by Erica Ridley
Eventually, the jackalopes came to a stop in front of the Elders’ High Court. Daisy and Trevor stepped out of the cart, gingerly stretching their cramped muscles.
A waiting troll motioned toward the big front doors. “You’re expected in Salon C.”
Daisy leaned closer to Trevor and whispered, “It’s weird going into a courtroom as something other than the defendant.”
The defendant, in this case, was seated next to her lawyer when they walked into the overflowing courtroom. The sullen, no-longer-practicing tooth fairy glared at Daisy.
The stands bustled and swarmed like an inter-dimensional soccer championship.
Her parents and Maeve were along one side, a little too far away for anything more than blown kisses and joyful waves. Everybody Daisy knew and many she didn’t packed the aisles.
D.A. Livinia Sangre faced the audience and announced, “I call the human Trevor Masterson to the stand.”
He squeezed Daisy’s hand before heading to the witness stand to be sworn in.
“Human,” D.A. Sangre began. “When Daisy le Fey first entered your tent in Costa Rica, did she mention why she was there?”
Trevor cleared his throat. “To fetch a tooth,” he answered, “belonging to Angus, age 8.”
“And were you Angus, age 8?”
“Um, no. I’m Trevor, age 33. Five years younger than Angus the Explorer when he died over 800 years ago.”
The D.A. whirled to face the jury. “The witness was not Angus,” she cried, one pointy nail jabbing the air to emphasize her words. “Angus was already dead.” With that proclamation, she took her seat. “Your witness, Ms. Phoque.”
Vivian’s attorney, a sultry blonde selkie, made her way to the stand.
“Mr. Masterson,” she said, her voice a low purr. “Isn’t it possible the defendant sent her apprentice to you purely on accident?”
“Are you kidding?” He laughed in disbelief. “Kind of like she pawned off a Himalayan Lust Charm on us totally ‘on accident’?”
Daisy grinned. Note to self: Plant a massive kiss on Trevor’s mouth.
“Lies,” Vivian burst out from the witness stand. “Never trust a human!”
“Control your client,” Judge Banshee shrieked, hopping across her desk toward Ms. Phoque.
Trevor glared at Vivian. “If I’m lying, why don’t you put me under a Truth Spell like the one you gave me right before Daisy’s trial?”
“Ha,” Maeve called out from the back row. “I told you he was under a Truth Spell!”
“What?” Daisy’s father thundered. “Unauthorized Truth Spells are against the law.”
Maeve flicked her tail. “That’s what makes them ‘unauthorized’.”
“Daisy can’t be punished for someone else’s crime,” Mama called out. “None of this was ever her fault!”
“Order,” screamed Judge Banshee. “Nobody tells me how to run my courtroom. Ms. Phoque, do you have more questions for this witness?”
“No, Your Honor.”
D.A. Sangre leapt to her feet with catlike grace. “Then I call my next witness, Miss Daisy le Fey, to the stand.”
Daisy stood. Trevor’s knuckles brushed against the back of her hand as they passed each other in the aisle, giving her strength. She slid onto the hard bench to be sworn in.
“The defendant,” D.A. Sangre began, “says we should never trust a human. Miss le Fey, do you trust the human sitting right there?”
“Yes.” She smiled at him. “With my life.”
D.A. Sangre leaned forward. “Did Ms. Valdemeer send you to the wrong tent?”
Daisy considered. “If Vivian hadn’t falsified the collection request, I would’ve never met Trevor. But yes. She knowingly sent me on an impossible mission. I was set up to fail from the start.”
“Did she exhibit any other unmentorlike behavior?”
“Well,” Daisy said slowly. “When the courts mandated I erase his memories with a ForgetMe orb, she gave me a Himalayan Lust Charm instead. As mentioned, she snuck into Trevor’s cell to give him that Truth Spell. Oh, and she attacked my mom in our living room when we caught her trying to spring a different lust charm on my dad. She repeatedly misappropriated the Mortal Locator to spy on me, on my mom, on everything going on down on Earth. She—”
“Lies,” Vivian interrupted, her expression desperate. “She’s a convicted scientist!”
Judge Banshee’s gavel sliced through the air. “Ms. Phoque, if you don’t silence your client, you’ll both be in contempt of court. Ms. Valdemeer, you are not presiding over this courtroom. Based on the testimony, I reverse the ruling sentencing Daisy le Fey to the Edge of Nothing. I believe she’s suffered enough. Livinia, do you have additional questions for this witness?”
D.A. Sangre shook her head. “No, Your Honor.”
“Well, I do.” Ms. Phoque sashayed up to the witness stand. “Miss le Fey. Those are some shocking claims against Ms. Valdemeer. Isn’t it true you have no way to prove any of your wild accusations?”
Daisy’s gaze slid from Ms. Phoque to the rest of the people in the crowd. Everyone stared back at her, eager to hear her next words. Daisy knew Vivian had done those things purposefully. She knew it. But how could anyone ever prove someone else’s motivation? Especially when it was all so easily explained away.
Vivian could claim the falsified collection request form was a typo. She could claim the Himalayan Lust Charm was a silly mistake. Twice. She could claim she thought the Truth Spell had been announced quite properly and she was horrified to learn that it hadn’t. She could even claim she had no idea life on Earth was falling apart for poor Trevor, because she was safely tucked away in her office, painting her nails and putting on—
Wait. No she couldn’t!
“Yes.” Daisy’s voice rang out strong and clear. “I can prove it.”
Ms. Phoque blinked. “What? How?”
“The wall-mounted Mortal Locator in Vivian’s office keeps detailed records of Location Request Logs. I know, because I got busted for looking up Trevor’s address when I was still searching for the Angus tooth.”
“But how do you know Vivian used it for any reason other than to verify incoming collection requests from qualified children?”
“Because I altered the settings through the control panel. Instead of the logs being sent to Vivian, they’re now stored locally in the mirror. When I returned home after the accidental lust charm interlude, I saw Trevor’s address on there. Twice. Once when I looked him up, and once when I was there. Er, with him. Vivian watched the whole thing.”
The courtroom overflowed with a cacophony of startled exclamations.
Despite the inherent embarrassment, Daisy’s shoulders straightened. “She spied several times after that, too. On me, on Trevor, on my dad. Go check it. You’ll see.”
“You spied on me?” came her father’s incredulous voice.
Vivian sank lower in her chair behind the defense’s table. “Does this mean I lose my rights to mentor aspiring tooth fairies?”
“Honey,” D.A. Sangre said through her four-fanged smile, “this means you lose your right to be a Nether-Netherlandian.”
“Closing argument, Livinia?” Judge Banshee asked.
D.A. Sangre shook her narrow head. “Daisy just provided mine.”
“Ms. Phoque?”
Vivian’s attorney rose to her feet. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. My client should be dealt with lightly. There were many mitigating circumstances, not the least of which is her continued affection for Mr. A.J.—”
“You’ve got to be joking,” Daisy’s father interrupted, his wings unfurled. “Vivian lost me thirty years ago.”
“Thirty years ago,” Daisy’s mother added with a peck on his cheek, “you met me.”
“You said you’d come back when I was the best fairy.” Vivian shouldered forward. “I’m the best fairy!”
“When I said I wanted the best, I was referring to Arabella.” He kissed her forehead. “I don’t care about fair
y pageants. Arabella is the best for me.”
Vivian’s face went from pixie-pink to vampire-pale. “You lying, cheating, double-dealing—”
“Jury!” Judge Banshee shrieked. “In light of these recent developments, I encourage you to consider the maximum sentence. Banishment for life.”
“Purgatory?” Vivian choked out, clearly horrified.
Judge Banshee shook her head. “The Edge of Nothing!”
Vivian’s limbs lashed out in all directions as several burly trolls hauled her screaming out the side door. Chaos erupted in the courtroom with people swarming everywhere.
Daisy broke through the throng to approach the big golden desk next to the witness stand. “Your Honor. In light of what you’ve heard here, would you please consider bestowing me a boon?”
Judge Banshee’s eyebrows rose. “I’m listening.”
“If you would be so kind as to grant us an inter-dimensional relationship permit, I’d—I’d—” Daisy stuttered to a stop. Her eyes met Trevor’s and suddenly she knew exactly how much she was willing to sacrifice for true love. “I’d live out the rest of my life on Earth, without wings or contact with Nether-Netherland, following the letter of the law.”
A shocked gasp rippled through the courtroom.
“Wait!” Trevor burst through the crowd to Daisy’s side. “Are you sure? I mean, I want you more than anything in the universe, but I don’t want you to regret your decision and resent me for your loss. And it would be a loss. I know how much being a fairy means to you. But more than that, I know how much you love your friends and family. And how much they love you.”
She pressed the palm of her hand against the side of his face. “But do you know how much you mean to me? True love only comes along once.” She peered up at him through lowered lashes. “I choose you.”
He pulled her into his arms and slanted his mouth across hers for a hot, urgent kiss.
This time, the courtroom filled with catcalls and whistles.
Maeve whinnied. “Hey,” she called out. “Look at these lovebirds. Can’t the court beat that old offer? As I recall, Judge, you said there were options for extenuating circumstances when True Love crosses two dimensions.”
Judge Banshee rapped her gavel for order in the court. “First,” she said. “The wing obfuscation procedure.”
A group of cloaked fairies strode forward, arms outstretched, wands pointing straight at Daisy. She flinched as beams of sparkling light shot at her from all angles. When the cloaked fairies stepped back into the shadows, she glanced over one shoulder with a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Her wings were still there.
“Whaaah?” she managed, casting Judge Banshee a questioning look.
“Wing obfuscation,” the judge repeated. “From this moment forward, they will only be visible while you are on Nether-Netherland soil. On Earth, you will appear human.”
Trevor’s arm tightened around Daisy’s waist. “Does that mean…”
“It means no one can rule against True Love. The court hereby grants an inter-dimensional relationship permit to Trevor Masterson and Daisy le Fey, provided that their primary residence be on Earth, and that both individuals abstain from magic while on said planet.” The gavel crashed down. “Next case!”
“We won!” Delirious with joy, Daisy leapt into Trevor’s arms. She clung to him as he claimed her mouth with a kiss.
He held her tight, laughing and grinning between jubilant kisses. “You know, I suspect we’re going to have one magical Happily Ever After.”
And they did.
THE END
What will happen when a CEO learns the woman he loves… is actually his guardian angel?
Find out in Smitten by Magic, the next Nether-Netherland romance in the Magic & Mayhem series!
Get Yours: Grab Smitten by Magic here!
(Sarah’s superior officer is Daisy’s father, AJ!)
I hope you enjoyed this romance.
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In order, the Magic & Mayhem books are:
Kissed by Magic
Must Love Magic
Smitten by Magic
* * *
In order, the Gothic Love Stories are:
Too Wicked to Kiss
Too Sinful to Deny
Too Tempting to Resist
Too Wanton to Wed
* * *
In order, the 12 Dukes of Christmas:
Once Upon a Duke
Kiss of a Duke
Wish Upon a Duke
Never Say Duke
Dukes, Actually
The Duke’s Bride
The Duke’s Embrace
The Duke’s Desire
Dawn With a Duke
One Night With a Duke
Ten Days With a Duke
Forever Your Duke
* * *
In order, the Rogues to Riches books are:
Lord of Chance
Lord of Pleasure
Lord of Night
Lord of Temptation
Lord of Secrets
Lord of Vice
* * *
In order, the Dukes of War books are:
The Viscount's Tempting Minx (FREE!)
The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower
The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress
The Major’s Faux Fiancée
The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride
The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway
The Duke's Accidental Wife
* * *
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Smitten by Magic
Former corporate shark Javier Rodriguez plans to redirect his money and attention toward family and good works. Unfortunately, his attempts to make things better meet with one disaster after another. His plans disintegrate further when he runs into a sexy tourist with... wings?
As Javi’s guardian angel, Sarah Phimm has her work cut out for her. When his latest charitable scheme risks his life, she's forced to reveal her existence—against protocol. He's everything her immortal heart desires, but can never have. She soon discovers that keeping him safe may be even harder than guarding her heart…
* * *
Get Yours: Grab Smitten by Magic here!
Acknowledgments
As always, I could not have written this book without the invaluable support of my literary agent and my critique partners. Huge thanks go out to Lauren Abramo, Courtney Milan, Janice Goodfellow, Darcy Burke, Emma Locke, and Erica Monroe. You are the best!
Lastly, I want to thank my Historical Romance Book Club and my fabulous street team. Your enthusiasm makes the romance happen.
Thank you so much!
About the Author
Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of paranormal romantic comedies and historical romance novels.
In the 12 Dukes of Christmas series, enjoy witty, heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. After all, nothing heats up a winter night quite like finding oneself in the arms of a duke!
Her two most popular series, the Dukes of War and Rogues to Riches, feature roguish peers and dashing war heroes who find love amongst the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Central America, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
Let’s be friends! Find Erica on:
www.EricaRidley.com