Taking her outside the castle walls was probably not the best plan. There were too many trees and shrubs that she could bend to her will. I hadn’t expected this level of magical instinct—untrained, yes, but potent. The way she called to the roots without even touching the soil… It wasn’t just inherited ability. It was inborn defiance, stubbornness laced into every movement, annoying but very impressive.
The human screamed again, this time reaching out for the large rosebush.
“No,” I said, holding up my hand.
My order came too late.
The rosebush ripped out of the ground, growing, extending, and heading my way.
“Murderer!” she yelled, her long obsidian hair tangling around the fallen branches she called to her side before she darted behind a nearby tree. Her big, dark eyes frantically searched the area for something else to throw at me.
Dashing out of the rosebush’s path, I dragged a hand down the front of my face, wondering how I was going to get this human inside the castle without killing her or using my shadow magic. I didn’t need my court to see just how much trouble this human was giving me.
Her commotion called the castle guards and soon enough we had an audience of my finest soldiers by my side.
“Stand down,” I said before my blade dancers decided to skew this human.
The head of my guard, Acaden, eyed the woman of prophecy. “What is a human doing on the property, Your Majesty? And your hand? What happened?”
Humans had been exiled from Caste Castle for over two hundred years. As soon as I came into power and realized my father’s human witches played a vital part, not just in his death,but the death of my beloved sisters, humans were no longer allowed in any fae settlements.
“I’m fine just a minor wound. This,” I said to my perplexed friend, “is Deirdre.”
Hushed whispers rippled through the guard. Everybody knew about the child of prophecy.
Even though Acaden had only been with me for the past hundred years, he’d become part of my inner circle and knew how much I despised humans and the prophecy surrounding this one. It was an insult to the fae that this supposedly prodigal child had been born a human and not fae.
“You're going to marry her?” he asked. “When did you decide this?”
I could already feel the judgement of my court’s questions pressing in—why would I bring her here? Why would I dirty our halls with a prophecy I openly mocked?
The truth?
I didn’t know.
Curiosity, maybe.
Or the quiet fear that the prophecy might be real after all, and that ignoring it would be the greater risk. But I’d rather face down a horde of twisted than admit that aloud.
In the end, I needed to control my fate, and having her under my watch was the first step.
I shook my head, not wanting to deal with an explanation right now. “How about we get her inside the castle and contained before I discuss marriage?”
I stepped forward, holding out my hands. “I will not hurt you.”
Deirdre hid behind a large oak. More of my kin began sliding out of the forest, including the three pixies who had demanded I bring the human to the castle.
Olivia fluttered forward, her dark-chocolate eyes mad with glee, a devilish smile on her petite lips. Her sister Anna, whohad been my mother's most trusted companion before she went into exile, pulled at the golden-red curls in her hair, her wide eyes full of fear.
“What did you do to her?” Anna gasped.
I didn't want to deal with my pixies either. Thankfully, the third out of the trio, Ella, seemed to stay quiet most of the time, letting her two sisters argue and fight.
“Can we discuss what I have and haven't done once the human is subdued?”
“Let me get her,” Olivia said, flying forward.
I grabbed her iridescent wings, plucking her out of the air and tossing her onto my shoulder. “You will do no such thing. She is powerful. I will resolve this myself.”
