AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As quickly as the fae entered my room, they leave, and my room stands an empty shell. I touch the walls. I touch my bed.What will become of this place now? Will another family of desperate humans move here, taking our place?
Either way, until my deception is discovered, this isn’t our home any longer. Yet, I don’t have another home, not really, at least not one that I’m sure of. I can’t even just follow my Grandmother and father, because I have things to sort out that I don’t want them to be aware of.
There’s nowhere for me to go, so I walk out the front door and watch as Grandmother and Father are loaded into a carriage. Our neighbors mill around, watching our lives change in the biggest way possible. They won’t make eye contact with me when I spot them though… but I guess I am, supposedly their new queen.
Is everyone going to treat me differently now?
“Coming?” Father calls out from the carriage window, staring at me.
I’m truly glad they’re so excited right now, but I can’t just go along with them and pretend to be happy. Not right now. I just need to be alone because this feels like the last time I'll be alone for a very long time.
“There's that strawberry plant in the back I want to dig up and bring with us. So I'll do that, and I'll meet you there in a few hours. Go get settled, have a meal, and relax,” I say, meaning every word of it. They deserve all of that, and more.
My grandmother’s voice carries from the carriage. “Come when you’re ready.”
She knows me well.
I stand on the porch watching as the carriage rolls away. My stomach turning over with each spin of the wheels.There goes my family. There goes my life.
Now, I’m really locked into this. Whether it’s one prince or four, I can’t go back. It’s the first time it really hits me that even if I have to marry four princes to give this to my family, I will. No matter how awful it is. No matter what these strange men are truly like.
I’ve endured a lot in my life. I can endure this too.
The moment the carriage is out of sight, my smile vanishes. My legs shake, and I feel the overwhelming urge to scream or cry, I’m not sure which. I turn to enter the house one last time, to maybe take some time alone in my room to grieve the life I had.
I start walking, and I jump as Prince Forrest appears before me.
Damn it. So much for my time alone.
FOURTEEN
Cassia
My body goes stiff the moment I lay eyes on Prince Forrest. The giant man is wearing a green shirt that brings out the startling color of his eyes even more, and brown pants so tight my gaze starts to slide south before I force my gaze back higher.Damn these sexy princes.When I’m around them, I sometimes feel like they’ve been handcrafted to tempt my logic.
Unfortunately for them, I have the willpower of a mean old woman who snagged the last loaf of bread.
I’m not in the mood for him right now. No getting-to-know-your-mate bullshit is happening today. Getting out of my quadruple engagement tops my list, if I can do it without ruining my family.
“What do you want?” I ask, making the annoyance in my voice obvious.
Prince Forrest’s gaze travels up my body, and a satisfied smile grows on his face. Which is more than a little annoying.Hasn’t anyone ever explained the difference between confident and cocky to the little shit?Apparently, not.
He strides into the house while I follow him, my inner-voice screaming to avoid this whole mess. But it’s just too much, I have to figure out what new game he’s playing. Without looking back at me, he takes in the living room, doing a full 360 turn. It’s like he’s on some exciting tour.That’s right, the fae prince has probably never been in a human hovel before.
Howwonderfulfor him.
“So, you grew up here?” he asks.
Ask a stupid question…
“No, this is my vacation home,” I answer, glaring at him.
He chuckles. “You have a smart mouth.” I hate that I like the way his lips twitch when he laughs.
“We finally agree on something.”
He runs his hand along the wall where there’s an outline of the couch, touches spots where pictures have been removed, and studies the hard-dirt floor. I kind of wonder if it’s some kind of fae trick.Does he have the abilities of the Memory Fae? Is he pulling memories out of the walls?
