Page 97 of Kiss and Spell

“Done. Write it in my study now. I’ll get it to him.”

“Two, do you know anyone who can make me a quick flower crown?”

“I do. What’s the last favor?”

“I’m going to need a dress. Do you know any good stores?”

Whitney took Ursula by the hand and pulled her out of the tearoom. “Let’s get my purse and my feather wand. We’re going to the outlet mall.”

My Dearest Xavier,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. Whitney gave me your letter. For someone who claims to be a tin prince and says he doesn’t have a heart, you’ve got so much love to give away. Stories can change. Witches borrow wings and frolic with the fae. Princes can live happily ever after without their castle and crowns. All you have to do is decide which story you want to tell and then make it a reality.

I’ve enclosed your ticket to the ball. I’ll be there with flowers in my hair.

If you don’t show, then I’ll have my answer and I’ll leave you to your realm.

Always,

Ursula

He’d read her letter a dozen times. He’d studied every i and every t, trying to figure out if there was something he was missing between the lines. She was letting him choose his path. She had his name, but she was letting him decide. He held the ball ticket in his hand.

“You’ve got mail, Prince Xavier?”

The Faerie Queen poured them each a cup of tea and set them up with snacks in the salon. She didn’t rush, making sure to fill the teacup all the way to the top, humming to herself. Xavier held back a troubled sigh. Midsummer was in less than seventy-two hours. Royals openly discussed their plans to go to the Grove and have a passionate fling. He’d locked himself in his study until it was time for him to have tea with the Faerie Queen.

“I do love a good tea in the afternoon.” She handed Xavier his cup, then made herself comfortable on the plush seat with her own drink. “Shall we start?” The Queen glanced at him. “Tell me who’s got you sighing so sadly like that.”

The teacup rattled in his hands as he placed it on his lap. He had a serious case of butter hands; everything seemed to be so slippery. He focused on trying not to break this cup into a dozen pieces.

“She’s just a friend,” he said.

The Queen gave him a side-eye. “Oh, she must be a very special friend if you won’t say her name.”

Indeed, she was special. He downed his tea in one gulp, trying not to think of the letter burning in his pocket. The brew filled him with a warmth he needed after the coldness of the day.

“Would you like another cup?” she offered.

“I’m afraid tea won’t help my situation.”

“I think your situation would change if you went home,” the Queen said.

“I am home,” he said a little more sharply than he intended. He’d come back. He’d kept his promise.

Her eyes brimmed with tenderness. “Are you certain about that? This place is where you started, but is it where you want to end up?”

“I can’t stay,” Xavier said. For the second time in a month, his heart broke. He placed the teacup on the table with a clatter. He yearned for Ursula, body and soul. He missed his new home.

The Queen took his hand and squeezed. “You think I enchanted you for fun?”

Bile rose in his throat, making his neck hot. “I don’t know.”

Her wings fluttered. “It was to rescue that heart of yours.”

Xavier blinked. His brain tried to make sense of what he was being told.

“Your mother wrote me. She told me about her beautiful son who buried his heart in the center of Earth to keep it safe. I was begged to help you experience the love that she missed out on. I gave you a friendly, enchanted shove in the right direction.”

---