Fated Flame of the Night

Chapter 1 – Sera

Chapter One

SERA

Silvery moonlight caresses my skin, awakening an ancient curse. No. No. This can’t be happening. What have I done?

Bones snap, agonizing pain shooting through me. Crack. Falling to my knees, sharp rocks pierce my skin even as it ripples and stretches.

It wants out.

I long for oblivion, for respite from this nightmare, but I’m held captive as my autonomy is stripped from me and my body transforms into something else.

It’s a battle of wills I have already lost, but still I fight. Claw. Scream. I don’t want this. This curse will surely be my end.

When the darkness finally comes, I embrace it.

It only took a moment for everything to change. Living as an immortal fae trapped in a realm of humans, I count life by such moments—the tipping points that alter one’s course irrevocably.

If I were to measure my life in this manner, first came the portal that pulled me from my home. Second was the first time a human broke my heart. Third? Now this one was entirely my choice.

My body screams in agony, but I’m me. At least I think I am.

I wiggle my toes in my boots and flex my hands at my sides.

Where in the hells am I? There’s something firm banded around my waist, warm and hard behind me.

I can make out the faintest beating of a heart, and my body is swaying ever so slightly.

I’m on a horse? When I blink my eyes open, I’m practically blinded by the bright sun.

The back of my throat is singed. I groan, desperate for water.

“Sera?” A gruff voice vibrates through me, and the horse slows to a stop. “She’s awake!”

I struggle to sit up straighter, my whole body weak, not entirely feeling like my own.

“Sera!” A magnificent black stallion pulls up right next to us, and Rae’s gold-flecked green eyes take me in, her reddish brown hair vibrant in the sunlight.

The brand new goddess looks radiant and unharmed, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I also spot her husband Prince Kian behind her, polished and as unbothered as ever.

She’s okay. My best friend is okay. Thank the gods.

“Water, please,” I croak, and the tense man behind me, Alex, pulls me to a more upright position. He’s surprisingly gentle, which is shocking after our last interaction. He was so angry when he discovered my secrets.

Prince Kian reaches for a water skin and throws it toward me. Before I can grab it, a dark, bronzed hand catches it, and I’m jostled as Alex removes the cap and hands it to me.

“Here you go, Spitfire,” he murmurs.

I want to roll my eyes at the nickname but gratefully gulp the refreshing liquid down.

Is he going to act like the last days didn’t happen?

Back to teasing and nicknames along with the banter and flirting I’ve never permitted to go beyond that?

There’s something about him I can’t ignore, as much as I’ve tried, but there’s no possible future for us.

We come from such different worlds. He’s an ambassador’s son and I’m a lady’s maid, and now I’m cursed.

“What in the hells happened after I blacked out?” I ask, gathering enough strength to pull away from Alex so I’m not plastered to his chest.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Rae says, biting her lip. “You had us so damned worried. I was scared you might never wake up once you changed back.”

I’m going to be sick. My body trembles as the memory of rippling flesh and cracking bones tears through me. Not a nightmare. Everything shrinking, vision changing . . . Did I have wings? Now I’m falling . . .

“Oh no you don’t,” Alex says, hauling me closer to his chest.

My heart is racing and I want to sob. This isn’t a dream I can wake up from.

“Let me go,” I rasp. I need space. I need room to think.

“Sera, are you—what do you need?” Alex asks, loosening his grip.

Without replying, I swing my leg over and jump off his horse, stumbling as I make my way on wobbly legs to the bushes and empty my stomach all over the ground.

I press a hand over my racing heart as I recall the sensation of webbed feet and a wingspan nearly as wide as I am tall. It shouldn’t have been possible . . . but is that the consequence for breaking the wards to free my best friend? Is that my curse?

Footsteps crunch on the ground behind me, and I straighten, wiping my mouth with one hand and pushing back wayward strands of silver-blonde hair with the other. As if reading my mind, the water skin I dropped is thrust into my vision.

“Are you all right?” Rae asks, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I give her the barest of nods as I rinse my hand and then take a small sip of water.

“When Kian and I met up with Alex on the beach last night, you were limp, unconscious. You were—”

“A swan,” I interrupt. “Of all the fae curses in this realm, I end up a swan?” My voice gets higher as the disbelief crashes over me and I start to laugh almost hysterically.

Rae’s brows furrow as she takes me in. “Sera . . .”

I shake my head. “Damned curse.”

“But you turned back at daybreak,” Rae says. “Maybe it’s a one-time thing?”

“That’s not usually how curses work,” I reply bitterly, glancing up at the sky. “Before I passed out, I felt drawn to the moon . . . the stars. I think it comes out at night.”

“Luna help us,” Rae groans.

“Luna better stay far the fuck away,” Kian growls as he joins us, running a hand through his dark tousled hair, silver eyes glinting with fury.

“What’s your problem with the moon goddess?” I ask, glad his anger is not directed at me.

“That’s a story for another time,” Rae replies. “But we have a long journey ahead of us, so I’m sure you’ll hear all about it.”

“We should probably keep moving,” Kian says. “I’d like to cover more ground before we make camp, if you’re up to it?”

I nod. “Yes, Your Highness.” I default back to formalities despite how casual we’ve become in the past week of travel to that godsdamned isle.

Kian gives me a strange look before he returns to where his best friend Alex waits with the horses. Alex stands with his back toward me and I can’t help but wish he’d turn and look at me, that I could read his hazel eyes and figure out if he’s still mad about the secrets I kept.

Perhaps this is what I deserve. I’ve pushed him away for months, and maybe the lies were too much or he’s grown tired of chasing.

I never meant for him to discover my secrets like that. Or ever. When you’ve spent nigh on a century in a realm where fae haven’t been seen for millennia, you hold that part of you close to your chest. People fear the unknown or use it as a means of control.

Clearly he’s disgusted by me. I’m not human. I’m other. Poor man is probably wishing we didn’t have to share a horse. It really is a shame. For a moment there, I allowed myself to dream . . .

“Sera.” Rae pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

I take another sip and hand her the water skin. I want to believe her, but there’s a pit of dread in my stomach.

“We should go,” I murmur before trudging back to the horses. Without a word, Alex lifts me up onto his chestnut gelding and I grip the pommel as he mounts behind me.

It’s practically torture being this close to him. His body is tense behind me, but his powerful thighs squeeze around me as he guides his horse to follow Rae and Kian’s.

“I suppose I should thank you for not leaving me on the isle,” I say after a few tense moments.

“I suppose you should,” he replies, his tone clipped.

I wince and take a breath, reinforcing the wall around my heart. He’s clearly still upset. It was foolish of me to even think of letting him in . . . regardless of how charming, handsome, and ridiculous he is.

Rae and Kian are in their own little world up ahead, so my mind drifts back to all those months ago when I first ran into Alex shortly after starting work in the palace.

“Have we met?” The velvety-smooth voice wraps around me like a warm embrace, and I pause to look over my shoulder, readjusting my grip on the basket of linens I was bringing to the palace laundry. Warm hazel eyes greet mine, and I take in the full lips quirked up in a smile.

It’s him. The clothes are fancier, but I could never forget that face, the umber shade of his skin, and those eyes .

. . the way they followed me as I danced and danced and danced at Lou’s Tavern weeks ago.

He made me feel like I was the only person there.

It had been so long since I’d enjoyed any male companionship, and I almost worked up the courage to speak with him, but when I turned to do so, he was gone.

“You look awfully familiar,” he continues. “There aren’t many ladies at court with such lovely violet eyes.”

“If you used your brain, you might recognize I am no lady of the court,” I quip.

There is absolutely no godsdamned way I’ll be involving myself with a lord, handsome as he might be. Perhaps if I’m rude, he’ll back off.

A surprised laugh bursts out of him, and he runs a hand over his shortly cropped hair. “It was meant to be a compliment. I . . . uh . . .” He fumbles for words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from your work.” He nods at the basket of linens.

I snort and continue down the palace’s wide hallway. What a strange man. In what realm would a lord dare be caught talking to a palace servant like me? As much as I don’t want to be, I’m intrigued, but I’m sure he’ll move on now that he didn’t get what he wanted from me.

A few steps later, and he’s at my elbow, keeping pace with me. “Can I carry that for you?”

I stop in my tracks and turn to look at him, mouth agape. “I beg your pardon?”

He shrugs somewhat adorably, reaching out. “Please?”

“Does it look like I need your help?”

“No? But, uh, I just thought I could help and maybe we could talk. It feels wrong seeing you do all the work when I could easily be of service.”

Wait, is he flexing?

“It’s my job,” I deadpan, shaking my head. What is with this man? Are my hints not strong enough?

He curses under his breath, then mutters, “Real smooth, Alex.”

I press my lips together to keep from laughing. Damn it. Why does he have to be attractive and funny? “I’m busy, my lord. Have a good day,” I call over my shoulder.

As I walk away, my fae hearing picks up a familiar male voice ribbing the man.

“Gods, Alex, that was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Don’t tell me you heard all of that.”

“Every single word.”

I try not to snort a laugh.

“You should write a book: How to Offend Women in Less Than Five Minutes,” Prince Kian says.

Alex groans, and I turn the corner, only slightly disappointed I can’t continue to listen in on their conversation.

“Are you hungry, Sera?” Rae’s voice cuts through my recollection, and I take a deep breath.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.”

The gnawing pit in my stomach couldn’t handle a bite. The sun’s slow descent toward the horizon fills me with dread at what’s to come.