Page 4 of Fae Mates

Judging by the erection still straining through his breeches, I was guessing the word he meant was arousing, but he was too proud to admit that to a lowly human. I returned his smile with a saucy wink. “Thank you.”

Prince Caulden deposited us at a centaur stop on a roadside in the Courage District, which was on the fourth level of the mound, he paid a pair of centaurs to take us home with no detours or indecent propositions.

Throughout the journey, Sicily stared at me as though I’d become another person. I suppose I had, but it was going to be impossible to explain.

The centaur’s black ponytail swayed from side to side, and I held onto the horn of his saddle for balance. He galloped down a highway with trees along the left and a chasm on the right. He remained silent for the entire ride. I supposed the high-class centaurs who worked the higher districts kept things professional, unlike the ones who sometimes catcalled human girls in Doolish.

I glanced up along the road at my sister on the back of a mahogany centaur, and joy filled my chest. I crushed it into a tight, little ball and shoved it to the back of my mind. Until I had tasted salt, I couldn’t trust anything.

But if Sicily was back and my old life had returned, why did it feel like someone had ripped out my heart?

Chapter 2

I stepped into our home, which was dark and dreary and cramped compared to the academy’s spacious surroundings. The sofas were just beds jammed up against the walls with large cushions forming backrests, and the kitchenette was a rickety table, a one-ring stove, and a rusty, metal sink.

After seeing the equipment in the remedial common room, even the television and DVD player looked clunky. The warm scent of mulberry wine filled my nostrils, reminding me of the night before. Elijah had brought a bottle and taken me to the backroom—

Sicily slammed the door shut, breaking me from my thoughts.

She whirled on me with her hands on her hips. “What was that all about? You could have gotten us both killed!”

“One second.” I headed for the kitchen area and reached for the salt bowl.

“Oh, no you don’t,” my sister snapped. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on. Right now.”

“Alright.” I took a hefty pinch and placed it on my tongue. Its concentrated taste flooded my mouth with saliva and made my eyes water.

When my vision cleared, it was to see Sicily standing in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of thunder on her features.

It was only then that the hope I had tamped down to recesses of my mind flooded my system with joy and a warm rush of happiness that and brought tears to my eyes. Lady Gala’s attack really had reversed the curse and returned my sister.

I threw my arms around her neck. “You’re real?”

“What?” Sicily stiffened. “We’re in deep shit because of your little stunt. Is this something to do with Elijah?”

I stepped back, blinking away my tears. “It’s a long story, and I don’t think you’ll believe it.”

Her gaze fell to my wrist. “You’d better explain because you’ve caught the attention of the royals. Remember what happened to Great Aunt—”

“Queen Maeve’s lady-in-waiting cursed her to birth a cat, not the current royals.” I held up my wrist. “Things are completely different under King Oberon.”

Sicily pursed her lips and ran a hand through her hair. “I still can’t believe you talked so dirty to a prince. Before you met Elijah, you would—”

“Have been fourteen going fifteen.” I placed both hands on her shoulders. “Sweet and innocent, but no longer. Prince Caulden was kind enough to let me off with a warning, so let’s not fight.”

Her eyes flashed with the beginnings of a rant. My shoulders sagged, and I exhaled a long breath. As much as I loved my sister and as right as she was about Elijah being an unworthy asshole, I really didn’t need to hear this. Not when I knew nothing of the state of Helen’s magic and her freedom and of Lady Gala’s machinations.

I walked to the stove and picked up the chipped, enamel kettle. “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea?”

A cup of tea and a long conversation later, Sicily dismissed my experience as a dream, saying it was unlikely that three princes would be present in Doolish on a single morning.

I didn’t bother to press the point. My adventure with the faeries was over, and I had a better understanding of life at higher levels. Everything came with a price, and life as a faerie wasn’t better, just different.

We sat back and watched an episode of Lumberjacks of Switzerland where the youngest brother got drunk off his own moonshine and fell out of the truck.

I chuckled at the blond man’s antics. “Is Johann still your favorite?”

Sicily clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Speaking of pretty faces, doesn’t Elijah usually come down to collect his rent around this time of the week?”