LIGHTNING PIERCED the gray skies as the heavy downpour battered against the ground below.

Nine-year-old Melusine fought against the harsh weather as she wrestled control of her wings. The wind pushed at the young fairy hard, challenging her brown-feathered wings to flap faster and stronger. But the rain had dampened her wings so much that staying afloat became tedious work.

The young fairy instantly regretted staying too far out late in uncharted territory, teeming with human hunters armed with dangerous weapons. She'd been warned not to wander in forbidden lands, that anywhere beyond the Moors the protection of the Fairy Mother no longer reached.

Her curiosity would someday be her death. Robby would always say. While she was playing hide-and-seek with the Spriggans, Melusine heard the sound of a flute. It wasn't even the first time she heard a flute being played. Fairies were known to be great musicians. But this sounded like a broken soul's cry. The notes found their way through her heart and tugged its strings. Curious, she left the Moors' protection to follow the sound until it almost led her to the forest border. It was only then she was reminded of her mistake when the rain started to pour.

Taneisha would be furious once she learned of Melusine's disobedience. Just the memory of the Fairy Mother's thorny whip on her skin made her shiver. And if she didn't make it to the portal before night enveloped the sky, there was no telling of her fate. Melusine could already imagine the satisfaction on Tidal's face at her misery and many like him would take on the same delight just because she was Melusine, the fairy with the Dark Fae's bad blood.

Melusine kept flying under the cover of the trees. The sky grumbled as streaks of light made their final appearance. Lightning struck a tree, leaving smoke and dark burns on its body. As that one tiny crack crept across the trunk, the young fairy flew past but not in time to miss the tree collapsing over her small body.

THE BIRDS greeted the day with their early morning song. Streams of morning light passed through the gaps between the leaves. Every creature in that forest basked in the warmth of the sun, relishing its feeling after a thunderstorm ravaged the land.

A dew drop fell on Melusine's nose and the young fairy stirred, groaning. Her eyes fluttered open, partially blinded by the light. She wriggled her toes and curled her fingers underneath her. She fisted on the leaves that made her bed. They were slightly moist from the previous night but were surprisingly soft and comfortable to lie into.

Suddenly, the memory of last night knocked at the forefront of her mind. Melusine sat upright, the world swaying at the sudden movement. Fear ate her heart, thinking of the Fairy Mother's rage. By now, there was no doubt she knew that Melusine had disobeyed her. She must go now. If she stayed longer, the punishment would be worse.

Melusine got to her feet, brushing dirt off her beaded green dress. The soreness of her muscles and bruises on her skin had faded from her self-healing, but some small cuts remained as evidence of last night's accident.

She opened her wings and gave one big flap. The strewn leaves stirred and danced around her feet.

As she lifted her feet off the ground, a voice spoke from above. "Aww, don't leave so soon."

Startled, Melusine wheeled around and looked up. Her movement produced a strong gust of air which knocked the boy off the branch. He landed on his back, his crumpling in pain.

"Ow!" The boy looked up at her with his almond-shaped blue eyes. He extended an arm. "A little help, please? My back hurts."

Melusine scoffed, stepping back. Her wings bristled in alarm. A human, no doubt. Worse, he might be a hunter. All her life the Fairy Mother protected her from the dangers of humankind, ensuring that she'd never cross paths with anyone of their kind. Especially the Fairy Hunters.

Surprised, the boy let his thin arm fall on his side. A frown made its way across his bony face as he helped himself up, wincing slightly. He didn't appear to be older than her but his pencil-thin body made him look weak. "Geez, what an ungrateful little brat. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead cold last night and the wolves would come and rip your wings apart. A defenseless fairy might as well be a dead fairy."

Heat rose on Melusine's cheeks. Her wings bunched around her protectively. "You're lying! Why would a hunter help a fairy?"

The boy gasped. He spread his frail arms and turned around. "Look at me. Do I look like a hunter to you? I'm just a stable boy!"

Melusine cocked her chin, placing her hands on her hips. "Well then, what's a stable boy doing in the forest?"

He rolled his eyes and pointed to their left. "Duh, we're not that far from the palace." And sure enough, the spires from the highest towers of the castle jutted over the treetops. Melusine's knees trembled. She was that close to the enemy territory. "And when I was herding that last horse to the stable, I thought I saw a bird or a giant eagle with broken wings since it's having a hard time flying. That's when I found you."

"No, it cannot be. I made sure I flew under the cover of the trees." Melusine flapped her wings once then twice. Her feet left the wet forest ground. "I-I have to go."

"Fine! You're the first fairy I met and you're rude!"

"I don't care!" she shouted back and without a second thought, Melusine shot through the forest at a speed she'd never done before.

JUST LIKE in her dream, Melusine found herself lying on a bed instead of a pile of damp leaves. It was a memory so dear she couldn't dare forget: her first human friend. It should have warmed her heart just by remembering, but a pang ate at its corners agonizingly slow. The dream might have brought some fond memories but those were bittersweet.

"Melusine?" Robby peered down at her, his big blue eyes shining with worry. A sigh of relief mingled with his hair as he breathed out. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Is she awake?"

Sitting cross-legged on a couch by the bedside, Prince Edric leafed through the pages of the book on his lap. A square-rimmed glass rested on the bridge of his now as he pored down his book, reading. Stripped of his leather pants and vest, the prince was clad in a white and gold coat and pants with medals pinned on his left breast and a red and gold sash hanging diagonally from shoulder to waist.

Edric looked up from the book, grinning. "You're not the first lady who looks at me that way."

"A look of surprise that you actually read?" It wiped the smugness off Edric's face and it was Melusine's turn to grin. He wasn't just full of himself; he was easy to annoy too.

Melusine shifted her attention away from the prince as Robby sat on her lap. "Is it hurting somewhere? Does your head hurt?" Then he leaned to whisper in her ear, Melusine doing the same. "You know since you're not in your full fairy power. And in your mortal body, a small bump in the head may kill you."

There was a blank in her memory of the past hour. Melusine remembered sneaking into the palace, the prince pressing the blade of his sword against her neck... then, a blank page.

As if a flock of birds was set loose from their cages, the event hidden in that empty page was like a punch to the gut. Edric's hands around her waist... shivers from his touch... his breath on her ears... and him asking to marry her.

Powered by the surge in her veins, Melusine jumped off the bed and stalked toward the prince. She curled her hands around his collar and tugged to the point that their noses almost touched.

"What are you thinking? Asking my hand for marriage! Why should I?"

Edric's jaw clenched. "May I remind you, Lady Mel, that you're the one who needs me? Unless you've changed your mind, then we're no longer doing business."

The prince stood, throwing Melusine off guard. They were so close that she could practically feel the heat of his body. Their chests almost pressed. His cunning blue eyes lit with mischief as he took one, two, and then more steps forward. Every time he did, Melusine would take a step back. Her eyes stung from fighting his gaze and she finally looked away.

But the prince didn't let her. He didn't want to break that simple connection. He clasped her chin between two fingers, guiding her up, and then their eyes reconnected. Both of them were lost in each other's gazes, not understanding why their bodies acted the way they did.

The back of Melusine's knees hit the edge of the bed and she stumbled. It snapped her out of her stupor. Melusine pressed her palm onto the prince's chest as he was about to lean forward. "Don't... please."

Edric froze. Reluctantly, he withdrew any contact with her. He left some space between them, but it wasn't enough to relieve the tension in the air.

Edric studied every inch of her face, from her small button nose to her short black curls. "You really look like her."

"Who?"

The prince shook his head, cleared his throat, and stood straighter in all his regal poise. Edric's smitten facade melted into that harsh and playful character of his. "You don't have to worry about our marriage because that will never happen."

Melusine's eyebrows shot to the ceiling. "Oh? I-I mean that's good... but why? How can I keep the other end of the bargain if there will be no marriage?" She waved her hands frantically. "Not that I want to!"

He cocked his brow to the side. "I know. What I want is for us to pretend, get engaged and break apart before the wedding happens. I just need the throne to be passed to me. But that will never happen if I fail to fulfill the condition of the throne rites."

"So you need a woman to play the part of your betrothed which happens to be me. Why?"

"I already told you. You want something from me and that's a convenience on my part."

A convenience. That was what she was to him and the same could be said for the prince. He was her convenience. Their interaction was merely for that sole purpose and nothing more. Melusine left Theolia with a duty and she would come back triumphant.

"Now, listen to me," Edric said after a short pause. He half-sit on the armrest of a wingback chair. "The Knights were last sighted in a small town a thousand and two hundred miles east of Creston."

A thrill rushed into her system. She looked at him full of eagerness, but he didn't say more. A ghost of a smile passed his lips before it vanished, leaving no trace of playful teasing.

"I will tell you more if everything goes the way I want it tonight."

Melusine's body sagged in disappointment, but the last thing on her mind was to give Edric satisfaction. "What's happening tonight?"

Edric tucked his thumbs inside the pocket of his velvet pants. "The ball, remember? And tonight's also the night when ladies across Cassen vying for the crown prince's hand in marriage will be introduced to the court." Edric stood as he eyed her from head to toe. "I must go now. I'll send someone in to get you changed. I hope you won't disappoint me with your dancing."

Without a second look back, the prince started for the door, but Melusine wouldn't let him get away just like that. Not until he answered the question that had been bugging her mind.

"Wait!" She ran to him, blocking his path. "Why won't you tell the king when he's hunting the Knights? As his son, you're supposed to help him, aren't you? Unless..." Melusine let the idea hang in the air.

Unless the crown prince is conspiring with the Knights of Ailes to overthrow the current monarch, she thought. But for what cause?

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest, however, his eyes lacked amusement. "Do not tread into the deeper waters where you'll drown, Lady Mel. It's best for you not to know and you better believe me." Then Eldric dropped his voice into a whisper. "For the throne, I'll do everything. And I won't let anything, not even you, get in my way, intentionally or not. I might force myself to eliminate you if I have to."

Edric smiled and playfully flicked the tip of her nose as if he didn't just threaten to end her life. He brushed past her without another word and Melusine did not try to stop him this time.