"I have a request," Fynn told Ragnar.Ragnar grunted at him, taking a long sip from the warm drink in his hands. I had learned it was their equivalent of coffee here, but I couldn't quite get on board with it. It sort of tasted like hot dirt to me. Ragnar, however, appeared to survive off it."What do you need, brother?" Ragnar finally said after swallowing down probably half the mug."Sage and I have decided we'd like to do a bonding ceremony," Fynn started.Ragnar's eyes widened, and a broad smile split across his face. I was starting to believe he wasn't as much of a grump as he wanted the world to believe. He got to his feet so fast that his chair clattered to the floor and he practically tackled Fynn as he tugged him into a bear hug."This is perfect!" Ragnar cheered. "Do the others know?""We just decided a couple of days ago. We need someone to do our tattoos for us," Fynn explained as Ragnar put him back on the ground."I would be honored," Ragnar beamed. "When? W
It only took a couple of weeks for Magnus to make his way back. He'd been planning a return trip to meet with Fynn anyway, so it wasn't difficult for him to extend his stay for a couple of days.The day that Magnus and his company marched into the city was bitterly cold, but the sky was blue and the soft, fluffy clouds that floated on the wind looked like cotton candy. There was celebration and triumph, music playing, and banners waving as they rode into the city.There had been nearly consistent celebration since the end of the war. For nearly a month now, there had been feasts, dances, speeches, and parties. Fynn and I had attended almost every one of them. Fynn had even hosted a few himself, introducing me to all of the families that helped him rule over his domain. The Woodland Court covered a surprising amount of territory, and people came from all over to celebrate victory with Fynn.Now that Fynn ruled Water Court too, it was expansive. He would need help organizing a new
I was familiar with the concept of a receiving line. I wasn't sure if it was a custom here or not, but it didn't take long at all for a line to form outside of the chapel."Congratulations, we couldn't be more excited for you," a couple of tiny pixies congratulated us."Thank you. And thank you for honoring us with your attendance," Fynn told them."Yes, thank you," I agreed, not at all prepared for a situation like this. I didn't have his skills with people. He always knew what to say to someone and most of the time I was left stammering.There was a steady stream of people, and I started feeling like I was getting the hang of what to say to them. Most of the time, I just recycled something I heard Fynn say to someone else, but people really just seemed to appreciate being acknowledged and spoken to kindly.Every now and then, there would be a few people who seemed less than thrilled at my presence. A lot of them were women who were clearly attracted to Fynn, and that was un
*Sage*The Smoky Mountains were technically a rainforest. They were a deciduous rainforest, and it was a fact that people didn't seem to know. But as you looked out across the way the moisture rose from the trees in the misty haze that gave the mountains their name, you'd have to believe it. As the tendrils of fog lifted their hands heavenward, reaching for a sun they'd never meet, it was easy to see why the place inspired ghost stories and folklore.My grandmother was superstitious. She believed you should never pick up a penny that wasn't heads-up. She wouldn't walk under ladders, and she always knocked on wood. She never told secrets while standing near a mirror, in case someone on the other side could hear her.She worried over faerie rings for as long as I could remember. In the spring and the summer, when I would come to visit her house, she was constantly warning me about them."Don't step in that ring," she would call to me, gesturing toward the brown-capped mushrooms t
*Fynn*Well, this was new. I had to hand it to Evangeline, this was an unexpected approach. Where did she find a woman like this? The big, hazel eyes were really something, almost otherworldly. She looked up at me and looked genuinely afraid. An actress then.I reached down and scooped the woman up. She struggled under my grasp, but she was disappointingly weak. I wrapped my arm around her and tossed her over my shoulder. Her gown was practically see-through now that it was damp with sweat. Even if this woman was a spy as I suspected, it would be irresponsible to leave her out in the woods on her own. There were dangerous people out there.The woman kicked wildly, beating her small fists against my back."Let me go, you stupid hillbilly," she demanded, struggling still."It's going to hurt if I drop you," I warned her, hoping to talk a little sense into her."I don't care. Put me down. I'll call the cops, I swear," she screeched.The cops? What the hell did that even mean
*Sage*My kidnapper clapped his heels against the horse's sides, spurring him into a gallop."Hold on," the man snarled, and I didn't argue.He was a hulking brute of a figure, tall with broad shoulders like nothing I'd ever seen before. Gripping onto him for dear life, I could feel the way his muscles rippled, even under his thick cloak. My mind drifted to considering what he might look like under all of that fabric, and I cursed myself for letting my mind go there at a time like this.I wasn't sure what on earth was pursuing us, but from the sound of its feet, it sounded like an elephant. I hadn't heard anything when the man started to get nervous, but now that we were racing through the forest, I could hear the thundering pursuit.I considered what might be the less terrible way to die: I could risk my life with the unknown creature, or I could hope my captor would let me go.Watching the ground surge by underneath us, the forest nearly a blur as the black horse practica
*Fynn*The sound of the birds singing woke me up. The sun was just starting to pull over the horizon and light the woods, and I rolled over to try and steal a few more minutes of sleep.My arm draped over a small form next to me, and I pulled it away as if I'd been burned.Sage.I had forgotten she was here, and I startled myself. It was crowded to have her in the bedroll with me, but I couldn't risk letting her get away from me. She didn't need to report to Evangeline what I was up to. I needed at least a little bit of edge when it came to fighting the Water Court.Seeing her in my bed, hands bound, in that barely-there shift dress, my mind was slipping down a rabbit trail it really shouldn't be traveling. I frowned and turned away. Definitely a succubus.She needed new clothes. We were about to get to a town, and she would be a spectacle. It was going to be embarrassing enough to have to take her into this town in that dress, much less if we made it to meet my men with he
*Sage*"I don't think people can be saints without knowing it," Fynn growled, hand placed firmly at the small of my back. He had to lean his head down toward me to be heard over the crowd, and his nearness had my nerves on edge."Okay, well, I'm telling you right now that I have no idea what she was talking about. It seemed rude to tell her no though, and she gave me these for free," I snapped back, doing my best to ignore my speeding pulse. I lifted a leg to remind him of the boots."I just think that someone should have taught you to lie better. I've already pinned you for exactly who you are. You're a succubus sent by Evangeline to keep me from breaking the curse," Fynn said smugly.I stopped dead in my tracks, almost tripping a vendor pushing a cart of dried meats. I turned to face Fynn, eyes narrowed and one corner of my upper lip curling involuntarily into a snarl."What, and I do mean this from the bottom of my heart, the fuck are you talking about?" I demanded.The