Savage Beauty(15)

“I’m good at many things.”

His eyes flicked to mine. I expected him to jerk away in revulsion, but instead, he smirked and said, “So am I.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Phillip grinned and then turned around and walked into my cottage. I also couldn’t help but stare at his ass. It was a very fine ass. And I’d been alone for a very long time. I cursed under my breath. What was I thinking? This is William’s baby brother.

From the porch, I watched him pour the water into the cauldron, walk the brass over to the fire, and hook the handle onto the hanger. It was my lightest cooking pot and wouldn’t strain his ribs by carrying it. When he stood upright and looked for me, I turned to the moonflowers growing on the vine. They curled toward my hands.

His voice came from behind me. “How’d you do that?”

“Magic.”

“I know, but how is this all possible? Witches aren’t supposed to be real.”

Ugh. The dreaded birds and the bees talk. It was time to explain to him how half-fae witch babies were made. Not a conversation I was prepared to have with the young prince, but it was simple enough.

“When a fae male mates with a human female, the offspring are half-fae witches. The child, or in my case children, inherit a small portion of their father’s powers. Our father must have been fae royalty, because Aura and I are different from most witches.”

“How so?”

I smiled. “It’s really better if you don’t know.”

“You’re being evasive.”

“You’ll appreciate my evasiveness at some point. The less you know about me and especially about Aura, the better.”

He sat down on the first step and stared up at the sky. “She sounds like a monster, but if you’re her twin, I can’t imagine that.”

I sat next to him. “She is a monster, Phillip. And so am I. You’d be wise to remember that.” Aura and I were twins, after all. If she was evil, then so was I, which meant our father must truly be some sort of fae demon. I wasn’t good. I was just being good to him.

“I think you’re beautiful. And kind,” he added.

“If you think I’m beautiful, you should see my sister.”

In truth, I didn’t have a kind bone in my body. I was only being good to Phillip so I could do something to ease the pain and guilt of his brother’s death. That was the only reason. If he’d been anyone else, I would have sent him into the forest and let the fae eat him during their equinox celebrations.

Though, even if I had kicked him out of my house, most forest fae were scared to venture too close to my cottage. They knew I was more powerful than they...

“What made you smile just then?” he asked.

“Trust me. You probably don’t want to know.”

He stiffened. “Was it about you and William?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

He was quiet for a moment. “What about a fae female? Can she have a human male’s children?”

“No – at least, not that I’ve heard of. The offspring die in the womb. They’re not strong enough to survive the fae gestation. The magic speeds the whole process, but it’s too fast for the developing child to keep up with.”

He sighed, looking up at the moon. “I’m glad you survived. I don’t think I can get out of this forest without your help, and it would kill my parents to lose me, too.”

“They love you?” It came out as a question.

“They do, but they still grieve for William. They try not to let me see it, but I think they’d rather it was me who died. William was meant to be King. He was a natural leader, good at everything. I’m not my brother, and I can see the disappointment in their eyes, even when they try to hide it.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Or maybe it was. Humans were the cruelest of creatures, especially to their own. I wasn’t sure what made me say it, but I said it nonetheless. “I’m glad you survived.”

He and I both sucked in a breath. I wished William had, too, with all my heart, but I was so glad to have met his brother.



PHILLIP

We sat on the porch steps. I watched the moon flowers curl toward Luna’s every movement, drawn to her magnetism or magic or whatever it was. If I were one of the blooms, I would reach out to her, too. There was something ethereal about her, something that enticed and attracted. Large green moths fluttered by and fireflies lit the yard. A fox running by paused to look at her, and it was like she held him there under some sort of thrall until she was ready to let him go.

“You should go inside and get some rest.”

The dark sky was fading to blue and too soon the sun would rise. I shook my head. “I’ll stay up with you and sleep tomorrow during the day.”

“Why?”

“You don’t think I enjoy your company?”

She smiled over at me. “I highly doubt you’ve enjoyed your time here, Prince.”

That wasn’t entirely true. The first week had been... strange. But it was definitely looking up.

“Are you looking forward to going home?”

Not really, but she wouldn’t understand it. “Why do you live here?” I changed the subject. “You’re all alone in the middle of a dark forest.”