Page 9 of Sugar Plum Fae

"Wonder what?"

"You say that the people of Whitlock are unhappier than normal."

She nodded.

"The mayor seems to agree with you."

"It's not right for people to be this sad around Yule."

Roderick bit back a sigh. "Let's agree to disagree on that for the moment. How about we give them a holiday treat?"

"I love treats," she enthused, clasping her hands together.

She was a treat, standing there in the moonlight looking so delectable that all he wanted was to kiss her again. They were on opposite sides of the fae kingdoms; he didn't understand what drew him to her so fiercely.

"If we combine our powers, we could create a magical wishing well for the people of Whitlock. It would grant them their heart's desire."

She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "This doesn't sound at all like something the King of Nightmares would come up with."

He held up a hand. "Every time someone makes a wish rooted in darkness and selfishness, I get a point. Every wish born from kindness, joy, and compassion earns you a point. Whoever has the most points by the end of the season gains control of Whitlock, while the loser is banished forever. What do you say?"

"I should have known you would have an ulterior motive in this." Candace studied him for a moment, weighing the proposal. "Very well," she agreed finally. "But if I win, you'll admit that you were wrong about me."

"Deal," Roderick said, extending his hand to seal their pact. As their fingers brushed, a jolt of energy passed between them, leaving him feeling more alive than he had in centuries.

“This seems a good of a spot as any,” she said, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Placing her palms on the mossy earth, she began to chant. The language was ancient and called to his blood. Candace’s voice was lilting and lovely, and he swayed closer to her, pulled by the sweet sound.

Shaking off the strange trance, Roderick knelt across from her and joined his power to hers. Magic surged between them, heady and intoxicating, and he shuddered. Beside him, Candace drew a sharp breath, her eyes fluttering shut, and a warm, honeyed scent suffused the air.

She extended her hand, the golden aura of her fingertips casting playful shadows on the ground. A charged silence hung between them, thick with the weight of unspoken challenges.

His gaze traced the luminescence dancing upon her skin, a stark contrast to the somber tones of his own essence. She watched him, her head tilted in silent question, the corners of her mouth twitching with suppressed amusement. For amoment, Roderick's dark eyes flickered, uncertainty clouding the usual coldness.

"Scared of a little sunshine?" she teased, the warmth in her voice wrapping around the cold air like a comforting blanket.

Roderick's hesitation waned, and he lifted his hand, callused and shadowed, moving it toward hers. The distance closed with an inevitability that felt both dangerous and thrilling.

As their hands met, the space between them pulsed with newfound energy. Her sunlit power mingled with his darker force, and for a fleeting second, Roderick wondered if the world might shatter under the strain of their combined strength.

Around them, the colors of nightmares and dreams collided, weaving an intricate tapestry of light and darkness. His power was a haunting melody to her bright symphony, a fusion that should've been discordant but instead played out in an intoxicating harmony.

"Looks like we're more compatible than we thought," Candace said.

"Or our powers are conspiring against us," Roderick countered, feeling the pull of her energy tugging at the edges of his control.

Together, they set to work creating the wishing well. As they combined their powers, realization hit him like a wave crashing against the shore.

"Is something wrong?" Candace asked, sensing his discomfort.

"I didn't realize how much magic it would take to create the well. But we can't use up all our energy in the process. The only solution is to tap into more raw and powerful magic."

Candace's cheeks flushed. "Blood, sex, or death."

"I don't feel like dying tonight," he said.

"And I don't want to bleed."

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