Page 5 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

"I am not prejudiced!"I snapped, satisfaction filling me as his silver gaze widened.My fingers tightened around my dagger's hilt, knuckles paling.Then fear sliced through me as I realized he knew what I was.But underneath the fear was something else, a warmth that bloomed in my chest when he looked at me like that.As if he saw something precious rather than threatening.The feeling was so foreign, so inexplicable, it left me more unsettled than his knowledge of my heritage.

Anger won, and I boiled from ears to toes with the need to stab him.If this was my final moment, so be it.I would stare death in the eyes and not look away.

He took a step forward, unbothered by my weapon, a smirk lifting his lips as if he enjoyed provoking me.How dare this man think he could intimidate me, take pleasure in my discomfort?I stood my ground, not letting his nearness force me back.

I sheathed the dagger and crossed my arms over my chest, hoping he took it as a sign that he didn't concern me.

With my chin tilted, I narrowed my gaze."I am not afraid of you."

"You should be.I'm exactly what your people taught you to fear."His voice carried genuine warning, not seduction, but the shiver that ran down my spine had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the way his voice seemed to resonate in my bones.

He took another step forward, and when he spoke next, the warmth of his breath tickled my nose.His gaze flicked toward the side of my head, to my covered ears."I think you know that."

"So, you are going to kill me then."I didn't phrase it as a question.With him this close and me so powerless, there was no stopping this outcome if it was what he desired.

"Now, why would I want to do that?"he asked, jerking back a step as if my words had shocked him.

I took the room he'd given me and reacted within a second."I don't know," I said, the tip of my dagger, within my grip again in a second, causing a slight indent in the pale skin of his throat.I didn’t even flinch, the blade steady in my healer’s hold."You tell me, you black-hearted, unseelie scoundrel."

He had the decency to lift his hands into the air, but still, pure delight crossed his stormy eyes even as his smirk grew wider.I pressed my dagger deeper until a pebble of crimson coated its tip.

"Oh, how I love the insults that always fall from those beautiful lips," he said, his throat bobbing against my blade."I must say, the dagger is a lovely addition to these games."

His words made no sense.He spoke as if he knew me, but I wasn’t going to back down."This is a very real dagger, and a true danger to your throat.I don't see any games here."

"My mistake, princess."

I swallowed hard, trying to force my breathing to slow even as my heart continued to thud rapidly.Princess.He couldn't know, could he?

"I'm not a princess.Don't call me that."

He grinned."It's just a term of endearment.I am no monster.I meant what I said.I mean you no harm.Do you think we could do away with the sharp and pointy?"

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care, but you will stay away from me."I lowered my weapon and took a purposeful step back.

His gaze followed the blade as it dropped."That's an unseelie dagger."He reached for it, but I jerked back.It was mine, though I couldn't remember when or how I’d obtained it.As I tried to focus on those lost memories, that same fuzziness filled my mind.I gave up trying, shoving the crimson-tipped blade back into its sheath.

I tossed the blanket around my wares, grabbed my cart's handle, and hurried away.The glass bottles clinked as I pulled it along the cobbled streets toward the path home, yet with each step, I still felt his lingering presence.He was following me.I dropped the cart's handle with a resounding thud as I spun."I said go away!"

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly, his silver gaze widening."I've just not seen one of our kind in quite some time."

I almost sneered at him."We are not the same kind, you and me.You're a murderous unseelie and I'm...not."

Picking up my cart, I continued toward the town's edge.He followed, his deep voice almost singing."There's that prejudice again, princess.It really isn't a pretty look for you."

He sauntered closer, hands deep in his pockets, moving with the steady grace that only fae possessed.A grace that I, despite also being fae, lacked.

"I'm not prejudiced.I'm just being honest.You are..."I waved my free hand up and down, indicating his unseelie heritage, "and I'm?—"

"A very beautiful fae female.Yes, I know," he interrupted, lips curling into a crooked grin.

My cheeks flushed at his words, and I hated that my mind chose that moment to remind me of just how gorgeous he was.I gave my eyes a dramatic roll.The deadliest things were always presented in the prettiest packaging.My work with plants and herbs had taught me that much over the years.

I halted, not wanting to show this man the way to my cottage."We are different," I exclaimed, arms folding over my chest.

"Are we though?"

I lowered my voice to a whisper."You are unseelie."