“Don’t bother.” They put their hoods back up. “You’re all guilty, with your fighting and your pettiness. Everyone will pay.” Although they can’t see Kirian, their heads turn slightly, as if they’re looking at him. “Young prince, listen carefully. You will be blind for all your days, unless you can find your fated mate and consummate the bond. You must be patient. If you so much as kiss someone else, the curse will be permanent.”

“Wh-where can I find her?” My son straightens his shoulders, and I see a glimmer of the brave king he’ll turn out to be. “I’ll do whatever I have to.”

“She is marked by the sky at night,” they sing. “You’ll know her by love at first sight.”

The tune makes Gia giggle, and she reaches for them.

“What a delightful baby girl.” They all take a step forward.

I throw a hand out with threatening flames licking up my palm. “Stay away from her.”

“We can bargain,” Keryth tries again. “What do you want? We have gold, stardust, anything.”

Shaking their heads, they back away. “Nothing.” Just as they’ve disappeared into the fog, they remind Kirian, “Remember the clues.”

And then they’re gone. The air clears, the stars twinkle, and it’s as if they were never here.

Except for my poor son.

“Let’s get you to the bed,” I tell him, keeping an arm around his trembling shoulders.

Unsteady, he puts his hands out in front of him and he moves forward with stilted footsteps. As he finds the mattress, his eyes are filled with tears. “I’m scared.”

Keryth lifts Gia from my arms so I can sit with Kirian and hold him. “I know, I know. But we’ll find a way out of this. We’ll contact Dermot. Or maybe we can find the witches and convince them to reverse the curse. Maybe they need some time to forgive what’s happened.”

“She’s right,” Keryth chimes in. He’s trying to sound as positive as possible, but I can see how shaken he is. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get your sight back.”

“Yes, we’ll fix this.” I’m a mother. Fixing things is what I do.

And as I rock my traumatized child, I hope to all the stars that it’s true.

NOT THE END

You can read Kirian’s story in The Fae King’s Curse, releasing April 17th! To get updates on my books, please subscribe to my newsletter.

THE FAE KING’S CURSE BLURB AND SNEAK PEEK

THE FAE KING’S CURSE BLURB AND SNEAK PEEK