Page 98 of Kiss and Spell

Shock wedged in his throat. Mother asked the Faerie Queen for help.

His face creased. “But Father said he tricked me into going to Freya Grove. He said all I needed was the right ingredients and anyone would fall in love with me.”

The Queen waved a dismissive hand. “Poppycock! You can have the right ingredients and make a mess. I can toss a tomato, vegetable stock, and spinach into a pot and it doesn’t magically create a soup. It’s the love and care you put into those ingredients that turn them into a meal, into something that will feed your soul.”

He bowed his head. The Queen had a point. Father couldn’t have known how he’d respond to being in Freya Grove. He had no way of controlling how he’d react to Ursula and to her magic. Father said whatever he needed to say to get Xavier to return to the Realm with him. He pressed his fingers to his head and growled. Father played him like a fiddle, and he danced right into his trap.

He had to know what went wrong with Mother and Father. Was he destined to fall short of a storybook ending?

He met the Queen’s eyes.

“What about my parents?” he pleaded. “Their happily-ever-after went wrong.”

Her expression turned sad, but thoughtful. “My son, they were barely twenty when they stood before me to say their vows. Hardly old enough to know how their hearts might change. Their union might not have been a love match, but they love you. They loved their people, and they loved their kingdom, enough to give up their own desires and wed.”

Xavier absorbed her words. His parents may have been denied their happy ending due to circumstances, but he didn’t have to give up his. He still had the freedom to choose his ending, but the cost seemed too high. How could he give Ursula a happily-ever-after if he didn’t have his crown?

Xavier cleared his throat. “So, my Queen, what happens now?”

She clucked her tongue. “That depends on you. I just invited you over for tea.”

The Queen snapped her free hand and a piece of paper appeared between her fingers. She read it out loud to him. “‘All I want is to live happily ever after.’ Does this wish sound familiar?”

He took the paper from her with a shaky hand. His fingers traced the simple request. His chest felt as if it were being rubbed raw. He knew her sweet handwriting from watching her scribble and jot down notes. It was Ursula’s wish.

“I thought you’d be the one to make this special request come true,” she said.

His fingers went over the last three words. But Father’s words, cold and harsh, summoned the old doubts. What if all he could offer her was a penniless prince at her doorstep?

“She loves a prince, so what if I can’t be a prince anymore?” he said in a small voice.

A devilish look came into her eyes. “Well, if anyone threatens to take away your royal title, I’ll just bestow you with another.” The Queen tapped her chin. “I’ll knight you. Sir Xavier Henrie George Alder. I like the way that sounds. It has a nice ring to it.”

“I can’t promise her a happily-ever-after,” Xavier admitted. “I’m a second son, a spare. A fae who can’t even fly. Father will take away my title and… she deserves more. She deserves better.”

“Hush,” the Queen said. She placed a light hand on his shoulder. “Tell me what’s better than love? You’re more than just your title.”

It came to him with blinding clarity. There was nothing more than love. He once thought it wasn’t enough to stay in the Grove, that it wouldn’t be enough to bind him to that world. But now, love was bringing him back to Freya Grove and making him strong enough to walk away from this gilded realm. He loved the Grove, the citizens who embraced him as their own and his beloved godmother.

Most of all, Xavier loved Ursula. She was giving him a choice, and he was choosing her. Forever. For always. He wasn’t compelled to break an enchantment. Attend the ball or remain in the Realm. Love her or leave her alone.

If you can’t promise her a title, promise her what you can.

His mind went wild with possibilities. A smile played on his lips. He’d care for their plants. They’d talk over breakfast, meet for lunch, and make love at midnight. He’d brush away her tears and give her reasons to dance and laugh. Promise the breath in his body. Promise all his kisses. Promise her everlasting love. He’d show up at her door with flowers in his hand. Hope lifted his heart; he had done all those things already, but she didn’t know he meant to do them forever. He hadn’t even told Ursula that he loved her. It wasn’t too late for him to show her and tell her how much he completely, wholeheartedly cherished her.

“I have to go back to the castle.” There was so much that he needed to get done within the next twenty-four hours. He needed to talk to Prim and Royce. He needed to talk to Mother and Father. He needed to pack a bag, immediately. Hopefully, he could make it through the glass door and be back in the Grove before midnight.

The Queen smirked at him. “You can borrow my carriage.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Caraways stuck together, and they loved any reason to stay in a hotel room.

Once Whitney, with Mama’s assistance, helped Ursula find her gown, it only made sense to rent a room in the Berkeley Hotel, where the Smitten Ball was taking place. Quentin managed to get Ursula a luxurious suite on the seventh floor at the last minute. She owed him a big bear hug and a jumbo-sized bottle of sandalwood oil.

Sirena and Lucy insisted on staying with Ursula and aiding what was being dubbed Operation HEA or Bust. Sirena had packed them a feast in their portable cooler, and they’d been, in her own words, “princess pregaming with Ursula” for the last two hours. Lucy had styled her hair into a braided updo and helped adjust the white peony and daisy crown. Sirena kept feeding her cheese and crackers with seltzer water, so she didn’t pass out from hunger. Ursula managed to do her makeup and captured the ethereal mood with her lipstick and her eyeshadow. Gwen texted her messages of love and encouragement.

Ursula fiddled with her flower crown, deciding whether to scream or cry. She jiggled her knee attempting to shake the nerves out and fight the urge to run back to her car.

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