Page 92 of Kiss and Spell

The shower turned off, and there was a stunned squeak from behind the door. He waited for a long moment, but the door didn’t open. He didn’t hear the gulls cawing outside the window. Xavier glanced at the clock. Wait, time hadn’t changed at all. Cold fright struck his heart. A frozen clock signaled that a powerful fae was nearby, and the only fae he knew who had that ability was back in the Realm… Xavier froze. Those familiar deep-set eyes like two pieces of steel glared down at him from his nearly seven-foot height. His bald head only made his bushy eyebrows stand out on his sharp, angular face. He wore his usual wardrobe of three-piece suit with lots of red accents. His wings, like a moth’s, were ash gray and peeked from behind his back.

“Greetings, son,” he said in a deep baritone.

Xavier bowed before his father. “My lord.”

“I told Whitney I wanted to know the second you broke this… curse. Apparently, it slipped her mind. Thank goodness I charmed that necklace to keep tabs on you.”

Xavier rolled his shoulders back and stood to his full height. “It’s not a curse. It’s an enchantment.”

“Please,” Father snapped. “Don’t explain the difference to me. I’m too old, wealthy, and bored to care. Gather your things.”

“Wait.” Xavier glanced at the bathroom door. “I have a few things to finish up.”

Father’s eyebrows lifted. “What things do you have to—”

He cut himself off suddenly, realizing where he was, and peered around the room with a critical scan. “Oh dear.”

Xavier wanted to shield this space he’d come to love from his sight, but he couldn’t move. Father noted the robe and Ursula’s items laid out in the room.

He let out what sounded like a disappointed exhale. “Oh, my dear child.”

Xavier clenched his fists but kept his mouth shut.

Father clicked his teeth together. “I thought you were smarter than that. I thought you’d see through Whitney’s true love nonsense and figure out what was going on. It wasn’t real. It was a setup.”

Xavier gave his head a slow shake. No, it couldn’t be true.

“I chose to come to the Grove,” he said. “I picked this place.”

“Did you?” Father said drolly. “Or did I simply remind you that I’d only let you leave if you stayed with your godmother. I told you where you could visit, do you not recall?”

Xavier shut his mouth.

Father continued speaking, slowly, as if explaining a story to a sleepy child. “Listen, son. I knew that one of these Freya Grove locals would find it oh so romantic to help a cursed fae prince find love. Springtime is made for lovers. Freya Grove is the best place for romantic fools and idiots. Hormones and red wine would take care of the rest. All I needed was the right ingredients and anyone would fall in love with you. A little moonlight, flowers, and music and voilà, you got your perfect kiss and the enchantment was broken. I have to admit, it worked sooner than I thought. I owe your uncle a hundred coins.”

Father’s amused laugh assailed his ears. Xavier ground his teeth.

“You’re lying,” he said.

This whole experience was real. It had to be—this was the story he’d written. No one else. He chose Ursula and her kiss. Right? That doubt he’d pushed away earlier came back in full force, nearly knocking him to his knees. He was in control. He’d chosen to fall in love with Ursula, right? Or was everything from their meeting to their wonderful dalliance manipulated by outside forces? He could always ask Whitney, find out if she’d known about Father’s accusations but no, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that she’d deceive him in that way.

Father rolled his hand as if to hurry him along. Xavier took a step forward, then back. What would Ursula do? She’d fight. He straightened his shoulders and met his father’s stare.

“I want to stay,” he said.

Father’s eyes grew frigid. Dangerous. “Come now, child. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to return home. Besides, what do you have to offer anyone here? A prince without a castle, without riches, or without a title? Do not push me, because if you stay here, I’ll strip you of everything,” Father said in a tone that didn’t leave room for argument.

Xavier blinked rapidly.

Father’s eyes softened for a fraction. “Do you think she’ll still love you if you aren’t a prince? Or worse, a penniless prince?”

It was the question he’d avoided asking all these months. How long was he going to be able to stay without her growing tired of him? How soon would she tire of the royal gentleman act? What could he offer her besides fun nights and lavish gifts?

Right at that moment, love didn’t seem to be a good enough reason to stay in the Grove.

It was the stuff that only existed in fairy tales.

Father stood to his full height. “Let us depart. I grow weary of this place.”