Page 27 of Finding Love with the Fae King

“Freer with their bodies?” My breath hitched. “Good gracious.”

After a few minutes of trying to get the dress on and Maxine checking on me multiple times, she huffed while finally tightening the strings on the corset. It was a simple A-line dress in a champagne color.

Gold threading wove through the fabric, and small white and black flowers stood out on every hemline. It was exotically beautiful and something I would have never picked for myself. Maxine came behind me, pulled my ponytail down, and let my hair cascade down my back.

“He’s going to love this on you!” She squeezed my shoulders as she whispered.

The front was low, but not overly so, just more so than what I was used to. The X-shaped cross on the front of the corset and the tie in the back made it look elegant.

Maxine threw the curtain open with a loud grunt, and in front of me was not only Osirus, but his men. Osirus sat on a lounge chair with a leg hanging over the side, acting like he owned the place. Heck, he probably could. An instant shade of red was felt from my cheeks down to my toes as I saw everyone staring at me. My heart was racing, and I scooted to the side of the curtain, trying to hide.

“Everyone out,” Osirus’s smooth voice spoke as he stood up and straightened his attire.

“Oy, is he going to take her ‘ere?” Finley said, smirking. Alaneo smacked the back of his head roughly as he began to push the other guards out. “Hey! It’s a fair question! I know I would!”

Braxton laughed loudly as the door shut behind them. Maxine still stood at the far corner of the store, watching Osirus step toward me. Not one footstep could be heard from him as he sauntered over.

His hand came up to my cheek, and I instantly felt the sparks fly. Listening to my body, I let him rub his thumb over my chin as I bent closer, our eyes never leaving each other. “You are utterly breathtaking,” he whispered. Osirus leaned in and kissed my cheek, close to the side of my mouth. A small gasp left my lips as I held my face where his hand was. “Do you like the dress?”

“Yes, i-it’s beautiful.” I looked down, twirling it around. I started swaying it back and forth, amazed at how the dress flowed with the floor.

My biological mother never bought me fun dresses like this as a kid. You know how all the girls would run around in tutus and beautiful princess dresses on their birthdays? I envied those girls. Instead, I wore secondhand jeans and a Dora the Explorer t-shirt that had seen better days. They had the money but preferred not wasting it on clothes I would grow out of in a year’s time.

“Good, we will take the lot.” Osirus untied his waistband next to his sword’s sheath and tossed a small bag of coins.

“Your Majesty?” Maxine looked wide-eyed as she looked at the coins.

“You heard me. Pack them up, and I will send someone to pick them up.” Osirus took my hand in his and led me out the door.

“You can’t just buy me a bunch of clothes!” Osirus’s eyes grew wide as he pulled back my hand. “I don’t need them! I was given some to wear during the time I was supposed to be vacationing here.”

Osirus chuckled as he grabbed my hand again. “Darling, get used to being spoiled because I intend to do it more.”

“I’m not your sugar baby. I can buy things myself. I’ve got my own money.” Osirus continued to drag me out of the small town and onto the path in the forest.

“I won’t hear any more of that. You’re a queen now and will be treated as such. Nothing less for my love. Besides”—he paused and whispered in my ear—“I’ll be ripping them off so often you should have an extensive wardrobe of the finest clothing.” I gasped and pushed him off me, which was difficult to do since he was menacingly tall.

“Pervert.” I scoffed while he just laughed. An honest laugh he did, the first time I had ever heard him. It was so joyous; it reminded me of a Christmas I had always dreamed of. Sitting with your parents, opening presents, and watching Santa Claus movies on television was a dream of mine. Yeah, that didn’t happen to me, but it reminded me of it. I hoped to spoil my children with everything I didn’t have. My heart instantly warmed, and I gave him the biggest grin.

“What are you smiling about, Melina?” His smile was enormous, showing off his perfect teeth. There was a twinkle in his eye that I saw the moment we first laid eyes on each other the day before.

“You.” I blushed. “When you laugh, it is just a pleasant sound. I can’t explain it. It just reminded me of something.”

“And what did it remind you of?” My smile faltered a bit. Sensing my battle, he squeezed my hands a few times. “Come, I want to show you something.”

We walked for the next twenty minutes through the dense forest but always stayed on the path. Some parts were darker than others, and you could see brief flickers of light from pixies and whisps. Many would come by and buzz around Osirus’s head, some even bowing and making tinkling noises, while he would just smile and nod at them. This continued for the next few minutes until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“What are they saying? They are talking to you, right?” Osirus nodded, and another pixie flew up, this time sitting on his shoulder and looking down at me.

She cupped her hand, tinkled in his ear to tell him a secret, and came down in front of me. I held out my hand so she could sit on it. She was small, just under six inches. Her face had the same structure as a human’s but was more pointed and slender. Small leaves and cloth were woven to fit her curvy body. Her eyes were enormous for her face, and her ears not only pointed outwards but had feather-like tendrils falling to her back. When she smiled, her mouth was full of sharp, pointed teeth. This observation didn’t scare me like I thought it would, but maybe it was because werewolves had fangs, and so far, I hadn’t been bitten.

The little pixie started talking to me like she knew me and told me about her day. I was confused the whole time but nodded my head for her to continue. As she was done, she flew up, kissed my cheek, and flew away.

“What was that all about?” I giggled.

“Leah was letting you know how excited she is that you are to be Queen. She hopes you can help with a few requests for the pixies. When you nodded your head, you agreed to let the pixies have a representative at Court.” My mouth opened wide.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. I was trying to be nice!” I panicked.

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