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I felt my gut drop. This afternoon… by the pond... accepted jewelry. I knew what was happening now. Last night, this man’s pull had felt magnetic, magical even. I had walked out of the pond in naught but a wet shift. I had let him kiss the inside of my wrist. I had fallen asleep thinking of him.
Now, as he stood before me, I looked past his glamour and noticed the inhuman glint of his bright green eyes and sharp, pointed ears.
This man was the frog.
Worse, he was… "fae," I hissed.
Sick dread pooled in my stomach. How could I have been so reckless? I began to replay our entire conversation from the pond. What exactly had I promised?
My father’s face turned as red as his handlebar mustache, and he barreled forward to stand directly between me and my unwanted suitor. "No waterwalker will steal my Georgia. You already have one of my daughters. You will not take another." He looked like a wild boar, ready to lower his tusks and toss this sick creature out of our home.
My heart clenched. Oh, Daddy.
"An alliance with my court could be of vast benefit. Her dowry can be anything you wish."
"I am not fool enough to bargain with your kind."
"If only your daughter had been as wise."
I stood and shouted, "I will not marry you!"As soon as the words left my lips, it felt as if the air had been knocked from my lungs. I fell to my knees and gasped for air.
My father started toward me, but he didn’t go far. A tree sapling erupted through our marble floor and began to wrap around his feet and legs. It grew and twisted, and I feared it would crush him.
No! I thought desperately.
As if things weren’t bad enough, they became even worse.
My younger sister appeared at the top of the staircase, and she stared down at us with wide eyes. "Georgia!" she cried.
I’d known Maggie her entire life. I knew her even better than I knew myself. If I didn’t stop her, she would charge down the steps and try to take on this fae with naught but a dessert fork.
I had no choice. I would do anything not to lose another sister. I couldn’t go through that again. So, I rasped out, "I will go with you."
Just like that, a swirl of dark storm clouds encircled us. His eyes bored into mine, and I tried to return his intensity. Gone was my mysterious savior by the pond with soft caresses and seductive glances. In his place stood a monster with great and terrible power. My heart skipped a beat but this time out of fear.
The fae were destruction.
He would ruin me.
After a long moment, he echoed my words in a low voice, "You will go?"
Through the swirling entropy, I could no longer see my father or sister. I prayed they were okay. If this was my fate, I wanted to do one last thing for my family. I took a deep breath and straightened my back, trying to steel my nerves. "I have terms."
He laughed, but no mirth reached his cold eyes. I couldn’t believe I had ever thought them bright. "You have no bargaining power here, princess."
I ignored his mocking tone and lifted my chin. "Then make it a wedding gift."
From his towering height, he smirked down at me. "Anything for my bride." The words were threatening and seductive in equal measure.
"Promise that Maggie and father will remain untouched by your kind. Promise they will remain safe."
"Not even I can control the unseelie fae, but those within my power shall not lay a finger upon them. You have my word."
"And none of the unseelie at your behest," I added suspiciously.
He grinned. "Perhaps you shall survive my court after all. You’re not a complete idiot. Very well. Any other terms?"
Slowly, I shook my head.
