Faint Hearted (Cursed Fae #2)

by Leia Stone

She didn’t treat me like a delicate, breakable flower.

There was nothing stagnant about the Fall Court, and that made life exciting.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

Tomorrow I was going to have to use my powers on my own parents and run away. When I said that nothing would get in the way of me saving my people, I meant it. The history books would not write that Princess Aribella of the Fall Court was too weak or scared to go to Ethereum.

emotionally manipulated. That’s what it was. Suggestive magic was a kind term for what I did. Mind control or brainwashing was more accurate.

I would never give up.

Strike before the villain has a chance to even utter a word.

Rich men were always a bit unhinged.

“I feel it wise to tell you that my magic is powerful. If you try to subdue me, I will boil your blood from the inside out.”

My body knew when I was in danger, even if my mind was leading me in another direction completely.

spell that made him insanely attractive and morally gray.

I’m not a killer, Stryker. I’m just a bookworm with a weak heart.”

The feeling had nothing to do with the broken look on her face before she'd turned her back on me. Or that I felt regret that I hadn’t followed through and kissed her: at least that’s what I told myself.

Aribella was mine.

“I told myself I’d never fall again,” he breathed against my temple, and the breath caught in my lungs. “But I don’t know how much longer I can resist you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t give you all of me all at once,” he muttered. “But please know that I want to.” This complicated man had won me over, because in those words I saw the promise of a solid future if I just waited and was patient. “It’s okay. I’ve been told I’m very patient. As long as you don’t give up, we can work through this.” This time I smiled for real.

“You make me happy too, Aribella. That’s what frightens me.”

It was like she’d been created for me alone. She knew how to handle my sharp edges and smooth them away. I’d never laid eyes on a more beautiful creature. The first time she appeared in front of me, I’d sworn my heart stopped beating. Everything about her, from her soft voice, to her kind heart, called to me. And when we kissed . . . She was my mate.

The icy fire to my heart. The silver mist that surrounded us.

She was always so strong and I admired that about her. I nodded and took a deep breath.

selfless protector of Easteria.”

“You think you are faint-hearted, but you are not,” the Wise One said. “You are one of the strongest fae we’ve ever met. Don’t forget that. Especially in the days to come.”

“You need to find the Shadow Heart buried in the place that treasures are kept.”

“In the center of the Jewel Spring Mountains,” he answered. “In the deepest mine within Mount Grimhorn.”

“I was already halfway to Noreum to look for you, to win you back, when Zander contacted me. Can you forgive me? Can you give me another chance to treat you how you deserve to be treated?” His voice was husky and it made my entire body melt. “I’m sorry, Aribella, I made a mistake. I see that now.”

Aww, he thought I was going to stay behind like a damsel in distress. That was cute. I waited a minute and then ran after him,

I’d give it back to the shadow beast in a heartbeat if it would take away Stryker’s injuries. The truth of that thought rocked me to my core because it revealed the depth of my feelings for the Ethereum lord.

If the last several weeks proved anything, it was that I wasn’t just a princess. I was a survivor. I was a champion. I was a warrior, and it was about time I acted like it.

“I’ve never been a big fan of Fate. But now I want to meet her one day and thank her for sending me you,”

I would have taken Stryker just as he was and loved him for the rest of my life, but it was obvious to me he was starting to heal. When I looked at my new husband, I no longer saw a fractured man, broken and scarred. Even in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, he was finally beginning to learn what it was like to accept love and be happy. The pieces of himself he thought he’d lost forever were coming back, reforming him into something beautiful.