Page 27 of Fae Unleashed
Feri sputtered. “What? Why? Of all the things to say—”
“I meant it.” I leaned forward in my seat. “I don’t want prissy Fae sneering at me. I don’t want them judging me for the things I can’t change about myself. Do you think that’s something I deserve?”
He puffed up. “You should hold yourself to higher standards then.”
“What standards? Yours? Why should that matter to me?”
Feri cocked his head like the question made no sense to him. I shook mine because I didn’t want to argue with a ferret anymore. Everyone had an idea of who I should be and what I should be like. My opinion didn’t matter to them as long as they could mold me into what they needed me to be.
I had the creeping fear that even Rhoan had the same ideas. He wouldn’t know what to do with me if I couldn’t be his princess to protect. I wanted to get off the pedestal he’d put me on and be more than that. He wasn’t having it.
Once again, I thought about that potion meant to protect my heart from love. Every time I’d tried to make it, I’d been rudely interrupted like fate was wagging a finger in my face. What was I supposed to do? Suffer through these feelings instead?
That hardly seemed fair with all I’d been through. I didn’t want to sit on the roof of my building and mope over a man who wouldn’t return my feelings when I should have been preparing for a war. Once this war ended, then I would be able to move on with my life.
I ran both hands over my face and pried my aching body out of the lawn chair. These things weren’t meant for sleeping. Heading downstairs to my apartment allowed me to stretch my taut muscles. I made my way to the kitchen and lifted my arms high above my head to work out the last little knots before starting in on breakfast.
As I worked, I took in the state of my home. There were pixies, passed out drunk, in my hanging plants. Several gnome-sized fae were face down on my table. One slept with his hand in his pants right in the middle of my table. Even stranger was the mini grove of trees in the far corner. Their feminine shapes reminded me of the dryad that’d first approached me—she must have invited friends. Was that how they slept?
I didn’t hate this sight. This was my court. It was a mess of mismatched fae living in the midst of my cozy home. When I finished making a big pan of potatoes and a mixing bowl of scrambled eggs, I took a wooden spoon and banged it against the bottom of a pan to wake everyone.
The gnome creatures jerked awake. One of the dryads popped out of her tree form and fell flat on her ass in shock. I offered a hand down to her and helped her to her feet. She stared at me in awe when I expected grumpy annoyance. It seemed she recognized me. Perhaps she couldn’t believe the Seelie princess was helping her up.
Her eyes didn’t look me up and down with derision. She didn’t distance herself from me once I released her hand. I didn’t even catch her wiping her hand clean after I touched it. The dryad woman treated me with reverence that few others had given me.
For a moment, I actually felt like a princess.
Shit, that was the first time. With everyone shoving the idea down my throat, there’d been nothing to really wash it down until now. I ducked my head to hide my blush as emotions overwhelmed me. These people who were helping me feel like maybe this fight would be worth it deserved more.
I set about preparing waffles. They were the only way I knew how to say thanks. Crisp and fluffy homemade waffles with fresh whipped cream took time and dedication, a kind of promise that I’d give everything else I do for them the same treatment.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rhoan watching from a distance. He leaned back against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a soft smile on his face. My face warmed, but I blamed it on the heat of the waffle iron and not the hot fae man with long black hair bound back by delicate braids.
He had no right being that hot.
When he finally came up, he approached me—not the food. I turned and put my back to the counter. Rhoan closed the space between us which made my heart stutter wildly. He pressed closer. I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.
You’re giving the most confusing mixed signals, I thought when our breaths mingled in the narrow space between us.
His warmth canceled out the heat of the iron behind me. All I could feel was Rhoan. He was all I could see, smell, even taste as the memory of his kiss blossomed on the tip of my tongue. Deep within me, my core answered with need. I throbbed just thinking about how he would feel pressed against me.
The corner of his mouth lifted when his lavender eyes met mine and he reached…past me. He stepped back with a plate in hand and heaped it full of waffles before retreating.
I gaped at the audacity of that man. My body still tingled from the way the heat from his body had caressed mine. I muttered a curse specifically for him under my breath, turned, and plopped more waffle batter onto the iron.
If he was going to keep me at a distance, then what was the point of teasing me like that? I didn’t understand him. Out of annoyance, I sent my arcana out to lift the flooring ever so slightly. I heard Rhoan’s boot collide with the little roadblock I’d created.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him stumble forward. He caught himself, but not before his waffles went flying. The throb of my core eased. Little bastard.
The small fae all watched Rhoan with smirks. Nothing slid past their attention. They’d watched him tease me and get his comeuppance. To them, it was funny. The air was easy and filled with quiet laughter while everyone ate.
Then, the door opened, and Taliesin appeared. He straightened his jacket only to pause mid-motion. He took in the apartment filled with small fae, and the corners of his eyes tightened. He didn’t try to disguise the purse of his lips when he looked to me.
I gave him a wave with my flour-covered fingers and dared him to challenge me. Taliesin was on our side, but he wasn’t in charge here. This was my home, and I would welcome anyone I wanted.
Still, the man marched over to me with purpose in his steps.
Rhoan
