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Eden’s a sweet girl. But she’s my brother’s sweet girl, and I have to respect that.

No matter how much my cock might ache to be buried between those perfect thighs.

21

EDEN

Iwake up with a gasp, only to immediately flop back onto my bed as a wave of dizziness slams into me. Hunger twists at my insides.

“Ugh…” I barely manage to roll myself over. It’s like my body has forgotten how to work. Even breathing feels hard as I scramble around my bedside for my water goblet.

It tumbles to the floor with a clatter.

“What’s wrong with me?” I groan, trying to push myself up, only to topple out of bed and land with a loud thud beside the spilled water. “Ow!”

My door creaks open. “Princess?” A young woman hurries inside. It’s the quiet servant who helped me yesterday. Sylvia, I think? She helps me back onto my bed.

But when my gaze meets hers, I yelp and scramble backwards.

“You’re a…” I gesture at her ears. Her very pointy ears. “You’re a faerie.”

“Oh, forgive me.” She blushes. The air shimmers around her, and when I blink, her ears are just as round as mine again. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I wasn’t expecting you to wake today. I would’ve been glamoured and ready for you had I known.”

“Glamoured?” I echo. I must be still dreaming…

My dream last night can only be described as a confusing mess that seemed to go on forever. Lux was there, feeding me porridge and soup. Castor came in and out, holding my hand while Lux tended to my ankle. Parts of it felt so real.

“Glamouring is a faerie trick,” Sylvia explains in a small voice. “We can use it to change our appearance. But I’m so sorry if my ears scared you, Princess Eden. I should’ve hid them before I came into your room.”

“Don’t hide yourself for my benefit.” I suppose I should get used to seeing faerie ears, especially if I’m going to be stuck with two half-fae princes until my ankle heals. Glancing down at it, I wonder just how many of the people I met here before had secret faerie ears when I startle.

My ankle, which only last night was the size of a small melon, now looks perfectly healthy. Bracing for pain, I try to move it. But it feels healthy too. There’s no pain at all, not even an ache.

“Did you cast some sort of spell on my ankle?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “No magic was needed. The princes just made sure you didn’t use it while it healed.”

My eyes narrow as a familiar warmth fizzes inside me. “But how did it heal so—” The door swings open, and anything else I wanted to say becomes an unexpected sigh of relief.

“Eden, you’re awake!” Lux smiles as Sylvia leaves me with him. The morning light dances off his auburn hair, and I can’t help but reach up to run my fingers through it.

Stars, he’s beautiful. I run my fingertips down his face, grazing the stubble along his jawline. Was he always this beautiful?

“How do you feel?” His voice is as thick as honey.

“I feel good…” My thumb brushes his soft lips. “My ankle is…”

I freeze. My ankle was sprained because I was running away from him!

Yelping, I scramble backwards.

“Sweetheart, be careful.” He catches my wrist before I fall off the bed, pulling me back towards him.

This is all so confusing. I can’t trust my own thoughts anymore. Every time my gaze catches his, all I want is to get lost in it. To let him run his strong hands down my sides until his fingers reach the forbidden place between my hips that’s been throbbing ever since he⁠—

I scrub my hand over my face, trying to scrub the thoughts away too.

Something gold catches in my vision.