Heart of the Raven Prince: A Cinderella Retelling (Entangled with Fae) by Tessonja Odette

Author:Tessonja Odette [Odette, Tessonja]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Moon Press
Published: 2021-08-12T16:00:00+00:00

25

EMBER

With a deep breath, I take Franco’s arm and allow him to lead me out of my room. We enter the hall, which is thankfully somewhat empty. But as we make our way deeper into the palace, I see the halls have grown busier since this morning when we left on our outing. Servants pass. And pause. Dozens of eyes lock on us, trailing our progress down the hall. The significance of this moment strikes me. It’s our first public appearance as a courting couple. The realization sends a wave of dizziness to my head. What if I can’t do it? What if I say the wrong thing? What if—

“Relax,” Franco says, putting his hand over mine. It’s then I realize my grip has tightened on his arm. He leans in close. “Tonight is going to go…swimmingly.”

His comment eases my nerves, and I latch onto it like a sturdy tree in the breeze. “It wasn’t funny the first time.”

“But you’re smiling.”

“Perhaps that’s just the glamour. I could be grimacing while I slowly die inside.”

His grin widens as if my jab had been the most forward of flirtations. “You, Miss Em, have the sharpest tongue.”

The way he says tongue has my cheeks reddening, my insides sparking with a strange mixture of delight and annoyance. What is it about him that gets me so easily flustered? One moment, I’m holding my own, the next, I’m suppressing a smile and blushing like an idiot.

Outside the palace, we find a coach parked on the drive, just like this morning. I glance at the front, where two skeletal horses stand hitched.

“Were you able to find them? The…what are they called?”

“The moon mares?” Franco says. “Yes, I found Donna and Dominus and brought those rascals home. These two, however, aren’t they.” As we descend the stairs, I take a closer look at the horses and realize they do appear much larger than the ones from this morning. He leaves me at the coach’s door to give each of the mares an affectionate pat. I’m amazed at how his face transforms, glowing with boyish joy as he stokes their necks. He glances over, catching me staring, and offers me a sly grin. “Care to join me?”

I avert my gaze. “No, thank you.”

With a chuckle, he returns to my side and opens the door. Again, there’s no coachman, no footman, and he offers me his hand. I take it and hoist myself inside—only to find I’m not alone. Two fae, a male and female, nuzzle close together, giggling on the bench I’d intended to claim. At my startled expression, they pull apart and rise to their feet with a curtsy and bow. My gaze locks on the female, recognizing her short dark hair and enormous black eyes. It’s the moth pixie that flirted with the prince last night.

For some inexplicable reason, a flash of rage roars through my chest.

“Princess Maisie,” says the male, stealing my attention to him. He’s a slim, youthful fae with charcoal hair, fluffy triangular ears, and amber eyes.

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