The Fae King's Curse (Between Dawn and Dusk #1)

by Jamie Schlosser

“I have to go home!” I shout in the wind. “You are home.” Great. Rational, level-headed Kirian is gone. In his place is an oaf who literally kidnapped me. Ever wonder what it’s like to witness a fae king having a mental breakdown? Well, this is it.

“Hail, Queen Quinn.” “Oh, no.” Quinn violently shakes her head. “No, no. Nope. So much nope. Queen Quinn? That just sounds ridiculous. A whole mountain of nope right there.”

“As if I wasn’t already attracted to you. Now you look like a royal version of Thor with an axe.” “Who’s Thor?”

“So, Earth is where you run off to every birthday?” “It’s your birthday?” Quinn asks sharply. I might be in trouble. “I suppose I never mentioned that the portals were a birthday gift from a wizard.” “Nope, you left that out.”

I chew my lip. “I’ve honestly never considered the possibly. In my mind, you’re already spoken for.” “Fuck that, Quinn,” he responds gruffly, lifting his face. “The only person who owns me is you.”

Kai is a terrifying motherfucker. Even more so than Torius. There’s something cold and distant in his gray eyes. His sandy blond hair is braided in tight cornrows against his scalp and the rest is a tangled mess. He’s been burned so severely by iron, it left scars all over his face, neck, and arms. According to Kirian, Kai could’ve healed himself—since that’s his power—but he chose not to because he wanted the marks. See? Crazy motherfucker. Who does that?

His bare shoulders ripple in the moonlight as he tenses, strangling the reins in his white-knuckled hands. My nipples pucker, and heat blooms between my thighs. Why’s he so hot when he’s bloodthirsty?

“Is that safe?” I imagine the little people staggering around drunk. “They’re so small.” Kirian barks out a laugh. “Don’t let their size fool you. One thing I can say about gnomes is that they can handle their alcohol. They could drink all four of us under the table.” He gestures to Damon, Torius, and Kai. “It’s true,” Kai says. “I challenged one to a contest once. I’ll never do that again. The next day I woke up naked in a sprite forest seven miles away. I still don’t know what happened that night.”

“I guess it would be a little off-putting in a world where people get beheaded as punishment,” I surmise. “We haven’t beheaded anyone on purpose in hundreds of years.” He sounds offended, and I just shake my head.

On purpose, he said. As if it’s a regular occurrence for people to get their heads chopped off on accident.

“Lovers’ quarrel, amiright?” Damon reaches across the table and casually plucks the last sausage off Kirian’s plate. “Maybe I don’t want a mate after all.” Kirian snatches it back. “That’s mine.” “Mine, mine, everything is mine,” Damon mimics with a huff. He gestures to the spread. “You know what I got for breakfast this morning? Porridge. The Dream Realm king doesn’t get the same respect here that you do. They didn’t give me any sausages. I’m just a poor blind man trying to find something to eat.”

I gape at him. “Is that a baby carrier?” “Technically, yes.” “And you want me to ride in it?” “It’s the best way for me to protect you. You’ll be close to me, and my hands will be free to use my weapon.”

“All right.” Damon claps his hands once. “Let’s go. I’ve been looking for a reason to kick Gia’s ass ever since she chopped off my hair in my sleep.” “That happened when you were seventeen.” I follow him out the rear entrance

nearest to the stables. “You’re not over it yet?” “You know how important my hair is to me.” I roll my eyes at Quinn, and she cups her mouth, stifling a laugh. “I heard that,” Damon mumbles, irritated.