Page 49 of How To Tame A Trickster Fae

“I, uh,” she stammers, pushing a stray lock of golden-blonde hair from her forehead. “I don’t know, maybe we can read up on how to break the binding before we fulfill our purpose together.”

“No,” I say vehemently, and she startles, blinking up at me with those sea-blue eyes. “I’m not interested in breaking the binding. We will find your dragon sapphires, and you will allow me to…” I search for the word, trying to figure out a way to say what I mean.

“Court me?” she asks, a slight hopeful tilt to her lips that makes me want to fucking ravish her.

“Court you until you decide to let me ruin you for all other males and keep you to myself forever,” I snarl. “Call it courting if you will.”

She simply stares at me, her mouth slightly open in shock, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Oh.”

“Oh,” I echo, feeling like more of a complete idiot than I ever have in my long life. I brush my fingers through my hair, then a chill breeze reminds me I’m half-naked in the Ever Forest, and I slip my shirt back on.

“Well,” I say expansively. “Shall we continue to search for your sapphires?”

Her pink tongue darts out as she licks her lips. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Her long hair falls over her shoulder as she cants her head up at me, scrutinizing and so adorable I have half a mind to tuck her under one arm and carry her around.

“Now you do,” I make myself say mildly, because I know enough about the golden witch to know she would not appreciate being carried around.

“Are you sure it isn’t from the cookie?”

“Do you wish it were?” The question slips out before I can think better of it.

It hangs between us for a long moment.

A grey squirrel skitters into the clearing then stops, standing on its hind feet and glancing between us before darting back the way it came, deciding this was not an answer it wanted to stick around and hear.

“No,” she says, and it’s faint.

I’m selfish enough to take that as her full stamp of approval.

“Good. Then prepare yourself to be wooed.”

“Wooed?”

“Wooed.” I nod emphatically. “And the first order of wooing is finding your sapphires so that you can achieve your goal. Then I will make you a delicious dinner, rub your feet, which I can tell are hurting, and you’ll decide to let me kiss you again.”

“I will?”

“Yes.” I point through the trees, eyes narrowing. “I think the rocks you want are this way.”

I don’t wait for her to argue or agree, simply set off in the direction of the tug of jewel ore in my gut.

All things underground belong to the Underhill, and my witch was bright enough to recognize I’d be her best bet in locating the vein of gems.

I always did like a clever girl.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

WREN

Iam, for once in my life, completely without any idea of what to say or do.

“Maybe we should go back?” I finally venture. I’ve been trailing behind Caelan with my mind whirling ever since he declared he would be wooing me and ruining me for other men.

Er, males, I suppose, considering he’s not a man.

“Because your feet hurt?” he asks, finally pausing, glancing over his shoulder at me.

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