Marked by the Fae King

Walking through the crowded marketplace, I struggled to keep up with my little sister, Winnie. At eight years old, she was rather short—and she loved using that fact to her advantage. Usually, I found it amusing to watch her weave through crowds, popping up to frighten unsuspecting children and passersby, before dissolving into fits of laughter. Her giggle was contagious, and although her antics often landed her in trouble, Winnie possessed a charm that made forgiveness almost inevitable. Her hip-length golden hair and bright green eyes were rare in this part of the kingdom. Add her beautiful singing to the mix, and even our evil stepmother struggled to remain angry at her for long. But this wasn’t just any marketplace. This was the Nyx River Marketplace—the only Fae market in the kingdom. And we weren’t supposed to be here. Nothing in all of Valoridon was more dangerous for a human than entering the realm of the Fae. Suddenly, Winnie yanked my hand and pulled me toward a stall near the edge of the river. I pulled the hood of my cloak back just enough to see where she was leading me. A deep red tent stood at the outer edge of the marketplace. In front of it sat an ancient woman, polishing her wares. Snow globes. Dozens of them. They were the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. Some appeared to be full of diamonds, while others glittered with gold flakes and tiny rubies. Each was crafted with such impossible detail that, for a moment, even I understood why Winnie had wanted to stop here. Then, I remembered where we were. I stopped abruptly and pulled her back. “No, Winnie. We don’t have time for this,” I hissed. This wasn’t why we’d come to the Nyx River Marketplace. My father was dying. Every doctor in Valoridon had failed to explain his illness. It wasn’t until my stepmother sought the advice of a hedge witch that we’d learned the truth. He had been cursed by the Fae. According to the hedge witch, only a very particular Fae potion could break the curse. Which meant coming here and making a bargain with a Fae. And bargains with the Fae were dangerous. I’d only brought Winnie because she’d insisted on coming with me, threatening to find the marketplace herself if I refused. She laughed and tried to pull me toward the tent again. “It’s okay, Fiona. We’ll just look for a second.” “We mustn’t,” I warned. But before I could tighten my grip, her small hand slipped from mine. She disappeared instantly into the crowd. “Winnie!” I spun in a circle, panic clawing its way up my throat. She was nowhere. Then I saw her. She stood in front of the red tent holding one of the snow globes in her hands. Relief flooded through me, until I saw the old woman. She was smiling and standing—reaching for Winnie’s hand. I ran toward them, but the faster I moved, the farther away they seemed. My legs suddenly felt heavy, as though I were trying to run through water. “Hey!” The old woman took my sister’s hand and led her inside the tent. “No!” I screamed, but the sound seemed to vanish into the marketplace. “Stop!” No one turned. No one even looked at me. By the time I reached the tent, the old woman and Winnie were gone. In their place sat a small bell and a handwritten note. Gone for a moment. Ring, and someone will be out to help you. I stared at it. This was impossible. The lady had been sitting here only moments ago. When had she written this? I grabbed the bell and rang it. Again and again I rang it, but nothing happened. The tent flaps didn’t move. I couldn’t hear anything inside. “Winnifred!” I called. No answer. This couldn’t be happening. Before we’d come here, I’d warned Winnie to keep her hood up no matter what. Nothing would reveal that we were human faster than someone noticing our round ears instead of the Fae’s long, pointed ones. I’d told her not to speak to strangers and to keep her head down. In the Fae realm, nothing was freely given. Everything came at a cost, and nothing was ever cheap. The Fae could never lie, but they were masters at manipulating the truth—especially when it came to tricking humans into bargains. No. I couldn’t just stand here, ringing this bell until the woman returned. There was no telling what kind of trouble Winnie was in. Sneaking around the side of the tent, I tiptoed toward the back. No one was nearby, and none of the Fae passing between the stalls seemed to be paying attention to me. Crouching low, I lifted the bottom of the tent flap just enough to crawl through, and slipped inside. Thankfully, the back of the tent was hidden behind several large trunks and cabinets. Most of the space was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from a handful of lanterns burning near the entrance. To my surprise, no one was inside. The old woman and my sister were nowhere to be found. The tent was filled with shelves after shelves of snow globes, ancient tomes, and wardrobes overflowing with magnificent clothing. It was eerily quiet. Still, in case someone was hiding somewhere beyond my sight, I stayed low and made my way carefully around the trunks. Near the center of the tent stood a table draped in a floor-length, dark tablecloth. The only thing resting on top of it was a small mirror mounted in an ornate golden frame. A throat cleared near the front of the tent. I froze. Muffled voices followed. The front flaps shifted as footsteps drew closer. They were coming inside. I ducked beneath the table, nearly hitting my head as I scrambled underneath the heavy tablecloth. My heart hammered against my ribs as I made myself as small as possible. I tried not to breathe. Deep, rumbling laughter filled the tent as the flaps swooshed open, then closed again. The footsteps grew closer. Closer. Until they stopped right in front of the table. The only sounds were the flickering lantern flames and the wind whispering outside. Maybe he would leave soon. Or perhaps the old woman would return, and I could find out where she’d taken my sister. With no warning, the tablecloth was suddenly ripped from the table. In front of me stood a pair of large, impeccably polished boots. “Come out,” came a low, velvety voice. When I made no move to do so, the boots shifted around the table until they stood directly beside me. “Do you truly think the Fae so primitive that we cannot smell the blood of a human?” My heart sank. A chill raced down my spine. Suddenly, the table flew across the room and crashed into shelf, sending dozens of snow globes tumbling to the floor. A huge, strong hand closed around my arm and jerked me roughly to my feet. A small cry escaped my throat as I found myself staring directly into the eyes of the most beautiful—and terrifying—creature I had ever seen. Deep brown eyes sparkled beneath the shadow of even darker curls tumbling down his forehead. He growled, lips curling back to reveal sharp canine teeth. “How dare you steal from the Fae.” “No! Please. I swear, I wasn’t stealing. I was only—” His large hand shook me, cutting off my words. “Wait,” I gasped. “My sister.” His grip tightened. “How would I know anything about your sister?” “The woman who owns this tent took her.” For the first time, something shifted in his expression. His hands moved from my arms to my wrists. Fire exploded beneath his touch. He released me so suddenly that I stumbled backward. Looking down, I saw strange marks forming around each of my wrists. I looked back at him. His face had gone completely pale. “What have you done?” he demanded.