by Tina Smith
He startled. “What? My staff is gone?”
“Something happened with Prince Liat and some guy they arrested.” I sat on the rocker, sipping my coffee and munching toast, conscious that he still studied my every move.
“It’s only the two of us here?” he asked, bewildered. He sniffed the tea before placing the cup to his lips.
“Yes, and my dog. Guards are outside.”
“What is your name, my human helper with the markings of a hedge witch?”
I laughed. “Holly. No relation to any witches. Or the berry.”
“A hedge witch practices the herbal arts. We revere them as powerful beings, those who can pick and use nature’s bounty to heal the sick, the poisoned, even those spiritually ailing. They understand the importance of nature’s balance, of living in harmony.”
He downed his tea in seconds. “The Winter Court has hedgerows of holly bordering their kingdom. A king from another court seized the throne years ago. He had one of his wizards take the toxic berries and create a spell to make the leaves poisonous to the touch. Now soldiers don’t bother to attack. They’re afraid of dying. The Court is impenetrable. What about you? Who is Holly Berry?”
I liked the way my name sounded when he said it, but he lost me with the rest of his story. I finished eating and drank the last of my coffee. A second wind took over. “I’m nineteen, just finished my first semester of college. Major undecided. Younger sister. Close to my family. I like to draw and paint and bake brownies. And I get anxious.”
“Anxious?” He took the glass and drank.
“Um…” Mesmerized, I watched him lick a drop of moisture from his bottom lip. I could stare at him all day. He smirked suddenly. I cleared my throat. Busted. “Anxious, I, uh, get nervous in crowds, get stressed out easily when faced with situations I’m uncomfortable with. My brother, Brad, lives for dealing with lots of people, new things. I hate it. Sometimes I get panic attacks.”
Lacon seemed interested so I explained away while he finished his water.
“Is it hard to make new friends?” he said.
“Depends.” How easily my mouth took over. “In smaller classes I do all right, but for classes in huge spaces like an auditorium, I get lost. Feel like there are too many students in one space.” I shivered, remembering a summer writing workshop I took with three hundred students.
“I can handle crowds. In my family, I have to. I just don’t like to spend too much time with them.”
“Does a fae prince have a ton of friends?” I smiled.
Surprisingly, he did the same in return. At first, his grin was timid. He checked my reaction until I beamed back then he lifted his chin.
“Friends? I had one, a close friend when I was young. Something happened. We were separated. I trusted her with my life. Since you were entrusted to protect me, you are now a friend. Call me Lacon. Did you paint the landscapes on display?”
I nodded. “Yes, the ones in here, the hallway, and the bathroom. Some are from my Nana’s sketches. Others are from my childhood memories of the stories she used to tell me.”
“The Winter Court painting in the hall is lovely. Have you been there? Would you like to visit the Summer Court some day? We have a lot of scenery you might enjoy. You could paint in my personal garden.” He raised long lashes to regard me as if waiting to hear my answer.
I had not painted the Winter Court. “Um, sure, if I can, it would be cool to visit you. Sometime. Do you have friends now?”
He shook his head. “I spend too much time in the Court. Since I will take over for my father someday, I study the goings on, listen to the procedures, and learn the machinations of being a leader. With this role, it’s hard to call others ‘friend’ when I’m not sure what their motives are. Do they want to use me? Sway my mind? Many times I discover they want something from me.”
We continued talking. He was uncomfortable in crowds, and his kingdom attracted many to its halls. “There’s always something. A party. Some celebration. Meetings. I make an appearance then leave, roam the gardens or underground caverns. Being a prince is lonely.”
I explained how nervous I get speaking in public. “I had to make a speech in my World Lit class in front of thirty students. I broke out in hives a week before. Thinking about it made me nauseous. What sucked was my doctor was back home. I didn’t have anyone to talk to.”
Lacon reached over and gripped my hand. “How did you do?”
I gazed at our hands joined together. “I got through it. One of my roommates convinced me to drink a glass of wine before it. I stumbled over my words a few times and didn’t make as much eye contact as my professor wanted. He gave me a B+ when I should’ve gotten an A- at least.”
He smiled again, rubbing his thumb along my index finger.
The air around us changed, charged with a type of need. I released a trembling breath. Somehow I had sat down next to him on the bed without realizing I’d moved.
Chatting became easier. We spoke about many things—our likes, dislikes, family, our love of nature. While I reapplied ointment and bandages, I realized what we were doing.
Connecting. We’d both opened up and now shared a mutual respect for each other.
As the rising sun grew comfortable in the sky, we did too. Despite our obvious differences, we appeared to orbit in the same solar system.
Lacon kissed the top of my hand. “I appreciate your candor and hospitality.”
He grew tired. I promised to stay and watch him as he drifted off. When it appeared his temperature was back to normal, I returned the tray to the kitchen, washed the dishes, talked to Mom, and let Chewie out.
Before I climbed any steps, I shook myself. Forget any notion of falling for the guy on the second floor. There were too many unknown variables. Anything that started between us would lead nowhere. For all I knew, he could be an alien. We lived in different worlds.
Sometimes I had a hard time listening to myself.
Chapter Seven
There was a pain below my head as I shifted on the chair. What a crick in my neck. Had I slept in the wrong position? I moved only to bump my hand across something hard. Something warm.
With the speed of an airborne arrow, my eyes popped open. I died for a minute.
For sixty long seconds I drank in the body beside me. One muscular arm framed a half moon across the top of my head. The weight of those fingers held my hair as it fanned out across the two pillows. My fleeting downward gaze not only revealed that ripped abdomen I had no problem admiring again, but his other arm reclining across our bodies like it belonged there. His knuckles carelessly grazed the exposed skin of my belly.
Goosebumps exploded across my flesh. If this had been another guy, I’d have booked. But being honest, I didn’t want to move. Not yet. Despite my first impression of him—cough, cough, asshat!—after our time together yesterday and last night, my opinion of him had changed.
The Summer Prince had grown on me.
But how did I end up in this bed?
Lacon stirred, his fingers curled around my tendrils as he shifted, causing my head to move closer to his. He stopped just as our noses were about to touch.
S’mores with chopped almonds, he was absolutely stunning. Wisps of his straight, black hair stuck to his cheek and neck. I itched to move them and feel his skin. That sensual mouth. How would his lips feel against mine?
I shut my eyes, forced back that increasing pressure I now recognized as raw desire. Need. Want. Dreams belong inside their mind boxes. I had no right thinking about him that way. We had nothing. We tolerated each other during a situation. He needed the safety of my home. I needed…?
A human guy, for starters.
Preferably local. Preferably from a family he loved and was close to.
Must love dogs, especially big dogs.
With a sense of humor. He’d have to put up with mine.
Busy with list making, I’d momentarily forgotten the present until the prince’s hand slid across my bare hip. The
band of my yoga pants had shifted, revealing the tops of my Aerie undies. Very warm fingers slid to my back then tugged my body up against his.
That was a growing reminder of his manhood. Injuries did not prevent him from being a guy. A tall, hot guy.
“Behold the sunrise,” he whispered, his breath fanning my cheek. Every nerve inside me was awake and waiting.
“Good morning to you too,” I said.
Many of his cuts had healed.
“You were shivering in your sleep. I brought you into bed to warm you.” His breath smelled like freshly snapped mint. What would he call mine once he got a whiff of it? Sunrise breath?
“When you smile, your face radiates purity. You should do that more, instead of being so serious. Let others enjoy your beauty.” He still whispered. I pointed my toes like a ballerina’s.
Words of flattery always drew my suspicion. A handful of hours didn’t prove I really knew him. His sister had taunted me about his trips to see human girls. Was this what he did?
I pulled away, recognizing the hurt that flashed across his eyes as my own when I scooted to the bed’s edge. I sat up, letting my feet dangle over the side and finger combed my bed hair.
“Did I say something to incense you?” He groaned as he shifted into a sitting position beside me.
I shook my head, fingers busy unknotting.
“Why do you not believe my words?” His soft tone made me pause. “You know, the fae cannot lie. If we do, grey smoke rises off our bodies.”
“I’m not used to compliments.” I continued fixing strands, angling my body away. There wasn’t smoke.
He moved down until his body overshadowed mine. “Do humans not share their feelings?” His hands touched the sides of my arms.
The next thing I knew, he’d pushed my hands away from my hair and began massaging my scalp.
Not meaning to release it, I moaned as I relaxed in his arms. My girly parts turned to instant farina.
“I’m glad you’re not anxious around me.” He worked on the areas around my ears. Each touch sent my temperature spiking. What a case of role reversal.
“It feels natural around you. When we talk, I want to tell you things I’ve never told anyone else,” he said.
His talented tips relocated to the nape of my neck.
“Mm hmm,” I got out.
“I feel as if I already know you. I can be honest and not expect you to want anything from me.” I gulped hearing how breathless his voice had become. “Holly, please look at me.”
I pushed aside my curtain of hair and pivoted around on the bed to face him. “Yes?”
Lacon had one leg tucked under him, the wounded one stretched out over the edge. Part of the sheet shielded my eyes from his manhood, not that I minded too much.
“I-I need to do something. I’m so nervous.” He chuckled, a tender sound.
His eyes, now changed to a warm, tawny brown with silver flecks, searched mine. My breath caught. I was about to speak when his hands cupped my chin like a hungry man needing a drink. I think I met his lips midway. At first, our kiss was tense, unknowing. Strangers. Eyes closed, an electrical current weaved a path from his body into mine. My pulse skittered.
The farther the current travelled, the more something indescribable awoke. I wiggled, careful not to break the bond, and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. His thumb caressed my cheek as each of our mouths opened for the other. I shifted, wanting to meld my skin to his.
He groaned as his tongue danced with mine. My fingertips swam through his hair, clasping the back of his head. I couldn’t concentrate on anything except him, what we were doing, and how he made my senses come alive.
There was this strange feeling of floating, a euphoria I’d never experienced before.
This is what it’s like to kiss a fae.
A fierce crackling sound as loud as thunder reverberated around us. The reverb was powerful enough to knock us off the bed. We fell, lips still locked, onto the floor, Lacon shielding me with his body. When the noise stopped, we drew apart. Chewie stood in the doorway, ears drawn.
Literally shaking, cheeks flushed, we visibly searched each other. Lacon hoisted himself up, gripping the nightstand for support before extending an arm to help me.
“Are you all right?” he asked, voice choked.
My brows knitted. “Yeah, I think so. What happened? That was weird.” I heard the dog enter and sit down.
Lacon sat down on the mattress, eyes still trained on me. I rested beside him. Reaching out with the heel of his palm, he brought my face closer to his and kissed my forehead. “All I wanted was for you to be safe, Holly Bear. For you to be safe.”
“Was that magic? Did a ward break? That was wild.” My skin felt flushed.
Lacon blinked. “What did you say?”
“Did a ward break outside or something?”
He blinked a few more times and rubbed the back of his head. “Not outside. But I think it broke, inside me.”
My heart began to race. “Are the guys after you here? They broke in?” I jumped to my feet, reaching for the closest lamp.
“No, no…” The prince coaxed me onto his lap, pushing some straggler hairs behind my shoulder. “It felt like a spell placed on me suddenly broke.”
I giggled, it started making sense. “What? From our kiss? Are you Prince Charming or something?”
He grinned. “No, I am Prince Hallacon of the Summer Court, and you are my Holly Bear, Miss Barclay.”
The room began to tilt and spin. Fuzzy spots congregated in the corners of my eyes. The anxiety attack was swift and merciless. I swiped at my lids. His voice was echoing what he’d just said. Again. And again. “You are my Holly Bear.”
“I had been travelling here this past week. Something kept leading me to the woods, but I didn’t know what. My subconscious self once again directed me here after the attack. My memories had been locked away by someone I trusted. I did something to provoke their anger. The trauma must’ve cracked part of it, and our kiss completely broke the spell.”
I knew my mind was growing fuzzy, but what was he talking about? In my haste to move away, I tripped over his feet and fell to my knees. A blurry image. Two kids chasing each other. Sun. Trees. Voices. Laughing. “You are my Holly Bear. C’mon, let’s go play.”
“I’d forgotten those summers. The hours spent swimming in the lake.” Lacon took my hands in his. I felt a twinge of something I couldn’t identify while I tried to shake him off.
“Last one in is a wart on a warlock’s nose!” Splashing, diving into the lake.
The lake located inside the woods I stopped going into. I’d forgotten it.
“We’d become good friends.” He chuckled, the low sound causing a rush of shivers down my spine.
“When I return, I will ask Carna to release your memories. I need you to remember our time together, Holly. I need you to remember me.”
Breathing became difficult. “No. No…” I shook my head. The familiar apprehensiveness crawled up my insides. “I-I don’t know you…” My fingers scratched at my throat. Solid black spots clouded my vision.
Lacon yanked me up by my forearms into a loose sitting position until his face was all I could focus on with my weakening vision.
“Twenty-nine, thirty, ready or not I’m coming to find you!” A boy’s voice. Someone I knew well.
He rested his hands along the sides of my wet cheeks. “We spent many summers together. You. Me. In your family’s woods.”
I huffed in a breath. My chest tightened. An invisible rubber band twisted inside me. Discomfort. Heat. And that boy’s voice grew louder. “Hol-ly! Where’s my Hol-ly?”
A faceless boy of the past transformed into this man of the present.
“I used to tell you I’d wait for you. Wait to make you my wife, Holly Bear.”
I cried out, and then allowed the fervid darkness to swallow me.
Chapter Eight
The weight holding my lids down wouldn’t leave. As awareness s
pread, the heat of another’s body increased my own in a comfortable way. Mint infused my senses. Something strong held me. Was I cradled in Lacon’s arms?
“How could you, Lacon? Why take that chance?” a voice I recognized as Princess Lila’s complained.
“The memories were so new. I remembered her! I had to tell her. We cannot lie, sister. I will not twist the truth and fool her. These feelings are too strong.” Anguish peppered his words.
They were discussing what had happened earlier. I remained unmoving. Let them think I’m still asleep. Maybe I could get some answers out of them.
The rocking chair moaned. “Human seating! Why make wood so stiff? Insufferable!” Sounds of pacing across the floor. “I never knew you were allowed to come to this realm. Mother would be very angry when you went missing with Father. She must have been jealous of his time spent with Phlox and Helleborus.” Lila’s voice now sounded slightly distant. Lacon nodded exuberantly, his chin rubbing against the side of my head. “Yes. He so wanted to reach some type of peaceful accord with the Autumn Court. Helleborus was a respected ally. She knew how that court worked and she had informants. They would walk together in the forest here and talk. Her granddaughter snuck in one day. That’s how I met Holly Bear.”
She groaned. “Please, keep those silly human names to yourself. I remembered hearing rumors that Helleborus was Winter King Phlox’s concubine. I overheard a cook telling the gardener some story about how Phlox fell in love with Helle when he saw her during his realm travels.”
“Yes, I also heard the rumors,” Lacon said, speaking faster. “It was true. I could see they were in love, but they never acted upon it. Not when I was around. Father must have accompanied Phlox to act as a chaperone. Everyone knows Queen Narci was incredibly jealous.”
Wait up. Nana loved someone else besides my grandfather?
“Too bad she lost her mind. She and Mother were such great friends. The Winter Court gave such grand balls, too. After King Phlox disappeared and that conniving King Pericum of the Autumn Court stole his throne, no one has been allowed to visit anymore. Do you remember anything else about what happened that day?”