ONE
Wren
Nevermakeabargainwith a fae.
That was the first rule I’d learned after the Arctic Wolf Village took me in at five-years-old, and Thorn was always trying to convince me to break it.
“Come on. I promise it’ll be worth it.” The teasing smile pulled at his lips as he took another step closer, snow crunching under his bare feet.
The trickster fae tried his luck at making a contract with me for the hundred-eighty-sixth time.
Not that I was counting or anything.
“I’m not stupid.” I sucked in a breath as he took another step into my personal space, and my face heated as I craned my neck back.
Thorn towered over me, and his bright blue eyes seared into mine. “I know you’re not stupid, Kit. Let me take you away from here. Form the contract with me.”
He stood so close that as an icy breeze swept through the forest, my snow white hair intertwined with his long, pale blue strands.
“Stop playing with the wind to distract me.” I reached a tentative hand up and ran it through the tangled hairs before stepping back. “And don’t use your nickname for me to distract me.”
The wind settled as he pouted his lip out. “Kit just makes sense. Your fox form looks just like a baby fox.”
“Oh, stop.” I bit back a smile. “As tempting as the contract is, and it is, I can’t just leave.”
“Why not?” He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. “Give me a good enough reason you can’t leave that village.”
Huffing out a breath, I let my gaze drop to run over his attire.
The royal clothing he wore was branded with the Ice Kingdom’s emblem. It was a fine threaded navy blue tunic and pants with a cape. I didn’t know a lot about the fae realm, but I knew there were four factions that ruled: the Ice Kingdom, Fire Kingdom, Air Kingdom, and Earth Kingdom. Those factions oversaw that nature maintained a balance in Kalista.
He was far too elegant to be around any part of Briesia, but he kept coming to meet with me on the outskirts of my village.
Meeting with Thorn gave me something to look forward to daily. Without him, I couldn’t imagine how lonely I’d be. We may have come from two different worlds, but we had formed a connection unlike any other I’d experienced.
Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I met his gaze again. “You’re going to take over the Ice Kingdom in the fae realm. I’m a shifter with no genuine talent except for using herbs for medicinal properties.”
“Your point?”
“Nobody would understand this.” I gestured between the two of us as another gust of wind chilled my cheeks. “I wouldn’t fit in with your world.”
His bright eyes turned dark as he took another step forward. “I don’t care. You’re important to me, and the way this village treats you makes me sick.”
I shook my head and fumbled with the cloth bag draped over my shoulder that Thorn had given me last solstice. The brown material was soft but durable, and it had unlimited storage thanks to the enchantment he had woven into it.
My fingertips hit the glass of the jar, and I pulled it out before holding it out to him.
“I’ll accept your offering,” he murmured, and the warmth of his hand enveloped mine as he took the jar. “Even if it’s a formality that you don’t need to do with me.”
I pulled my hand back and gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s a healing cream.”
“My court’s herbalist hijacked the last one you offered. The effectiveness astounded him.” He eyed the jar, holding it at eye level as he inspected the green paste.
“He’s too kind.” I ducked my head down and scuffed the snow with my boot.
“You’re extremely talented.” His finger lifted my chin up, and I met his gaze. “You’re worth more than you realize, Wren. Your soul is so beautiful.”
My heart slammed against my rib cage. Even with the arctic climate around us, my body temperature skyrocketed. I pressed my lips together and slapped my chilly hands over my warming cheeks.
