Page 45 of Bound to the Fae Assassin

What is happening to me?

It was hard not to think of his uncle, a proud Fae who had lost his heart to a mortal, and then lost his life.

And then the Queen had lost her mind.

I’m not falling for Farrow.

When the wall went up, most of the Fae had been infuriated. It seemed that only his mother had let walls go up around her heart as well. With her beloved brother gone, she would have let the whole kingdom rot, her own son included.

Yet this mortal girl had snuck in through a crack, softening his mother’s eyes.

And now she crept, unbidden into Blackthorn’s heart. too. The warmth of the little mortal oozing through every crevice of him, sweet and pure, making him feel things he had never felt - anticipation, joy, and terror that his happiness could be in the small, warm hands of another, so easily crushed.

Was the Prince of Swordbrake to be held at the whim of a mortal girl?

“What’s that?” she asked excitedly, rousing him from the battle in his mind.

He followed her gaze and saw a single flower climbing up a wax myrtle hedge. The blossom was white and frilled, underneath was a cluster of bright red berries.

“Pepperberry,” he said. “Those are rare, and to many they are delicious.”

“Poisonous?” she asked carefully.

“No,” he told her. “But very spicy. They’re good for flavoring meats and vegetables.”

“Let’s grab them,” she told him. “I have an idea.”

Echo cantered over without input from Blackthorn, which wasn’t something that had ever happened before.

He watched as she slid from the horse’s back and eagerly harvested the berries and bloom.

“For presentation,” she told him, smiling as she placed the flower and berries in the basket.

He nodded to her and offered her his hand.

She took it, allowing him to help her up for the first time.

Her scent mixed with the peppery fragrance of the flower and berries in the basket, making him feel almost lightheaded.

“I think I’ll use them in a chocolate cake,” she said dreamily.

“Chocolate and spice don’t go together,” he said automatically.

“A lot of unexpected things go together,” she said softly. “If you give them a chance.”

Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a devastatingly close crash of thunder.

“We should go,” she said worriedly. “The storm will bring on the darkness.”

He urged Echo faster, trying not to overthink what she had said.

A lot of unexpected things go together, if you give them a chance…

Chapter 20

Farrow

The next day, Farrow stood inside the bakers’ tent just outside the royal rose garden, her heart in her mouth as she surveyed the ingredients on her table.

---