Page 3 of His Summer Prince

Wren rubbed his neck. “Can you show me the way out of your realm? I’m going to be in trouble with my big sister if I’m gone for too long.”

“I know the way.” Elior took Wren’s hand, catching him by surprise. After a moment, Wren returned the gentle hold. Hand in hand, they walked through the woods, brightly colored birds singing in the trees. A flutter of cobalt blue butterflies danced past them as they reached the edge of the forest.

“The veil between the worlds is here,” Elior said, pointing at the space between the trees. Past them, a wide open field expanded. “You can get into the faerie realm by thinking hard of the veil as you enter the forest or by stepping into a ring of mushrooms, but the veil is the only way out.”

Elior extended his hand, brushing the air. Something, so translucent it was almost invisible, swayed as he touched it. “Come,” Elior said, holding Wren’s hand.

Together, they stepped through the veil. A cool, silky fabric brushed Wren, though it could’ve been just the last of the fresh forest air before they entered the human world heated by the afternoon sun. Across the field and down the hill, the shepherd’s hut and the sheep waited for him, their baaing audible from afar.

“Wait,” Elior said as Wren let go of his hand. He fished the biscuit from his pocket and held it out to him. “You can eat it in the human world, right?”

“Yes.” In fact, Wren had been told not to refuse faerie food if offered in his world.

“Take the biscuit. I promise it tastes good.”

Wren’s shoulders dropped. “Do you not want to play with me tomorrow?”

“I do.” Elior looked at his feet. “But you should also have the biscuit.”

A little unsure, Wren accepted the treat. “Thank you.”

Elior’s head snapped up. His eyes were wide with shock.

“Have I said something wrong?” Wren asked.

“Mother says it’s rude to say ‘thank you.’”

“What do you mean?”

“‘Words are no adequate repayment for favors,’” Elior said, again sounding like he was quoting something his mother had said.

“In my world, ‘thank you’ is polite, and it should always be said when someone does something nice for you.”

“Really?” Elior asked, eyes wide.

“Really.”

“Thank you for playing with me today,” Elior said with an impish grin as though he was getting away with something naughty.

Wren laughed. He regarded the biscuit and brought it to his nose. It smelled as good as it looked, honey with a hint of warm spice. He bit off a corner, and sweet goodness crumbled onto his tongue. Humming, Wren closed his eyes, savoring the best taste in the world. Elior had been right, faerie biscuits were very good.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’ll bring you more tomorrow,” Elior said. He didn’t seem to want to spend the next day alone any more than Wren did.

“And I’ll bring my marbles.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Mother says humans lie all the time, but I don’t think that’s true.”

Wren scratched his nose. “My sister says fae are dangerous, but I don’t think that’s true either.”

Elior paused. Then he said, “I’ll learn about humans from you, and you’ll learn about fae from me. Like that, we can be friends.”

Friends. The sun stroked Wren’s skin, and he smiled as warmth spread over his body. He’d like to be friends with Elior.

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