Page 15 of Kissed By Songs of Lilies

Today, she was losing me.

Now, Maggie stood truly alone–the last princess, the eldest sister, and the sole remaining heiress to our kingdom. I knew she wasn’t that small, crying toddler anymore. She hadn’t been for a long time. She was a fun, quick-witted, and confident young woman.

But I was still worried. A kingdom was a heavy burden to bear.

When we exited the palace gates, no one stopped us. It had been my last hope.

Outside, I looked around with wide eyes. It had been a long time since I had ventured so far outside the palace gates. When I was a child, when my younger sister was still in the nursery, my older sister Briar and I would run past the gate, clasping hands and giggling. We would play in the sandy soil or collect moss to make nests for swamp birds.

That all changed after she was taken. The gates closed. My father’s guards and my governess were everywhere. Even at twenty years old.

"Come, little sparrow," the fae called almost affectionately. "Let’s free you from your gilded cage."

I felt a growl rise in my throat. Free me from my cage? Had he no sense of self awareness? He was ripping me away from my family. I had never hated someone so much in my life. I opened my mouth to say so but stopped short. It was unwise to anger the fae. They neither understood nor cared about human emotions.

I knew where we were going. The fae lived on a terrible island, shrouded in mist, and hidden not far off our shores. Any ship that sailed too close would be dragged to the bottom of the ocean. No one visited them there. Only the unwise visited them in our marketplace. If you were even more unwise, you could strike a bargain. Like me.

I was the biggest fool of them all.

The sun had fallen behind the ocean now. In the shadows of the large oak trees, glass bottles rattled. As we neared it, one of them began to swing wildly.

With studied indifference, the fae untied the string, releasing the bottle and letting it smash against the ground. The bottle broke, and a sprite flew out.

"Nasty human," it buzzed in my ear.

I swatted at it, and it flew away.

Now that we were out on the open road, the fae man shook off his glamor like an old cloak. His black hair was longer, his ears formed sharp points, and there were shells woven into his hair. Most amazing of all, iridescent, blue-green wings erupted from his back. His shirt was unbuttoned, and leather belts hung low on his hips.

He was as wild, beautiful, and fierce as the sea he longed to drag me across.

Though we were miles away, I could feel the ocean air stir my hair. He grinned.

I loathed him, and yet... a rare opportunity had arisen. Free entrance to the fae realm. This chance would not come again. I might find my stolen sister.

Maybe something good would come of this yet.

CHAPTER 7

The Stolen Bride

Ordinarily, his kind walked across the water, their feet only dipping ankle deep into the playful ocean waves.

I could not walk across the waters. I could not even swim as far as his island.

My presence forced him to do something unexpected. He knelt on the dock and plunged his head under the water.

A brief moment of madness overcame me. Perhaps, I could hold his head under the water, drown him, and escape. Absolute nonsense, of course. It would have been like killing a bird by forcing it to fly. It would have only angered him.

He emerged and whipped his wet hair back, slinging water against my face.

I glowered at him, wiping it away with my hand.

On the evening horizon, I could just make out a small pod of seals. They were traveling toward us, and their gray, slick skin gleamed in the moonlight. Behind them, they pulled an open-top carriage adorned with gold and pearls. It floated across the top of the waves.

The pod moved closer and closer until, at last, they reached the dock. The lustrous carriage knocked gently against the side of the wood. The fae nodded at the seals and stepped inside. Then he looked back at me expectantly. He did not offer his hand.

In for an oyster, in for a pearl, I thought, stepping carefully into the carriage. I gazed at the seals. They were so beautiful. I longed to stroke their slick coats. One turned and pressed her wet nose into my hand. I laughed in delight.

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