The Spring Prince (Delaney’s Seasonal Fae Courts #2)

Chapter 1

Getting lost in the woods seemed very like us. I loved my friends—they were brothers, really—but hanging out in city parks did not make us outdoorsmen. Even Wally, the outdoorsy-est of us, looked like he wasn’t sure which planet we were on anymore.

“I blame you.” I pointed a finger at Milo.

He groaned and flapped his arms. I was pretty sure he was trying to create a breeze up under his kilt without any of us noticing. Dumbass was probably chafing his balls off.

“You followed him,” Wally said to me.

“And you followed me.”

“And I followed you,” Zalman said before tweaking Wally’s nipple.

Wally flinched—we all knew he was sensitive there—and Zalman grinned like the devil when Wally actually growled at him.

The two of them were seconds away from a fight and, even though it was practically their love language, I really wasn’t in the mood to referee.

“Alright!” Milo hollered, making me flinch. “You’re hungry, tired, and cranky. I get it. Me, too. So how about we look for a place to sit down, have a snack, and enjoy where we are for a while?”

“Okay, Sergeant Milo,” Wally said with a roll of his eyes.

Milo puffed up. “That’s Captain Milo, thank you very much.”

I didn’t need to be told to get the snacks out more than once.

Shrugging out of my backpack, I set it on the ground and dug out the trail mix I’d made.

I’d put something each of them would like in it, hoping nobody would bitch about it being too healthy.

Dark chocolate for Zalman, macadamia nuts for Milo, and dried cranberries for Wally—I’d even toasted the oats and pumpkin seeds. But first…

“Drink your water,” I told them for the hundredth time.

We were all sweating—well, except Zalman, who might be part dessert lizard—and they were shit at remembering to hydrate.

I hadn’t gone from the fat kid in freshman year of high school to the healthy and built guy I was now without learning how to take care of myself.

I stared them each down until they took a drink from their water bottles.

This kind of thing happened every year. Our first outing would usually go horribly wrong in some ridiculous way, and then we’d spend the rest of our vacation doing the touristy things that were safe and itemized while also poking at whoever screwed up until we flew home.

So, this time, it would be making fun of Milo for getting us lost in the woods.

“Huh,” Zalman said, “this looks suspiciously like a fairy ring.”

I looked over, seeing rectangular rocks that were too thick to be paving stones arranged in a circle that was maybe six feet wide. Growing out of the spaces between the rocks were pretty little wildflowers in purple and white. I got out my phone to take a photo.

Milo chuckled. “I wish.”

I made to frame the shot, but Milo stepped in front of me and into the circle. He threw his arms up and hollered in alarm. I dropped my phone and lunged for him, but he was…gone.

At first, I stood there staring, just dumbfounded. Where was he? He’d slipped on something. He’d been falling. There wasn’t anywhere for him to—

The edge. The edge of the path was right there. Had Milo gone over?

I rushed closer, stepping over the rocks.

“No!” Zalman said and grabbed at my arm.

Now I fell, dropping down to splash into warm water. I went under, the water closing over my head. I didn’t know how it had happened. Why it had. There hadn’t been any water inside the ring of rocks.

And I couldn’t swim!

I clawed at the water, kicking my feet. I had to go up. I had to get air!

Suddenly, it felt like something wrapped around my middle and hauled me up.

Like a giant hand squeezing me, the thing pulled me up until I could gasp a breath.

It pressed me against…the side of a pool?

I was clinging to a rounded ledge of cream-colored stone and blinking up at a naked guy squatting in front of me.

He had blue hair and butterfly wings on. His pubes were blue.

The fuck was happening?

“Are you okay?” he asked, bright blue eyes wide.

I nodded. Technically, I hadn’t drowned, so I was okay. But where the hell was I and who was he? What came out of my mouth was, “I was hiking. Did I fall down the mountain?”

His blue eyebrows hopped up. “Mountains? Those are miles away from here. You fell right through the ceiling and into my pool.”

I looked up since he was pointing. Shouldn’t there be a hole? Shouldn’t I have injuries? But the ceiling was beautiful tile work depicting a sunny day with flowers, butterflies, and bees. So I had just magically passed through a ceiling without breaking anything or hurting… Magically…

“Where am I?” I asked on a whisper.

“My pool.”

I shook my head. “But where?”

“The palace of the Spring Court?” He cocked his head at me, frowning. “Are you a spellworker? Did you manage to open a ring?”

I stared at him. Not even at his dick, which was right there practically at eye level, but at his pointed ears. He thought I could be magical. Zalman had said fairy ring. Fairies had courts.

“I went through a fairy ring? There’s no way!”

I pushed myself up and out of the pool, and he scrambled backward out of my way. He was so small I could’ve picked him up and swung him around like back when I was doing partner stunts as a cheerleader in college.

All of a sudden, he gave a squawk like a bird and spun around only to slip on the water I was making puddle all around us.

I made to grab him, stop his fall, but his wings fluttered and kept him from hitting the ground.

They also propelled him forward until his feet caught up, and then he was jogging over to a cluster of lounge chairs.

He was a real fairy!

“I’m so sorry,” he said as he snatched up a wad of blue and green cloth. “I swim in the nude because no one ever comes down here, so why not? You know? But I’m sorry I was in your face like that and— Oh, my gosh, how embarrassing…”

“I mean, it’s fine. Of all the things to freak out about at the moment, a little nakedness isn’t one of them.”

He barked a laugh like maybe he agreed with me as he held the cloth to his chest and swung two strips of it over his shoulders.

Using his chin, he held the cloth up while he reached down to whip a longer part of the bottom half of the cloth around his waist. That part caught the strips, he did something to secure that long bit at his waist, and he’d basically made a dress that left his wings uncovered.

And I’d thought watching Milo get into his kilt this morning had been a crazy amount of effort.

“Milo!” I hollered and looked around. But it was just me and the fairy. “Did someone else fall in earlier? He disappeared just before I stepped over the rocks. And Zalman? I swear he grabbed my arm.”

“No, no one else came through the ceiling.” He padded back to me. “Just you.”

I scrubbed the water from my hair and wiped down my face. “This is insane. Absolutely insane.”

“I don’t understand either, but I know some people we can talk to about it.” He gave me a patient little smile. “What’s your name?”

“Bridge Flint.”

“I’m Prince Hydris.”

“You’re a— Well, okay.” I gave him a bow. Sort of.

Hydris giggled. “Come on, Bridge. Let’s see what we can figure out.”

He started walking away, but I had to say something about the fact that I was soaked through to my underwear. “Uh, maybe I should dry off first.”

“Oh! Yes, of course.”

He held his hand out to me, and for a second I thought maybe I was supposed to go hold it, but then it felt like a vacuum was all around me.

There was no noise, but a definite sucking sensation as the water on me just…

got off me. It literally coalesced into a ball between us, getting bigger and bigger until I was actually totally dry from my hair to the toes of my hiking boots.

He even managed to get the water from my underwear and socks.

“Holy shit. You grabbed me out of the water, didn’t you? You can manipulate water.”

Hydris gave the water ball a push and sent it splashing into the pool. He blushed and shrugged. “Yeah, I did. I’m sorry if I squeezed, though. I was startled and you were struggling so I wanted to be fast.”

“No, that was fine. You did great.” I touched a hand to my heart on top of my bone dry t-shirt. “Thank you. Really.”

His blush got brighter. “You’re welcome.”

I followed him up three stories on a wide yellow-stone staircase lit by brass lanterns placed just often enough to see where I was going.

It felt like we were coming up out of a basement—a nice one that didn’t smell musty or anything, but it was still down deep and dimly lit.

But then Hydris pushed open a wooden door and pale sunshine slanted in at us.

Stepping through the doorway, I realized it was a hidden passageway built into a massive painting that covered a whole wall. In the painting was the door we’d gone through.

“Well, that’s cool,” I said with a smile. But then I saw the hall. “Wow.”

Delicate vining plants curled around pillars, stretched across the ceiling, and followed the arches of enormous windows.

The spring green vines and lavender flowers were the only color in the cream hallway that seemed to be longer than a football field.

The architecture made me think of gothic cathedrals in Europe on a sunny day in early May.

“This is amazing,” I said as I looked around.

Hydris giggled. “It’s just a corridor.”

“It’s an awesome one.”

I was sure living in such a place might take the wow factor out of it for someone, but I’d never been anywhere this grand and couldn’t help gawking as I followed along after him. And I couldn’t decide which was cooler to look at, the amazing building or the incredible prince.

He was a head shorter than my six-five, which meant I could tuck him under my chin—something I absolutely loved doing with the guys I’d dated.

Given that I’d seen him completely naked, there was a lot to like about his lean physique, that shocking blue hair, and the fact that he was a shower.

But what I couldn’t stop staring at were his wings.

They were like butterfly wings, with two pointed sections on top and two rounded ones on the bottom.

They looked like stained glass because there were panes of blue and green, gold and pink, with black outlining each color.

I wanted to touch them and find out if they really were glistening with dew or if those were some kind of decorative jewels. They looked velvety soft, too.

“Right through here,” Hydris said as he turned a corner.

I stopped looking at his wings and refocused on the walk that brought us into an honest-to-god throne room.

Vining plants dripping with purple flowers hung from the ceiling and cast shadows on the wall opposite more enormous windows.

There was a sort of tent built over the throne that was made of deep purple material that had a shine to it.

And the throne itself was every bit the gilded masterpiece a fairy throne should be.

And given that I’d come in with a prince but there was a guy sitting on the throne, was I about to meet the king?

He didn’t look like Hydris with his tousled brown hair, beard, and a bulkier build.

While he had the pointed ears, he didn’t have wings.

He was also not much older than Hydris. Well, weren’t the fae supposed to be immortal?

Just because he might be a thousand years old didn’t mean he had to look it.

There were several people milling around the room, and I couldn’t quite tell what they were doing. Just chatting? Waiting for something to start? What struck me were the outfits. It felt like I’d walked into a high school production of Hamlet.

The women had huge poofy sleeves, seriously wide hips, and collars that made them look like they’d recently been to the vet.

The men had those collars, too, and I couldn’t help wondering how they managed to eat with those things on.

Then there was the hosiery, blousy shorts, and poofy jackets.

And heels? The men wore high heeled shoes with jewels on them.

I couldn’t see the women’s feet, but had to assume their shoes were just as fancy.

I was so underdressed for this.

“Lord Mannix?” Hydris said as we came to a stop in front of the throne.

So he wasn’t the king? The man flinched as he looked away from the guy he’d been listening to and saw Hydris. Mannix stood up like his ass got electrocuted, while the others closest to the throne skittered away like bugs.

I didn’t know where I was, how I’d gotten here, or what I was doing, but even I could tell that these people were up to something.

“Your Highness,” Mannix said with a smile that looked totally insincere to me. “All done swimming?”

I couldn’t help crossing my arms as I stood behind Hydris because I suddenly felt like he needed protection. I hardly knew him, but I was ready to be his bodyguard.

“I didn’t actually get to swim yet because Mister Bridge Flint fell through a fairy ring right into the pool.”

Mannix turned his icy eyes on me, and it was abundantly clear that he didn’t like me. “The rings are closed. If you found someone in your private pool, he should be arrested for trespassing.”

He waved two fingers like he was calling someone over, and what I had thought were empty, decorative suits of armor against the walls started marching toward me.

“No, but he wasn’t,” Hydris said as he bumped into me.

Mannix waved his hand. “Just let me handle it for you.”

“But—”

“Honestly, Your Highness, this is why I’m here, remember?”

Hydris looked up at me, oozing uncertainty, and all but wringing his hands. If he was the prince, why wasn’t he taking charge?

The two guards flanked me, but both of them were looking at Hydris. Waiting for him to say something? Hoping he’d get out of the way?

“Hold on a second,” I said and held up my hands. “I really did fall through the ceiling into the pool. I didn’t know how or why, Hydris doesn’t either, so we came here to see if any of you can help. That’s literally all we want.”

Again, Mannix looked me over. I realized as he slowly walked closer that, though everyone else wore jewel tones, Mannix wore all black. I was pretty sure I was about to get up close and personal with the villain of this story.