Page 94 of Kiss and Spell
With each line she filled, her heart tottered away from the edge of despair. Two full pages later she hadn’t figured out his name. Ursula rolled the crystal against her palm. A silent plea repeated in her mind. Clear my way so I can see the path behind me and before me. She willed it. She wasn’t scared to see what the crystal held, but she wanted to see a way forward.
Suddenly, a swirl of purple and gray smoke filled the crystal. The smoke thickened and sparked as if a small fire grew before her eyes. The fire burst and then extinguished. A fire without air. His name struck her like a thunderbolt.
She wrote it down and circled it. Say it. Say it and he’ll come to you. The magic will compel him to come back. Ursula hesitated. Did he want to come back? Even now, she wondered what kept him from reaching out to her. Maybe she overwhelmed him with her sudden declaration of love. But when she was standing there, seeing the clear distress in Xavier’s eyes, the words slipped easily from her. It was her love to give him.
Her phone buzzed with notification. She checked it and her jaw dropped. It was an email from Lincoln. They saw each other in passing around the Grove but hadn’t spoken since his birthday party. Ursula read it carefully.
The subject line was Job Posting—Special Assistant to the Mayor—Freya Grove.
Interested, she opened the email and saw a one-line message above the hyperlink.
I think this job is perfect for you. I still owe you a spa day.
She clicked on the link and read over the job description and qualifications. Ursula let out a quiet laugh of excitement as she went over the bullet points. This job was everything that she could wish for. She bookmarked the website so she could apply for the position later.
Ursula opened her note app and looked at the Boss Witch List.
One by one, she mentally addressed each numbered point. She had no need for wishes when the one person she wanted and loved had willfully left without an explanation. No wishing could bring Xavier back to the Grove if he made the choice to leave. As for the magic, she’d grow back into the craft with time, but she relished rediscovering crystals and flowers. She’d forgotten how much she learned, kneeling in the fresh dirt by Nana’s side. The other evening when she couldn’t sleep, she wrote down everything she remembered about herbs and flowers Nana had told her. The last numbered point gave her pause. All the things she thought needed fixing—her job, her career, her social status—were fine. She wasn’t any richer or more successful since she made the list, but this morning after she got out of the shower, she’d stopped and looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Pride had bloomed inside her chest the longer she stared.
To Ursula, there was nothing in the mirror that needed fixing.
But she missed the fae man who saw her as she was and cherished her.
Xavier paced around the castle, trying and failing to find a space to hide from everyone. He kept being found and followed by a nosy lord or lady who wanted to discuss his trip. No, thank you. The memories of Freya Grove belonged to him and no one else. All he wanted was a quiet second alone. Was that so much to ask?
Since Father had spirited him back home two weeks ago, Xavier had been the flavor of the month. The realm was still buzzing with news of the returned prince from the human world. Before the enchantment, Xavier was invisible to the court. He was the spare, not the heir to the Alder throne, and that was okay by him. He had distractions—his gardens, his personal hobbies, and his mediation job—to keep him from truly feeling the gaping loneliness.
But now that he’d felt the welcoming and warm community of Freya Grove, he noticed how emotionless the Faerie Realm could be. Here, gossip wasn’t harmless chatter, but a weapon used to cut down an ally or an enemy. Love was a liability, not a gift. No wonder Whitney left this glittering but sharp world that could leave a fae dazzled, yet dismayed. Mother and Father held a lavish dance in his honor in the ballroom, but he’d been too distracted to enjoy it.
Lack of sleep and a broken heart were weighing on him.
Lords and ladies gave him lingering looks that made him feel like a rare plant on display. Servants rushed from rooms like birds being chased away by a running child whenever he entered in their space. Maybe there was a special guest coming to the house, but then again there were always comings and goings. He’d spent most of his formative years hiding out in the greenhouse or library, but currently there seemed to be fae lurking in all corners of the castle. Eligible ladies from all over the Realm were invited over to the estate for drinks in the salon to see the spare in his natural setting. He’d already received three invitations to dinner from a handful of local royals eager to reacquaint themselves with the Tin Prince. Prim and Royce celebrated his return, but Xavier couldn’t muster up a smile for them.
Over dinner, Father rambled on about his hopes for getting Xavier married off within a year. Mother slid a concerned look over at Xavier. Prim and Royce traded glances. Xavier gritted his teeth. There was no use in fighting; he was going to go along to get along.
He was home, back where he belonged in the court with the fae.
Misery was his constant companion.
That evening, Father called an impromptu after-dinner meeting in the salon. It was probably another princess or lady who wanted to talk about his romantic escape into the human world. Xavier arrived first in the rose and turquoise room. His gut twisted as he stared at the fresh turquoise color that had escaped his attention all the previous times before. A witch he knew once wore turquoise like an empress. That color only added to his unsettled mood.
Someone had turned on the fireplace in advance of their arrival. The fire crackled, and Xavier remembered Ursula aglow by the bonfire, her lovely hands covered in sand. It was the same dream he had of her, by the fire at the beach. Waves crashed in the near distance as the stars twinkled in the sky above her. No more.
He banished that fantasy from his mind. His sudden departure from Freya Grove left Xavier with a yawning feeling of emptiness that had only grown now that he was back in the Realm. He hadn’t even reached out to Whitney, too scared to learn how much he hurt Ursula. He couldn’t tell the love of his life that it all might have been a complete and utter illusion. Father had created the perfect conditions to aid him in finding his perfect kiss, and Xavier accidentally fell in love. He’d literally vanished on Ursula without a word. He acted without honor, and for that he couldn’t bring himself to write down a single word. She was free to forget him now. To move on. To find someone worthy of her love and trust. The salon door opened, and another guest arrived.
It was the second to last fae royal he wanted to see.
“The prince returns,” the Faerie Queen said in an unreadable tone.
Xavier looked over to the door. Father would be here soon. Maybe Mother would join them. Prim was too busy to attend, but Xavier even hoped Royce might join them. As if sensing his uneasiness, the Faerie Queen left the door open a crack.
“I asked your father if I could see you privately, away from everyone else.”
Xavier bowed in greeting. He straightened and faced her. Looking into those eyes, he felt a little angry and bit bold. “You haven’t come to enchant me again.”
The Queen barked out a laugh. She waved her hand. “No, I’ve come to arrange a tea.”
No thanks to you. He bit his tongue. He didn’t want to be rude, but he was tired. Tired of missing the Grove. Of missing Whitney and her unwavering support. But most of all he was tired of missing Ursula. It was better if he got this meeting over with Her Majesty so he could be left alone with his misery.