Gilded

by Renita Pizzitola

  Cover Copy

  True love comes with a price.

  Kyla Ashbury, half-fae, must learn to wield her Earth magic to protect herself from the king’s guard. Fleeing her betrothal to the prince, she takes refuge among the woodland fae, who are experts at Earth magic. Before she can learn to control her gift, she has to return to the castle to undo some of the damage done when she ran away with Grant. Wielding power she can’t control makes the situation worse.

  Grant will do anything for the girl he loves. Even with his power to foresee danger, keeping Kyla safe is a constant challenge. As answers lead to more questions, he wonders if he is endangering her further.

  Kyla’s growing talent destines her to a power struggle she doesn’t want. Every choice she makes seems to jeopardize those closest to her. She must learn to control the angry magic coursing through her if she ever hopes to live a normal life with the man she loves.

  A Lyrical Press Young Adult Fantasy Romance

  Highlight

  Worried my reluctance to leave would irritate the king, I trudged to my escort but while walking away my skin prickled and back tensed.

  I spun around.

  Alastar nodded at a guard and in seconds, even more uniformed men surrounded Grant.

  Conor was shoved to the side, and almost lost his balance. He raked a hand through his hair and shook his head.

  My heart sank and I raced back to Grant, slamming into the wall of guards. Clawing at the impenetrable barrier, I tried to find a crack to slip through.

  A large guard jerked Grant’s hands behind his back and shackled them, an unnecessary step. He’d put up no resistance.

  “What are you doing?” I screamed, not even caring I spoke to royalty. “You promised.”

  Alastar stood tall and his voice boomed. “Grant, you are charged and convicted with kidnapping the future princess of Tir na nOg. You shall be taken to a cell at once. Since I am a fair man and promised no harm–” He glanced at me, a smug expression plastered on his face. “You will not be sentenced to death but instead to lifetime imprisonment.”

  My world stopped.

  Gilded

  Renita Pizzitola

  Dedication

  To Emily and Corbin

  Acknowledgements

  As always, I’d like to thank my friends and family. From the first draft to the finished product, you’re there for me when I need advice, support or simply to vent. I can’t thank you enough for that. I’d also like to thank Reagan for being the most amazing critique partner a girl could have. Kim for always being an email away. And last, but most importantly, my readers. Thank you for reading Gossamer, sharing in Kylie’s journey and coming back for more.

  Prologue

  Soothed by the steady murmur of water, every ounce of my existence harmonized with the woodlands. The brook added a new level of serenity to this dream. At the water’s edge, I sat on a large stone. Cold permeated my thin dress. Lifting the hem, I tested the water with my toes. It glided over my skin like satin, neither cold nor hot. Its perfect temperature matched my own. I submerged my legs to the calf.

  With her knees pulled to her chest, my mother twirled a yellow daisy between two fingers. Her bare feet peeked from her flowing white dress. “I’ve been waiting for you, Kylie.”

  “I know,” slipped out on a sigh.

  “I’m glad you finally decided to speak with me.”

  Always seated where the brook pooled into a small pond, Aislinn frequented my dreams since I’d fled the castle. Apprehension had kept me from approaching her. I’d assumed she’d want to speak about my running away.

  Our reflections glimmered in the water, almost identical except for her blond hair to my brown. My heart heaved. Not only did I look like the dark one, I felt like it.

  “Liam misses you,” she said.

  Her dreaded words left bruises. Thinking about what I’d done to my betrothed prince hurt. Hearing it aloud was torture.

  “If this is all you wanted to say, you should have saved your breath.” With a glare, I pushed off the rock perch into the pond. Once submerged, I would wake.

  I sliced through the water with a gentle splash. Engulfed by cool darkness, I fell deeper and deeper. My hair floated around me, blending to the point of invisibility. I waited for my escape. The water became black as night and the tree line faded from the surface. I descended further, lungs burning for air. Why hadn’t I woken?

  “Wake up, Kylie.” Aislinn’s voice bubbled from above, frantic but firm. “Kylie, wake up.”

  Water pressure squeezed my chest while my lungs expanded until certainly they’d burst. I thrashed upward, but only sank deeper. My vision slipped and I went limp in the abyss.

  In the distance, one last plea gurgled overhead.

  “Kylie this is your dream, it doesn’t control you. Now, wake up!”

  My eyelids flew open. Greedy gulps of cooling night air squelched the fire in my lungs.

  Blackness still surrounded me, but the occasional twinkling of starlight reassured me. I was safe in the hammock, no longer being consumed by water. Snuggled into Grant, I counted backward from one hundred, begging for a dreamless sleep to bring solace.

  Chapter 1

  With clenched teeth and a forced smile, I turned to Grant. “She won’t stop staring at me.” The nymph’s sneer grated on me, but the way she leered at Grant downright burned me up.

  “She’s curious. I told you they don’t get many visitors. You’re a bit of an anomaly.” He smiled and kissed my cheek leaving behind a warm spark.

  Though sweet, he was oblivious. As the first male visitor these woodland nymphs had seen in quite a while, he was an anomaly. As competition, I posed a threat. They shared their new toy, Grant, but me they wanted out of the picture. Living with them had been Grant’s solution to our running away from the castle, well, temporary solution. At least it had better be, because if I had to spend much more time here I’d go insane.

  I nodded at Willow, whose name fit her slender frame well. “If you say so, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that one over there poisons my dinner.”

  With his hand on the log where we sat, he grinned, stretched his long legs, crossing them at the ankle, and leaned back.

  “Just saying, if I keel over, you know where to look. I’m not pointing any fingers or anything but she has that look.”

  “You think? Hmm.” He stared at her as she braided vine into rope, and rubbed his chin. “She does look capable of murder. Look at that smile and the way she’s talking to her friends. She just laughed. Uh-oh, and waved. Watch out for that one. She’s lethal.”

  “Ha ha. Fine, but when I go missing, you’ll be sorry.” The corner of my mouth twitched up, though I attempted a scowl.

  “I would, which is why I’d never let anything happen to you. We came here to keep you safe, not endanger your life. So quit worrying. I don’t think Willow plans to kill you. Well, not today at least.” He narrowed his gaze and studied her a second longer.

  I swatted his arm.

  He laughed then faced me. A fine line etched between his brows, on an otherwise perfect face, as his crystal blue focused on mine. “You’ll never fully understand your connection to the earth if you don’t practice. I can’t teach you, but they can. I’ll feel better traveling knowing you can protect yourself.”

  “I know, I know. I’ve been trying though.”

  I concentrated on a nearby flower bud and it inched open.

  Grant observed my handiwork.

  The blooming daisy stalled as my magic fizzled. With a forced smile, I squared my shoulders. “Impressive, huh?”

  “You’ve made so much progress and you’re a quick learner too. Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it soon.” He leaned in and kissed me.

  The tingling warm
th started with my lips, radiated throughout my body, and I melted into him. His sweet kiss blazed into passion but it was a bad idea. Wrong place, wrong time. I pulled back, giggling as his reddened full lips dipped into an adorable pout.

  His gaze drifted down. “Huh, interesting.” He studied the flower, now radiant in full bloom. Maybe even a little brighter than its neighbors.

  My cheeks grew warm as he shot me a suggestive glance.

  “Keep this up and you might solve the deforestation problem. Well, I think it’s time for your lesson with Summer. I’m going to find a cold pond to jump into or something.” With a wicked grin, he winked.

  My heartbeat raced as he strode away. His lean frame moved with ease as his muscles worked in perfect tandem from years of training, gracing him with the well-worn confidence of a castle guard. Who would have known our relationship would ever get here? After the mixed feelings, not speaking to one another and of course me almost marrying a prince, it seemed a miracle we’d pulled through. I couldn’t be happier. Well, that was almost true. I would be happier if the royal court wasn’t hunting me down.

  When we’d first heard rumors of the king’s pursuit, I’d wondered if it was idle gossip, but Nanny, a local healer and trusted friend, confirmed it. King Alastar wanted me returned to court to fulfill my obligation to marry his son, Prince Liam. The sad part, I had never wanted to hurt Liam. If I could fix this I would, but going back wasn’t an option. We would remain on the run, attempting to stay a step ahead of the king’s guards.

  Leaves rustled with approaching footsteps. With my hand as a shield, I squinted upward at the hovering silhouette with striking topaz eyes.

  “Ready?” Summer stared down at me then stomped off toward the dense oaks.

  I scrambled to catch up. She never let me forget how much of her valuable time my pitiful attempts at magic wasted, but I couldn’t complain. At least she was even willing to help. It was safe to assume she did it only to gain Grant’s approval, and she probably wanted a lot more than just his gratitude, but if it meant us getting out of this woodland faery hell, I didn’t care what her reasons were.

  Hell was an exaggeration, of course, considering this part of the forest was beautiful. Ancient oaks surrounded the clearing the nymphs called home. Emerald grass sprinkled with wildflowers carpeted the ground and everything was always in bloom, though I had yet to witness a rainstorm.

  But the majestic setting didn’t hide the fact these girls were odd. They looked no different from other fae, or any human for that matter. Well, minus their homemade garments comprised of various fabrics belted with vine and adorned with flowers. They lived deep in the woodlands and separation from the rest of Tir na nOg seemed to mess with them. They dwelt in small twig huts hidden in bushes, bark and leaf homes built between branches and slept on vine hammocks stretched tree to tree. One thing they were good at, making use of their element, the earth.

  The biggest problem was the way these touchy-feely nymphs always pawed at Grant. Every time I turned around, a different girl had draped herself all over him and sometimes it wasn’t just one but two or three. He dodged their advances but his unease seemed to fall more along the lines of embarrassment while rage fueled mine. I didn’t even hang on him like that.

  As we marched into the forest to my probable death, I practiced here and there, attempting to make a plant greener or move a tree root. Even better was when I caused small cracks in the soil. I didn’t care for magic lessons, but did enjoy my newfound skills.

  Summer stopped in a clearing. “You seem to be getting the little stuff and since today is your last day, I figured I would show you the big stuff.”

  To my relief, she didn’t intend to subtract me from the Grant equation but I did wonder what she considered “big stuff.”

  A tall oak tree’s branches rustled as if a strong wind blew through them but the air stood still.

  “Lesson one, trees. If you concentrate hard enough, you can manipulate anything connected to the earth. I know you’ve worked with roots before but it doesn’t stop there. What you shouldn’t do, though, is injure a tree. They are sacred and you don’t want to disturb the natural balance.”

  Being an earth user gave me clear understanding of what she meant. Trees pulsed with life under my palm. A gentle hum invigorated me when the element surrounded me.

  “Something like this–” She rustled the tree again. “–could be used as a distraction or even shake something loose. You try.”

  “Okay.” I attempted to mimic what she’d done, but got nothing. “What am I doing wrong?”

  “I doubt you’re doing it wrong, but I think you’re concentrating on the wrong parts. You seem focused on the tree’s branches but it’s no different than wanting to move your arm. It can’t move without the help of your brain and the signals it sends to your nerves. The earth is the brain and the roots are the nerves. Send your thoughts through the earth and into the roots.”

  With increased determination, I concentrated on the ground surrounding the tree.

  “Picture the roots. They are alive.” Her melodic tone helped my meditation. “Deep in the earth they travel, soaking the nutrients and dispersing them into its massive branches.”

  I pictured what lay beneath the soil, roots of all sizes and varying lengths like my tree of life necklace. My body buzzed as my connection to the earth grew stronger. Sending my energy into the tree, I visualized the branches moving. The hum grew louder and my nerves tingled. The branch fluttered. Pathetic. “What happened? I felt it. A link formed and all I got was a tiny little twitch in the tree. You made the whole branch move.”

  “It takes practice. You’ll get it.” With pursed lips, she studied me and shrugged. “Well, unless it’s because you’re half-fae.”

  Just as I thought we’d made a breakthrough, she’d taken a stab at my half-breed status.

  “Now, lesson two. The ground.”

  “Huh?” How did we move on to lesson two when I didn’t get lesson one?

  “What?” she asked. “You aren’t going to learn this stuff overnight. You understand the mechanics and can practice on your own, but no matter how many times you try today it’s not going to happen.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Now, same concept. The earth is the brain and you have to connect with it then tell it what to do.” She looked down, and the ground shook underneath us.

  My stomach dropped. I hadn’t expected her to create a mini-earthquake.

  “You won’t get this one today but give it a try anyway.”

  I took a deep breath, exhaled, and willed myself to calmness.

  She released a sigh. “Maybe we should skip this. You’ll just waste all your energy because there is no way you’ll be able to do it. Your magic isn’t strong enough and I doubt you even know what you’re doing.”

  I shook off her comment and stared at the ground. “I’m going to try it.”

  She shrugged.

  Focused on the land beneath me, I connected with the earth. A familiar buzz ran through me and drifted into the soil.

  “Don’t be ashamed to give up.” Criticizing me might have been Summer’s favorite part of the lessons.

  Ignoring her distraction, I persevered.

  She let out an even louder and more dramatic sigh.

  Anger flared. My body quivered as it sought and made its connection. An invisible thread wove through the earth and me, pulled tight and bound us as one. A ball of energy burst forth, flowed through me and plummeted into the soil. The ground shook. Nowhere near the magnitude of what Summer had accomplished but it shook.

  “I did it!”

  Summer smirked and tossed her blond hair over her shoulder.

  “Did you say all that stuff to piss me off on purpose?”

  She shrugged.

  “How did you know it would work?”

  “I heard the story about you taking down a girl at the portal. You were scared and angry. Grant says you manipulated your elemen
t like an old pro. I saw you make an entire garden bloom while kissing Grant. It’s obvious your emotions play a lot into your ability.”

  Emotions did seem to amplify my abilities.

  “It has to be the half-human part of you. Full fae are bound to their element through magic. We feel what it feels, allowing us a deep instinctual connection that comes without effort. It’s a part of us. You, on the other hand, have all these human emotions getting in the way of your primitive connection to the earth. So, I figured if we can’t go around them, might as well go through them.”

  “That’s amazing.” I smiled at her. “Thanks. For everything. I appreciate what you have shown me and, well, your willingness to teach me.”

  Happiness crept onto Summer’s face. She waved dismissively. “I’m tired of getting nowhere. I had to think of something. That’s it for today. You know what you need to do, practice. Over time you’ll get better.” She walked in the direction we’d come from. “Let’s head back.”

  Eager to share my news, I couldn’t wipe the happy expression off my face the entire way back. The dense trees opened to a clearing as we turned the corner. My gaze landed on Grant, which also meant I found Willow. Anger surged as she leaned into him, her palms flat against his firm abdomen. Lily, whose complexion was as flawless and milky as the flower, stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear while she ran her dainty fingers through his dark hair then danced them along the back of his neck.

  Grant tried to sidestep the two fae but came face to face with Laurel. With brown hair cascading over her shoulders, she pressed her hand to his chest, and leered at him.

  Today’s practice hadn’t even taken long. What had gone on during the longer magic sessions? Their day-to-day obnoxious flirting annoyed me, but this crossed the line.

  “Maybe now is a good time to use what you’ve learned,” Summer whispered. “If emotions strengthen your element, no time like the present to practice.”