Page 36 of Bride of the Fae Prince

A pleased smirk stretches across his face. And then he rolls toward me, his free arm coming around me as he pulls me into an embrace. His lips press against the skin near my ear. A gasp catches in my throat.

“Then you won’t hear me say that you have the sweetest little snores,” he murmurs.

I go stiff in his arms. “Snores? I s-s-snore?”

He chuckles, his hand sliding up to tangle in my hair again. He pulls back enough to look down at me, and I think I might drown in his smile. Then, just for a swift instant, his eyes drop to my lips. He immediately looks away, clears his throat, and unwraps his arms from me, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

Cold washes over me. I draw the blankets up to my shoulders and try not to shiver.

“A tray was brought in while you were asleep,” Ash says as he pulls on his boots, buckles on his knives, and swings his overcoat onto his shoulder. He nods toward the table where there is, indeed, a tray of food and a freshly brewed pot of tea. “Your maid is waiting outside to aid you in dressing, I assume.” He doesn’t look at me, drawing that briskness around himself like a cloak. “I will be back shortly.”

He’s leaving me? Why does my gut sink like I am disappointed? I sit up, holding the blankets to my chest andtucking my hair behind my ear to keep it out of my face. “Where are you g-going?”

“To see that my people are ready to leave. We must not waste time in returning to Faerieland.”

“Will I see my f-family?”

“Do you wish to?”

I nod.

“Very well. Then you shall bid them farewell before we leave.”

Leave.Leave—the human world. My people. Aursailles. My family. Amelia. This is when the rest of my life begins, in a strange place and among strange people I do not understand.

After last night and this morning, I’m less afraid of it all. Which is perhaps not a good thing. But Ash is someone I can trust, someone who will be good and kind to me.

Perhaps we’ve been wrong about the fae.

Whatever the case, if this marriage, this life ahead of me, will save my people, I will face it.

Ash bids me good morning and leaves me to eat my breakfast, while a different maid than the one who attended me last night comes to brush out the tangles he left in my hair.

Chapter 16

The Prince

Part of me hopesRahk won’t be waiting outside our chamber. Of course, he is. Why does he have to be so dependable? I stride past him and launch into instructions for preparing to leave. “Please arrange for a carriage—”

“Already done,” he says, matching my pace.

“Each fae we brought needs to be accounted for. I won’t have one getting left behind and wreaking havoc.”

“Already done. Your warriors are guarding them now.”

Each order is met with the same answer, that it’s already been done. I stop, frowning. “Did you do all this?”

“Me? I’ve been guarding your door since last night. Edvear did everything and reported to me early this morning that once you gave the word to leave, they’re ready.”

I give a rueful chuckle. “He is always a step ahead of me. I’ll be quite bereft when my father gets around to killing him.” My tone isn’t quite as cavalier as I intend.

Rahk glances at me, too knowing. “It went well then?”

I look up. “What went well?”

He merely raises an eyebrow.

Last night.

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