Page 7 of Accidentally Ever After
The first powerful beat of his wings lifted us a few feet off the balcony, and I instinctively grabbed his forearms where they crossed over my stomach. The second beat took us higher, and suddenly we were soaring out over the palace grounds.
“Holy shit!” I gasped, equal parts terrified and exhilarated.
I felt rather than heard his laugh, a rumble against my back. “Open your eyes, Blake,” he said gently. “You’re missing the view.”
I hadn’t even realized I’d squeezed them shut. Cautiously, I opened them and immediately lost my breath for a different reason.
The fairy realm spread below us like a living painting. Forests glowed with internal light, rivers sparkled with something that wasn’t quite water, and in the distance, mountains floated impossibly among clouds that shimmered with rainbow hues. Above, stars clustered in constellations I’d never seen, some pulsing like heartbeats.
“It’s… incredible,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Caelen agreed, but when I glanced back, he was looking at me, not the view.
We flew in silence for a while, his wings carrying us in lazy circles above the palace. The sensation was unlike anything I’d experienced—smoother than any airplane, more intimate than any carnival ride. I gradually relaxed against him, letting my head rest back against his shoulder.
“This is my favorite time,” he said quietly. “When the night blooms fully and the realm dreams. Up here, I can simply be Caelen, not the prince.”
Something in his tone—a loneliness I recognized—made me turn slightly in his arms. “Is it hard? Being a prince?”
His wings adjusted our course slightly before he answered. “It is all I have ever known. But yes, there are… burdens. Expectations. The constant awareness that your actions affect an entire realm.”
“Sounds lonely,” I said before I could stop myself.
His arms tightened fractionally around me. “It has been. Until now.”
The simple statement hung in the air between us as we drifted back toward the palace. As we neared my balcony, I became acutely aware of how perfectly our bodies fit together, how natural it felt to be held in his arms.
It’s just the magic bond thing, I told myself.Not real attraction.
Caelen landed us gently on the balcony but didn’t immediately release me. For a moment, we stood there, his arms around my waist, my back against his chest, his wings creating a cocoon around us both.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he said softly, his lips close to my ear.
I turned in his arms, intending to step away, but found myself caught in his gaze instead. This close, I could see that his eyes weren’t simply purple—they were a universe of violet and indigo with flecks of silver like stars.
“You’re welcome,” I said, my voice embarrassingly husky.
His gaze dropped to my mouth, and for one heart-stopping moment, I thought he might kiss me. Part of me—a part I wasn’t ready to acknowledge—hoped he would.
Instead, he stepped back, wings folding behind him. “Rest well, Blake Morgan,” he said formally, though his eyes remained warm. “Tomorrow brings new discoveries.”
After he returned to his own chambers, I collapsed onto my ridiculous fairy bed, heart racing. What the hell was happening to me? Twenty-four hours ago, I was furious about being tricked into this arrangement. Now I was disappointed that a fairy prince hadn’t kissed me?
It’s the magic bond, I reminded myself firmly.It’s already working on me.
But as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help wondering—if the magic only enhanced existing compatibility, what did that say about the flutter in my chest when Caelen looked at me?
Chapter 2
The next morning, I woke to find a garment box on the table in my sitting room with a note in elegant script: “For comfort. -C”
Inside was clothing in the human style—jeans, t-shirts, and button-ups that looked suspiciously like they’d come from my own closet.
“Had these brought from your dwelling,” Melronna explained when she arrived. “His Highness thought you might feel more at ease.”
The thoughtfulness of the gesture made something warm unfurl in my chest. I chose jeans and a simple blue button-up, immediately feeling more like myself.
When I emerged from my rooms, I found Caelen waiting in the corridor, dressed more casually than I’d seen him before in a simple tunic that left his arms bare and those clingy fairy pants that seemed to be standard issue.
