Page 42 of Fae Mates

I skittered back to take a deep breath and wrapped my fingers around Flora’s branch, ready to charge through the bushes and whip some sense into Lady Gala, but Mr. Whittaker grabbed my arm.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, just as Prince Rory cried out.

Lady Gala snapped at him to stop whining.

“The princes won’t hesitate to hurt you if you attack.” Mr. Whittaker pulled me back toward a tree filled with songbirds.

Opening my mouth to protest, I glanced in the direction of the voices.

“And you might not survive the poison long enough to escape and drink any of that water,” said the remedial teacher. “Mistress Ellyllon is aware of the hold Lady Gala has over the princes. She raised her concerns with Queen Titania’s secretary, who said the queen was happy her sons had chosen a girl with such good breeding.”

“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” muttered Flora.

I turned back to the pepper trees, wincing at Prince Rory’s moans and shuddering breaths. “What should I do? Pokeweed’s going to die if I don’t get that water.”

“We’ll return after dark,” said Mr. Whittaker. “I expect Lady Gala brought the princes here to cure them in case something went wrong with her ice enchantment.”

Frustration fizzled through my veins and made the surface of my skin prickle. If Lady Gala still couldn’t trust the princes after the loyalty enchantment, and after burning my supposed body, she had to be desperately insecure.

“He’s right,” whispered Flora. “The longer we linger out here, the higher the risk of us being caught sneaking about by invisible guards.”

With a reluctant nod, I turned on my heel and walked back to the orchard.

Mr. Whittaker wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulder, the same way he had done with Flora when she had talked about her father’s death. His silent strength brought tears welling up in my eyes.

Even though I’d absorbed Prince August’s magic, I was still powerless. Powerless to break his curse, powerless to help Pokeweed, and powerless to stop a maniac from freezing the brothers’ beautiful dicks. I blinked, and tears streamed down my cheeks.

“We’ll come back in a few hours,” whispered Flora.

Mr. Whittaker squeezed my shoulder.

As Flora walked ahead, I stared up into his kind features. Apart from his golden hair and sea-blue eyes, he looked more human than faerie but was as handsome as the Lumberjacks of Switzerland.

He didn’t have the exotic features of Elijah, but his kind and gentle personality made up for his lack of extreme good looks. Besides, who wanted to mate with a guy with such a track record for betrayal?

“Are you alright?” Mr. Whittaker’s deep voice made my nipples tingle.

We walked through a clearing of daisies that reflected the sun’s heat. Sweat broke out across my brow, and my nerve endings tingled with the need to be touched. “Not really.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I slid my hand up his broad chest. “Everything feels so itchy.”

Stiffening, Mr. Whittaker sniffed at my hair. “Perhaps one of the curses that hit Pokeweed affected the fabric of your garments. You should remove them at once.”

Flora turned around, resting her hand on the trunk of a pair of intertwined kissing trees. “What are you two talking about?”

Her voice grated against my eardrums. She sounded just as screechy as Lady Gala.

I shook my head. “Could you just walk ahead and leave me here with Josiah?”

“Jo—” She reared back. “Mr. Whittaker. You need to step away from Unity. Now.”

“Nonsense.” The arm around my shoulder slipped down to my waist, and he pulled me into his hard body. “She’s just feeling faint. Once she lies down and loosens her clothing, I’ll give Unity what she needs.”

Flora grabbed my arm and tugged me out of Mr. Whittaker’s comforting grip.

“What are you doing?” I tried pulling away from her, but she tugged harder.