Chapter Three
Wren
Dropping the furs to the rug, I pick up the stunning, purple gown decorated with golden brocade and trace my fingers over the delicate, regal patterns.I’ve never seen or touched something so splendid in all my life.It looks like something a queen would wear.I feel hardly worthy, but not wanting to remain nude, I have no choice but to slip it on.The long sleeves flare at the elbow, hanging wide in a plethora of elegant fabric like petals down to my wrist.
The cut fits like a second skin and displays my ample cleavage while making a centerpiece of my wide hips and slender waist.It’s beautiful beyond my wildest imaginings, only I can’t tie it up by myself.I lick my lips and look about the empty living quarters and find a stunning mirror of ice carved into the wall farthest from the hearth.I approach it cautiously, entranced by the messy-haired beauty staring back at me.“That can’t be me,” I breathe.Imagine if the folk from my village could see me now...
“Oh, but it is,” says the voice from the forest, as my host re-enters the room, a silver tray overflowing with colorful fruits, aromatic meats, as well as a bottle of drink and two crystal chalices.
I spin around to look at him properly, the breath stolen from my lungs as I gaze, wide-eyed upon the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.My insides erupt into a flurry of chaotic butterflies and the warmth between my thighs twinges with a foreign feeling.His eyes are an eerily pale lilac that seem to bore into my very soul, and his hair is the color of freshly fallen snow.With a jaw that could cut ice and strange, pointed ears that poke through his long hair, he’s a perfect vision of lithe limbs and elegance, yet he carries himself with an air of quiet strength and an unspoken hint of danger.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I begin, swallowing hard as I hold my dress to my chest.
“We fae can walk silently when we so desire,” he answers, closing the door behind him to place the silver tray down on an icy table.“May I?”He gestures toward me, one prominent brow raised.
It occurs to me he means to help me with my gown, and I blush.He’s already seen me naked, what harm could there be?“Yes, please,” I breathe.“Thank you.”I turn back toward the mirror so that I can watch him behind me as he laces me up, his fingers cool and deft as they work their magic.They occasionally brush against the warmth of my skin and send little ripples of pleasure through me that fizzle out at my toes.
I meet his gaze in the mirror, and my breath catches in my throat.He stands at least two heads taller than me, like a protective, sensual, pale shadow.“What is your name?”I ask when the silence between us seems to reach an agonizing fever pitch.
“A name is a powerful thing in Faery,” he answers thoughtfully, his gaze still locked on mine.“But you gave of yours without fear, and so I will share with you the first part of mine.Will that suffice?”
I nod, a smile creeping to my lips.“I just want to know what to call you.I want to know by whom I was saved.”
The fae finishes tying my bodice and gently takes me by the shoulders, turning me to face him.“You may call me Thade,” he says, looking down upon me with an intensity that has my breath coming hard and fast.
“Thade,” I say.“It’s a strange, but lovely name.”
Thade lingers a moment longer before releasing his grasp on me, as if reluctant to end our physical contact.“You must be hungry,” he says.“Would you like to dine with me?I’m sure a little sustenance will go a long way in helping you regain your strength.”He gestures to the luxurious daybed as he fetches the tray he brought in earlier.
Licking my lips, I can’t deny I feel suddenly ravenous, as if merely surviving the wilds of Faery starved all of my precious energy reserves.I sit down on the opposite side of the tray which he sets between us.“Wait,” I say suddenly, my wits returning to me with a tremor of apprehension.“If I partake of the food of Faery, I’ll become one of you, won’t I?I’ll be forever changed.My mortality will become no more than a distant memory.”
Thade smiles in acknowledgement as he pours a chalice of frost-blue liquid.“That is true.You will become one of the Common fae.But All Hallows’ Eve is past us now and the Veil between our worlds is no longer as fragile.You are, for better or worse, my pretty bird, trapped here.And if you do not eat...”he says, leaving the rest unsaid.
“Live as one of the fae or die—those are my options?”I ask, sucking in my lower lip and nibbling on it.
“I’m afraid so, Wren,” he answers, proffering the crystal chalice to me.“I do hope you’ll choose wisely.Rather than viewing this as the end of your life, perhaps it would be more pertinent to see it as the beginning of a new one?”he suggests.
I stare at the chalice and twist my hands in my lap for a moment in thought, before accepting it.“Well,” I say, “I do not wish to die, I know that much.And truly ...it’s not as if I’m leaving a great deal behind.”Taking a deep breath, I raise the chalice to my lips and take a hesitant sip of the ethereally colored beverage.It burns pleasantly down my throat, warm and sweet on my tongue.“Mm.”I sigh.“That’s the most splendid thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“Then you’ll be delighted by the food,” he assures me with a knowing smile.“Please, try whatever your heart desires.There is much and more where this came from.”
I cant my head like a curious cat, trying to figure this beautiful and mysterious fae out.“Why did you save me?”I ask finally.“Why are you being so kind?All my life I was told of the wickedness of the fae.We were taught you were all capricious and deceitful, more like to dole out pointless cruelty for the sake of entertainment than to save the innocent or those in distress.”
Thade’s lilac eyes glitter and he drinks deeply from his cup, amusement clear in his expression.“We fae are complex creatures,” he admits.“Our emotions run strong, and we are somewhat fickle, but wicked?Not all of us, fewer still since King Kyren and Queen Raven claimed power over The Winter Court.They are unlike any rulers we’ve ever had.Together, they are strong, but just.They do not permit harm and cruelty to go unchallenged.”
I lick my lips and pick up a piece of brightly colored fruit, something that resembles a strawberry, only it’s larger and instead of red, it’s almost as purple as my gown.“So, you saved me out of fear of your liege lords?”I ask, taking a bite.Flavor, unlike any I’ve ever experienced explodes across my tongue and I sigh aloud in fleeting bliss.
“Not at all,” says Thade.“I could have left you to die, as many would have.Worse, I could have taken you with a mind to trade you.Mortal playthings, depending on their beauty, always fetch a high price.”He waits a moment, allowing the weight and gravity of his words to sink in.“I was under no obligation to save you, pretty bird.No one is punished for ignoring the plight of hapless mortals, here.But I saved you because I desire you.From the moment I first heard your voice, Wren, I knew you were Fated to be mine.”
