Page 46 of How To Tame A Trickster Fae

Wren sniffs, jerking her chin away. Her fists ram onto her hips as she stares up at me, all defiance and fire. “I’ve never met a monster who would eat sweets and try to make me laugh.”

Warmth spreads across my chest, and my fangs retract.

She pats my chest. “See? Not such a scary Unseelie after all.”

Wren turns on her heel and sets off down the cobblestone path, heading straight for the Ever Forest that borders the town of Wild Oak Woods.

Leaving me bobbing after her like some kind of child’s toy.

Not such a scary Unseelie after all.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WREN

By the time we reach the first rest stop marked on the map in my new book, I’m in a foul mood.

My feet hurt, the boots the brownie left for me this morning not nearly broken in enough for the type of hiking we’re doing.

Sweat drips along my temple, my hair sticking to my cheek.

A fly drones around my ear, and I swat at it with extreme prejudice.

“Not exactly the morning jaunt you expected?” a cool voice asks, and I turn on my heel and glare at him.

Mr. Monstrous Unseelie fae himself looks as fresh as he did when I met him outside my shop this morning, not a hair out of place and as stunningly handsome as ever.

My stomach growls, and I frown at him as I pull out a cookie from my sack.

“Why are you looking at me like this is my fault?” he asks.

I bite into the cookie with more force than necessary, pointedly ignoring his very valid question. “Aren’t you supposed to be guiding me? Wasn’t that the whole terms of the binding?”

“You haven’t asked me nicely,” he says with a slick smile.

“Will you guide me?” I grumble, taking another bite. Really, it’s a very good cookie—salty toffee bits with huge chocolate chunks, and just crisp enough to be satisfying to bite into. Yum.

“Mmm, that’s still not very nice.” He’s grinning, like this is the most fun he’s had in ages, and some of my grumpiness dissipates because how sad is that?

An early morning hike with a very non-morning witch when you’ve been forced into service.

“Will you please guide me?” I put a little sugar on it.

“Where would you have me guide you?” He bats his eyelashes innocently, and I decide maybe his idea of fun is perverted.

He tilts his head, waiting, and I almost choke on a laugh. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a cat with that same expression a time or two.

“Would you please guide me to the dragon sapphire, oh beautiful and terrifying Unseelie?”

He positively preens, smoothing his elegant, long hands down his muscled chest. “Well, I suppose I could. If you share your cookie with me.”

I sigh. This is not how the binding is supposed to work.

Ugh.

I break the cookie in what would have been half, were it still whole, and he snatches it out of my hand, gobbling it down instantly.

Okaaaay, then.

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