Chuckling, he stepped forward in his true form, his face that of another man’s—the Green Man’s—handsome, yet his nose, mouth, and even the set of his jaw were that of a different person. The colors and images of the foliage behind him bled out of his body like a fading sunset and the Shandon she knew was gone.

  “But you’re not the wicked man everyone portrays you to be, are you?” she asked.

  “No, I am none of those things. I am king of the Green People and nothing more, nor do I take every woman I want and couple with them. Sometimes the men from our city woo mortal women, but only when our blood line grows weak and only women with strong faerie magic in their veins are chosen.”

  “But you stole my cousin. For all these years, you have led me—all of us—to believe you were Shandon.” She frowned. “How can you be a king? You have been with us all this time.”

  Releasing her, Raya laughed. “You must open your mind to the possibilities of magic, child.”

  “I can come and go as I please, Li’l One. Whenever I went on those long trips for supplies, everything I return with comes from my city and its neighboring Fae towns. Special things requested by the villagers, your dress material, the village cattle and steeds—everything. The villagers who ask me to fetch a surgeon or pay for a good sword or dagger have no idea that those things come from my people.”

  “I feel faint,” Honey said, wobbling on her feet.

  The goddess helped her sit on the fronds. She lowered herself to the ground next to her and patted Honey’s knee. “I realize this is all so overwhelming, but time is short, and should you waste what valuable moments we have left, Kaedric is certain to take you as his wife. Listen to us, hear us out, and then if you prefer to go home and marry that conceited ox turd, so be it.”

  Honey took slow, deep gulps of air. Shandon was the Green Man! And a Fae king! No, he wasn’t even Shandon, he was an imposter, a deceiver.

  And every time she looked at him her heart leapt with joy.

  “There is an escape for you,” Raya continued. “You can marry King Roahre.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You want me to marry Shan—the Green Man?” Honey asked. She realized her mouth was agape again and shut it soundly.

  Raya reclined against one of her cats. The other panther lay with its head in her lap, its thunderous purr filling the leafy refuge as the goddess idly scratched behind its massive head.

  Laughing, Raya replied, “You are the first one to possess as much magic as any of the Fae folk.”

  “I do not feel very magical,” Honey said.

  “It will come all at once,” the goddess said. “And when it does, you will need someone to guide you in how to wield and control it. You are the woman who will unite the Green People with mortals and preserve their bloodline once more. You, Honey, are the one who will convince the deities that humanity—whether it is mortal or Fae—is not lost.”

  “But if the Green People intermarry with us,” Honey said, frowning, “their blood line will fade away and blend the two races.”

  Smiling patiently, Raya sat forward and fixed Honey with a penetrating gaze. “You do not understand.” She shook her blonde head. “Your magic, the power within your veins, will be what truly unites our peoples. You are the one finally born who possesses the magic needed to revive the Green People and ultimately all Faerie races. Your union to King Roahre shall show mortals that the Green People are not to be feared.” Glancing at him, Raya chuckled. “After all, Roahre has been trading and bartering for your village for years and no one even realized it. The Green People are the same as mortals, only they possess powerful magic. The Fae make weapons, create lovely cloth, plant and harvest food, and raise livestock.” The goddess shrugged. “I am partial to the Faerie because they are not as quick to judge others as is Man. Your marriage will help your race to realize this.”

  “Do I not have a choice in this?” Honey asked. The goddess wanted her to make a decision and quickly. She hated feeling unsure and frightened. Anger stirred deep within her, and she clasped her hands in her lap, painfully squeezing her fingers to prove that this was real, that Raya and Roahre were solid and not vaporous dreams.

  “Yes, you have free will. You may exercise your right to refuse Roahre as your husband—and return to marry Kaedric.”

  “That is not much of a choice,” said Honey. Every time she thought of Kaedric’s mouth and hands upon her body, despair washed over her. “If I should choose to marry Kaedric, what happens then?” She felt the king’s gaze upon her, her skin heating under his scrutiny. Unable to look at him, she kept her attention on the goddess. “Will I be punished?”

  Raya offered her a sympathetic smile. “No—at least not by my hand. But, should you choose not to unite the Green People and Man, there will be war.”

  “War?” Honey echoed, her heart slamming against her ribs. “Is that not punishment enough?”

  “The Green People will begin stealing women more often in an attempt to capture as much of the magic in your bloodlines as possible. But through you, the race will be invigorated by the children you will bear Roahre. Through you, mortals will willingly come to the Green People, fall in love and marry. I have seen the future, and without you, there will be more suspicion, more abduction, and neither race will listen to reason. You are the key for the survival of both sides.”

  “But he stole—”

  “Your real cousin resides with the Green People. He’s happily married to a Fae woman who has born him five children. The real Shandon has had a good, blessed life, dear child.” Rising to her feet, Raya looked down upon Honey and the king. “And the Green People made sure that Shandon was aware of you since the day Roahre took him to his city. He sees you through his wife’s magic, and he awaits the day that you, your mother, and your sisters will reunite with him.”

  “I am happy that my cousin has had a good, prosperous life. However...” Honey dropped her gaze to the ground, tears blurring her vision, resentment prickling inside. “If there will be war between the races, then I truly have no free will.”

  “What will be, will be, but it will be through your free choice, child. You can marry Kaedric and be miserable, or you can take Roahre as your husband and love him as you already do.”

  Honey was surprised to see her love singeled out, and her gaze flew up to meet Raya’s.

  The goddess laughed and knelt next to her. “Yes, I know that you have loved him since the woman within you began to awaken. Even now, you try not to look at him, feeling confusion. Be at ease and let your heart guide you.” Raya took Honey’s hand and placed a bone rune in her palm, adding, “Take this. Whenever you place it in water, whether a cup or a pond, or even a tear, you will see the city of the Fae as if looking through a window.”

  Studying the rune that bore Raya’s mark, Honey watched as one of her tears fell upon it. An image shimmered in her palm, and she saw Shandon—the real Shandon—laughing and tossing a small child into the air. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the picture faded. She looked up at the goddess and found that Raya and her great cats had vanished too.

  Looking askance at Roahre, she said, “My headaches.”

  Laughter rumbled out of him. “Yes, I imagine it does, Li’l One, but know that soon your heart will ache too. You are faced with many hard choices.”

  “It is not fair that I must choose.”

  “Life is never fair, which is why we are given choices.”

  Sighing, Honey ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing the wisps and curls back from her face. Her gaze moved over the glowing flora, and she noted how their green haven had returned to its former size now that the goddess was gone.

  She had actually met and spoken with Raya. Staring at her soft leather boots and simple dress, Honey didn’t feel special or magical. If she didn’t go with Roahre, their peoples would wage war and she would be unhappily married to Kaedric. If she accepted Roahre, Man and Fae would know peace—but would she?

  As if sensing her thoughts, Roahre touched her face with the backside of his fingers. His gentle caress brought tears to Honey’s eyes. The ache of her soul brimmed over and fell into her lap, creating dark, spotted patterns on her light brown skirts.

  “You do have a choice,” he stated.

  She shook her head, hearing the worry and hope in his voice. “I do not. I am the key to melding our races, to reviving the magic of the Fae.” Sniffing, she kept her gaze averted. “I mourn my cousin. All this time…”

  “You will see him again.”

  “It is not the same. He is not the same. You were my cousin and now you are not. You are,” she finally met his ethereal eyes, “a king—and an imposter.”

  “What does your heart tell you?” he whispered.

  Her lower lip trembled and she bit it. Finally, she gained control of her emotions and said, “I cannot hear it for the pain inside is too loud.”

  “Do you not love me?” Roahre asked.

  “Yes, I do love you. I do not understand how it happened, but I have always loved you.”

  “I am the same man, Honey.” Roahre threaded his fingers into her hair. “I may have taken Shandon’s name, his form, but I am the one who has shared your dreams and laughed and joked with you. I am still the man who whiled away many evening hours with you in your mother’s flower garden, discussing books, life, and even swapping village gossip.” His fingers stroked the back of her head, calming her. “Am I not the man who has been in your dreams, loving you, touching you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered as revelations swirled through her. “You are the same.”

  He leaned over, brushing his lips across hers. “And when you choose what path you shall follow, I will still be that same man.”

  She stared into his eyes, eyes so green they truly looked like two glittering emeralds. Honey saw his soul in their depths, bright, strong and filled with love for her. His intentions had been—and still were—sincere, and although he loved her, he cherished his people too. She knew she could return to her mother and sisters and marry Kaedric, forcing Roahre to accept her decision. If she became Roahre’s wife, his queen, she would be readily received by the Green People, but her own family would have to decide if they would follow her. Some of her sisters would understand her decision, but some would not. One thing was certain. Her mother would be wroth and blame her for their continued poverty.

  He brushed his fingers through her hair, and a blush heated her entire body.

  “Ever since the woman began to stir within you, you have sensed who I am,” Roahre said, amusement in his voice. “Why else would you blush whenever I touched you?”

  The warmth in Honey’s cheeks flared hotter, and she looked away. Until now, she never dreamed she’d be seduced by a king, the king of a fey race, no less. Idly, she plucked rose petals out of the ferns strewn across the ground. She sighed, fighting the emotion bubbling inside her. “I have…been dreaming of you for the past year.”

  “I know. I gave you those dreams. I wanted you to yearn for me, to love me.”

  “I do love you,” she said so softly she almost did not hear herself. “But…”

  “But you think of me as your cousin.”

  Frowning, she nodded. “Could you not find a better way” Honey met his vivid eyes, but glanced away when the desire she felt for him sent another ripple of hot sensation through her. “Mother will be furious and my sisters will never understand any of this.”

  “If I had gone to your mother and told her I wanted you as my wife, what would she have said?”

  “She would have said no and then shunned you as a malicious Fae, which is what everyone believes about Faeries.”

  The Green Man placed two fingers beneath her chin and tipped her head up, forcing her to look at him. “There is much to tell you, much that you must learn. However, I will not take you as mine unless you truly want to be part of me.”

  She dropped her gaze, feeling foolish for her earlier jealousy when he had stated he had found a woman to love. It had been her, after all. . “Shall I call you King Roahre? I cannot very well call you Shandon any longer, can I?”

  His laughter made Honey think of summer rain and warm breezes. “Roahre is fine,” he answered. “Or my love.”

  Finally meeting his gaze, Honey struggled to grasp her situation, to comprehend the sudden, unexpected changes in her life. “What have I done to cause all this?”

  He touched her face, trailing one finger along her jaw line, mesmerizing her with the intensity of his eyes. “You have done nothing, my love. Nothing except to be born special and win my heart.”

  Sighing, Honey felt the tension bleed from her body, her heart thrilling at his touch.

  “Has the clamor within your soul quieted?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I shall be your wife, your queen.”

  Chapter Eight

  An enormous and joyous smile lit up his entire face. Roahre moved his finger to her throat, tracing the line of her neck down to the shallow vee of her dress.

  An intense need bloomed in Honey’s loins, and she caught her breath, her heart rate increasing. Meeting Roahre’s emerald gaze, she saw the same heat flame to life in his eyes. Transfixed, she watched as he leaned toward her, his gaze unwavering. His mouth met hers, joining tentatively like a butterfly dancing upon her lips and tasting the sweet honeysuckle she had been named after. A force rose within her body, startling her. Her limbs tingled and her mind buzzed with pure sensation. A flash permeated her closed eyelids, and with a gasp, she broke the kiss, falling backward.

  “Fear not, Li’l One,” Roahre said. “You saw only the power of our souls uniting.”

  “What do you mean?” She glanced about wildly, wondering what could have caused such a powerful light.

  “That glow came from the magic within our souls. We are destined to be together.”

  Still frightened but curious, Honey sat forward, heart thundering, and offered him her lips again. He chuckled and captured them in a deeper, hungrier kiss. The world spun, and Honey let him pull her into his arms. His fingers threaded deeply into her hair, and he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. The aroma of cinnamon, cloves and his unique maleness enveloped her, intoxicating her with its headiness. Sighing, she melted into him, pressing closer, her blood pounding in her ears and heart crashing against her breasts.

  His tongue slipped between her lips, and delicately, as if tasting a new treat, the tip of it met hers. A soft moan escaped Honey, and the fire licking throughout her body burst into an inferno, consuming her with its intensity.

  She desired his naked body pressed against hers, wanting him to touch her, to claim her as his own. His kiss seared her soul, and the spicy aroma of his body disoriented her. She felt as if she were adrift in the clouds looking down on her limp body.

  Although Honey knew she should feel awkward and even frightened, she realized Roahre was right. They were meant for one another. So many questions arrowed through her mind, but the feelings cascading through her body carried them away.

  Roahre pulled her into his lap, his mouth claiming hers again. Elation and fear of the unknown flowed through her soul. She parted her lips, allowing him access, their tongues dueling. Honey moaned again and pressed closer to his body, melting into him.

  So slowly she thought she would go insane, King Roahre disrobed her. She lay upon the bed of ferns, feeling shy, but when she saw his appreciative gaze wander over her young, nubile body, she realized just how desirable he found her, and she reveled in that knowledge.

  He shrugged out of his tunic and removed his boots. Realizing that the dreams of her special lover had finally come to pass, Honey watched the muscles work in his arms and back as he struggled out of his trousers. His pale verdant skin and Fae features only made him that much more handsome. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his elongated eyes blazing with sexuality, his slightly pointed ears poking through his white-blond hair. Roahre turned toward her, his cock proud and eager. Anticipation of their union flashed through her body, leaving Honey strangely breathless.

  Roahre lay down beside her and gently pressed her nude body to his.

  Somewhere deep inside, Honey felt the magic stir that had been lying dormant for so long. She felt as if lightning coursed through her body, her heart beating so hard she felt faint.

  As was the custom for many living in and amongst the Great Woods, Honey tugged several strands of hair from her head, twisting them into a tight, thin band and wrapped them around the middle finger of Roahre’s left hand.

  “You are now my husband,” she said, her heart pounding harder still now that she knew there was no turning back. “My king,” she added, realizing she was becoming more than just Roahre’s wife.

  Parting her legs, Roahre kneeled between her thighs, pulling her hips upward so the tip of his cock barely touched her hot, swollen mound. He ran his palms over her breasts and along her sides. He clasped her hips, making Honey sigh with longing, her most intimate spot tingling with sensation.

  “Fear not, my love,” he said softly. “I will seal our marriage quickly. Then, I shall show you the delights of our bodies.”

  Her attention moved to the pale strands of her hair still wrapped around his finger and up over the planes of his belly and chest to meet his gaze again. With her blood thundering through her veins like a raging Valkyrie, the sound of it roaring in her ears, Honey nodded.

  Quickly Roahre slid into her. Something ripped deep inside her, the pain piercing, searing. Honey cried out, eyes widening.

  “You are now my wife and I shall taste your honey,” he said, his eyes hooded with desire, a slight glow emanating from them. “You are now my queen, who shall rule by my side for our entire life together.”

  A delightful ache erupted within Honey. He was about to withdraw from her, but she wriggled her ass against his pelvis, desiring more of him. Roahre groaned, gripping her hips tighter.

  “Love me,” she gasped, holding out her arms as she looked up at him.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10