Page 62 of Promises and Pixie Dust

At the time, it felt like we didn’t have a choice. Looking back, it was obvious that we did, and we made the wrong one. I would never forgive myself for that.For any of it.

I shook the images off and focused on the task at hand.

It wasn’t long before I found my way to the living quarters. I moved down the hall, ducking in and out of the shadows, even though the floor seemed relatively empty. A door opened further down, and the sound of laughter flooded the hallway.

Though it was mingled with another voice, I wouldn’t mistake that sound for anything in the world.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Lina emerged from one of the rooms with another woman. She was dressed in a flowing, silver gown that suited her far more than the simple dresses her mother had made her. It hugged the curves I’d never known she possessed, and accented every feminine inch of her. But what stood out the most was the sparkling jewel woven into her hair.

She looked like a princess.She is a princess.

Their laughter echoed down the hallway, following them to wherever they were headed next.

Once I was certain they were gone, I crept into the room they’d been in. I told myself that I needed to speak with her… just to be sure that what I witnessed was real. That she really was safe. That they were treating her well. For hours, I told myself everything but the truth.

That I just want to see her—one last time.

39

Lina

As soon as we entered the ballroom, I felt as if I’d stopped breathing. Fairies flew around the room, pinning vines and streamers near the ceiling. They hung lanterns filled with glowing moss, and braided small white flowers into the vines. It looked magical.

I spun in a slow circle to take it all in. There were tables being set up around the edges of the room, and a dance floor was being polished in the middle.

“You’re doing it again,” Aster whispered, looking me up and down.

I groaned as I took in the pale silver color that had overtaken me, almost the exact shade of my dress. It was now shifting to a deep, shimmering pink, instead.

“Frolicking centaurs!” I cursed under my breath, and Aster laughed.

“That’s one I haven’t heard before. And it’s okay. We’ll get you used to it. Just take a deep breath in through your nose, and slowly release through your mouth three times. Then, think about the color you want to be. Make yourself that color.”

I arched my brow and stared at her.

“Don’t you look at me like that.” She laughed. “You’re thinking about it too hard. It should come naturally.”

“Fine,” I said, doubtfully.

Closing my eyes, I focused on taking deep breaths in, slowly releasing again and again until she clapped her hands.

I looked down at my arms, and they were back to their neutral rose-gold.

“That’s so weird.” I gasped, turning them over to see if the color had spread to the other side.

“Speaking of weird. There’s my brother.” She pointed across the room to where the queen was standing with a few other fairies.

“Come on. Let’s introduce you before we take lunch.”

Without another word, she was dragging me across the floor, with the same quick pace that she seemed to do everything in.

“Lark, Lina. Lina, Lark,” she said as soon as we reached the group.

Queen Cassia cleared her throat disapprovingly at her daughter, and I felt a blush rising under my skin. I quickly stifled it, using the method Aster had taught me, and was relieved to see the queen’s nod of approval.

“Yes, Lina. This is my son. Prince Larkspur,” she added, after a moment.

When Aster said “weird,” I’d expected a gangly and awkward teenage boy, not the handsome man that stood before me.

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