Prologue
“We have avoided this particular match for as long as we dare.” Mairwen frowned at the image of the young woman on her assistant Keeva’s tablet. “Not only does Lexi Vine’s soul cry out for her mate, the Highland Veil vibrates with the need for her to bond with”—she allowed herself a resigned sigh—“him.” She pinched at the screen as Keeva had shown her, wrinkling her nose when it didn’t get larger as she wished. “What now with this infernal thing?”
“Like this, Mairwen.” Keeva touched the screen and opened the pinch to zoom in on the image. “Oh dear. Look at that scar. What happened to the poor lass?”
“The cards and the scrying glass told me of a horrific car accident when she was but a wee bairn. It took her parents from her and left her as she now appears.” But the spark in the young woman’s clear hazel eyes and her daring smile pleased Mairwen greatly. This one knew her worth and refused to let something as superficial as scars stand in her way. That would make their task much easier. “Look at her pride and certainty. She is a noble, kind-hearted lass. The perfect match for the prince.”
“Yes, but was he not once known as the Prince of Perfection?” Keeva tapped on the screen, and another image appeared: the man in question, dark, brooding, and petulant as a spoiled child.
Mairwen reached for her deck of worn tarot cards and started shuffling. “Our finePrince of Perfectionhas learned many lessons of late. The most important of which is thatperfectionis an elusive state. His mate from…where was it again?”
“Kentucky.”
“Yes. Kentucky.” Mairwen enjoyed the feel of that word as it rolled off her tongue. “Yes, his mate from Kentucky will teach him many more lessons that will serve him well when it comes time for him to take the throne.” She laid out the cards, gently touching them and smiling. This tarot deck, her old friends the cards, never led her astray. Sometimes they went quiet, but they never lied. “This binding will be different for us as well.”
“How so?” Keeva freshened their tea and added pinches of mint leaves to the steaming cups.
“Jessa and Emily taught me a valuable lesson about honesty and straightforwardness. Moving forward, I intend to listen to my instincts more than the mothers’ advice.”
“Mairwen!” Keeva glanced all around as if worried that the mighty goddesses might hide in the shadows, eavesdropping on every word.
“The mothers not only allowed my son to die after promising to protect him, but they threatened Emily’s unborn children as well.” Mairwen gathered up the colorful cards, reshuffled them, and dealt them again. “They disappointed me greatly in their disregard for other races, their carelessness for life, for a mortal’s love. I refuse to behave just like them. We serve the Highland Veil…not the whims of the goddesses. Bride and Cerridwen know my feelings on this. They dislike my opinions. But they know them. As Jessa and Emily impressed upon me, honesty is a rare and beautiful thing. We must do our best to avoid subterfuge and treachery.”
“But what if Mistress Vine fails to believe in our honesty? What if she refuses to accept she is the fated mate of a Seelie Prince of Scotland’s Seventh Realm?” Keeva slowly stirred her tea, tasted it, then added more mint. “What if she does not believe in the Fae or the many realities the Highland Veil protects and separates?”
Mairwen sipped her tea, then redealt her cards, frowning at the latest spread. “With gentleness and subtlety, we will teach her, and she will believe. Eventually.” She slowly shook her head. “She will have to believe so she can help him win the war.”
“What war?”
“The Fifth Kingdom stirs unrest throughout the Realm. It boils and festers like a wound that refuses to heal.” Mairwen set aside her cards and cradled her teacup between her hands. “That is why we can wait no longer to bind these two. Scotland’s Seventh Realm and every creature within it needs Miss Lexington Elizabeth Vine to bring a peace that can be achieved no other way.”
“This one is going to be difficult, isn’t it?” Keeva asked.
“My dear child,” Mairwen chuckled, “if they were easy, there would be no need for us—now, would there?”
ChapterOne
Vinemagic Horse Farms
Lexington, Kentucky
Early June 2025
Dr. Lexington “Lexi”Vine strolled down the center aisle of the main barn, breathing in the sweet perfume of healthy horses, clean stalls, and future derby champions in the making. Thumbs hooked in the pockets of her jeans, she tried to roll the day’s tension from her shoulders and almost…almost succeeded.
She really had no excuse to feel stretched tighter than a fiddle string. It had been a good day. Three new foals. Excellent bloodlines, robust babies that their mamas had readily accepted. Yet the feeling of being wound too tight wouldn’t go away, and she didn’t know why. She had been this way ever since Mammaw died, and she had inherited the status of the sole family member left to run the extraordinarily successful Vinemagic Horse Farms.
Maybe that was what it was, but deep down, she felt like it was more than just grief or the weight of extra responsibilities. It was an odd restlessness that made little sense. Maybe it was because her grandmother,Mammawin southern speak, had been a force to be reckoned with and left behind an impossible set of boots to fill. Old money and a high society southern belle, nobody crossed Mammaw. If they did, there wouldn’t be enough of their reputation left to pray over by the time Mammaw finished with them. The Bluegrass Region respected Lexi well enough as a trainer, horse rehabilitator, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine—but she was no Mammaw, and she knew it. She allowed herself a sad smile. Mammaw would tell her it was all right. If everyone were aMammaw, where would the fun in that be? So how could thisitchy-twitchyrestlessness be from following in Mammaw’s footsteps?
A familiar, mud-spattered pickup truck backfired as it pulled up in front of the wide-open doors at the front of the main barn. The building was the largest of four that housed, bred, and trained so many winning thoroughbreds they’d had to enlarge the trophy room. Lexi’s friend, Maggie Siriton, also a vet, climbed out of the truck. She was covered in nearly as much mud as her vehicle.“Hey, Lexi! Come look. I brought you something I came across down in the bottoms.”
Maggie had a habit of rescuing any varmint she came across. There was no telling what she had in the back of that pickup.
“No snapping turtles,” Lexi warned as she joined her friend outside. “Remember?”
Maggie lifted both hands in surrender. “One time, I bring you a poor old snapping turtle, and you never let me forget it.” She tipped a nod at the truck bed. “Seven puppies. And the mama dog. I figure somebody dumped them down there by the creek.”
“I hate people.” Lexi shook her head at the sweet, floppy-eared hound with the soulful eyes. The dog, along with seven puppies that hadn’t even opened their eyes yet, filled the animal carrier to overflowing. “Luckily for you, mama dog, we’ve got room in the kennels,” she said. “You and your babies will need to be in isolation for a while until all the tests come back, but at least you’ll be warm, dry, and fed. And there’ll be plenty of cuddles too.” She turned to Maggie. “You’re going to help me with this bunch, right? You know they’ll need worming, bathing, and, from the looks of them, a lot of attention while we make sure they’re healthy.”
