safe. Do not stop. Speak to no-one.”
And then he was gone, and I rejoined the throng, allowing the tide to carry me back to the tavern. The journey passed as if in a dream. I paid no attention, my feet moving without my input until they stopped, and I found myself outside of Mistress Olwen’s house.
The prince and his entourage had left. I went upstairs, opened the first door, and closed it. The moment the lock clicked shut, the spell was broken. The dreaminess disappeared, and I could think clearly again.
It felt so sudden, so shocking, that I dropped onto the bed, grinding my teeth. The man with the strange fiery eyes had put a mind whammy on me. I was sure of it. But how? Bleddyn had tried the same thing, and his compulsion had slid off me like quicksilver.
What if the man came back? He'd overwhelm me, make me do all kinds of things. So why did that thought not scare me, but excite me?
Chapter nineteen
DAEARY
I waited until she had rejoined the main street, then followed her. I kept a distance so as not to be noticed, but close enough to protect her in case she encountered others like me. Her disguise would deceive the Fae, but if another incubus passed, he would surely smell her ripeness and be enticed.
Soon, she reached Mistress Olwen’s tavern. I knew the woman well, and the little half-human would come to no harm while under her roof. As I made my way back to my own lodgings, conflicting desires warred in my mind.
