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Fairytale (Spellbound Treasure)
by Mary Winter
erotic M/F novella, Spellbound Treasure
$2.54
On sale now!
Princess Lise and Prince Lukos knew they weren’t siblings; they simply acted as if the falsehood were true in order to rule the fairy realm, Caroann, until Lise’s younger sister found her mate. But once Lise’s younger sister ascended the throne, Lukos’s status as a commoner became known, and he fled to the human realms.
The purchase of a pair of glass slippers from Spellbound Treasure brought Lise hope that she could convince Lukos his lowly status didn’t matter to her, and that they could freely follow their hearts.
Lukos loved living in the human world, taking his commoner heritage and working with his hands as a carpenter. But there was someone he loved more–Lise. So when he’s contacted by Spellbound Treasure, he’s more than willing to make the delivery personally.
For Lise, seeing Lukos again means her dreams can come true. Except, how can she find her fairytale ending, when she’s been the wicked sister, and her Prince thinks nobility matters to the former fairy princess?
EXCERPT:
Lise closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, redolent with the smells of humanity. Car exhaust, factory pollution, too many people, and a bit too much alcohol combined in her nose to make her stomach churn. Or the trembling in her gut could be because she’d had a message the last time she’d visited Sparkle and Moondust. The one she sought would be here tonight.
Lukos.
Her heart sang to think of him so close, just beyond the thick, concrete walls. The bar, Sparkle and Moondust, contained a portal to the fae realms inside. Mostly fae frequented it, well and those humans who wanted to play amongst the creatures of her realm. The name was an in-joke amongst the fae, that most of the humans thought they were creatures of fairy dust and moonlight. The building, an old factory, stood in a not-that-nice part of town, though that didn’t matter to most of the patrons. Her thoughts went to only one other. Would he welcome her? Would he run away again? Well, there was only one way to find out.
She stepped forward, wobbling a little on the impossibly high heels she wore. Her halter top and short skirt bared so much more skin than she was used to, but when in Rome, or in this case Sparkle and Moondust… She plastered one of the soft, royal smiles she so often gave, the one that said “I’m a princess and I know it” on her face and strolled into the bar. This time of night, the crowd was sparse, but she only had eyes for one fae man.
Lukos sat at the bar with his back to her. He, too, wore mortal clothes, black jeans and a black T-shirt that made his pale skin look even more so. His white-blond hair had been cropped short, nearly shorn, so his pointed ears stood out prominently. Lise admired the breadth of his shoulders, the way his torso tapered to his trim waist, and the fit, tight muscles of his ass modeled so lovingly by the worn denim. Black snakeskin boots with silver accents covered his feet, and she’d never seen a sexier looking fae. A pink bag, incongruous with his badass-biker look, sat by his feet.
Her pulse fluttered. She breathed deeply. With the bar’s doors closed, she caught the faintest hint of Lukos’ deep woods aroma. Behind the bar, Menelik nodded to her. She smiled back. He’d been the one to set up this meeting, and discreetly, he moved to the other end of the bar to clean its spotless surface.
Lise glided forward. Her heels clicked against the floor. Men’s gazes turned to watch her passage, but not Lukos. He sat, his back ramrod straight, and stared into the tumbler full of amber liquid he held.
She’d rehearsed how to approach him a thousand times since coming to the mortal realms. Be sultry and entice him back to her bed. Or maybe just telling him straightforwardly that she knew the truth about his parentage and it didn’t matter to her. It hadn’t back in Caroann, the fae realms, when she’d taken him to her bed, or when they ran political circles around the betrothal offers for both of them, never once revealing that they were lovers. She knew the entire truth and she loved him just the same.
Her courage fled the closer she got to him. She slid onto the empty barstool next to him.
Menelik straightened and went to her. “What will you have, beautiful?”
Next to her, Lukos stiffened.
“The usual,” she replied.
“Coming right up.” Menelik moved behind the bar with an easy familiarity of a good bartender. He placed her drink on a napkin, even added a cherry on a little plastic sword the way she liked.
Lise reached for her purse.
“It’s on the house, enjoy.” He winked at her and returned to his place at the other end of the bar.
“What’s the usual?” Lukos asked.
The first brush of his voice against her ears was like a match to tinder. Heat, never quite banked, flooded her body, making her nipples harden behind the flimsy material of her halter top. She pressed her thighs together. The pure sensual effect of his voice caught her unawares, and she took a sip of her drink in the hopes it would calm her nerves.
“A fairyland special,” she replied.
Lukos arched one finely sculpted brow. “I think I have one of those for you.” Lukos drowned the last of his drink in a single gulp. If the liquor burned all the way down, he didn’t show any signs. Reaching between them, he picked up the bag from the floor. “I believe you ordered these.”
Lise gasped. She’d nearly forgotten about the order placed on the Spellbound Treasure website. The small tag containing a crest and the initials ST announced he’d brought her package. Her cheeks heated, and she cursed her pale complexion. Of all the people to know she’d bought those. Maybe he hadn’t looked inside. Maybe he didn’t know what he held. She licked her lips and took the bag from him. “Thank you,” she said, setting the bag on the bar and taking the stool next to him. She rested her left hand against his thigh. “I’ve looked for you a long time, Lukos. I’m glad I found you.”
Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.
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Do you ever check yourself? In what you say, what you do, and what you write? Do you stop and say, “Here’s a line I must not cross”? Or do you spew your thoughts and ideas out loud and on paper and in blog posts across the web without a thought for how they will be perceived by others?
