Page 60 of Faking with the Fae King

“One more,” he murmurs in my ear, his voice velvety and rich. “Find me one more, even larger animal, and we’ll call it a day.”

Closing my eyes, I let my magic spool outward in a spiral. It’s so hard to not be distracted by the multitude of small animals that it takes what feels like ages to spot something larger.

“That way.” I point. “There’s something there.”

Severin flies us to a break in the treetops, coming to a hover over a small glen. Blackberry bushes line one side, their tops picked over, though their sides hang heavy with deep-purple berries. A huge black bear lazes on the ground beside them, enjoying the last rays of sun, and two cubs roll and tussle across the clearing, rearing up onto their hind legs to face off like a couple of tiny boxers as they swat at each other.

I remain quiet, watching in awe as the mother says, “You two, play nice.”

“Yes, Ma!” the little ones chorus, racing over to chase each other up and down a tree trunk, claws scrabbling against the bark.

“Are you going to talk to them?” Severin murmurs directly into my ear.

I shake my head. They’re wild and carefree, their little family perfectly content. Anything I did right now would only disturb them. I whisper, “Take me back to town.”

Orange streaks the sky as the sun starts to set, painting the bottoms of the fluffy clouds with one last splash of color. Lights appear as Ferndale Falls comes into view, dim spots of radiance that grow brighter as the sunlight fades. By the time we set down in the middle of the green, the birds are singing their last songs of evening.

“Finn?” I call out.

Severin stops me with a hand on my arm. “Feel for him. Call to him with your magic instead.”

“More practice?” I quirk my lips.

“Of course.”

He’s right. I fight off fatigue and call upon my magic, sending it rippling outward. “Finn’s not on the green.”

“Where is he?”

I frown, pushing harder, finding mice, cats, birds, squirrels, and the occasional dog. But where’s my little fox buddy? I keep going, searching for the familiar feel of Finn.

There!

My eyes snap open. “He’s in the woods behind my cottage, waiting for me to come home.”

Severin smiles, sharp and handsome, taking my breath away. “I knew you had power.”

“Thank you.” We need to talk about everything that happened last night, but I don’t want to disrupt the ease we’ve found with each other today. We’ve gone fromawkward to comfortable, and I know it’s a bit cowardly, but I really don’t want to make things weird again.

Plus, it’s less than two days to the next trial. I need to focus on learning my magic so I can win. “Today’s been such a huge help.”

“We’ll practice again tomorrow evening once you’re off work,” he says.

“Sounds great.”

With this breakthrough I’ve had, I’m going to win this next trial. I just know it!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Hannah

Oh, shit. I have no idea how to win this next trial.

All my confidence of the last two days dries up like spilled water in the Sahara.

When Naomi and the other representatives placed their hands on the bridal crystal, it transported everyone here, to the waterfall. Then a scroll appeared in front of Varyn, and he read, “Today’s trial is the trial of strength. Although time was not a factor in the first trial—”

I squirm as everyone looks at me.

---