Princess of Shadows: A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance by Olivia Hart (read me a book txt) 📕

“Uh huh,” I muttered as I reached behind me to figure out if it was stupid looking. Just before I turned to go back to the mirror, Sebastian said, “It looks fine. Until you can make them solid, clothes will pass right through them.”

How did he do that? It was like he could read my mind or something. “Oh,” I muttered, putting my hands back at my sides.

Sebastian picked up his shirt from yesterday and put it on. He slipped on some socks and then his boots. Then he began rooting around in cabinets until he pulled out a big leather bag. He rolled up his cloak and put it inside the bag which he slung over his shoulder.

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get the tangles out, but it was hopeless. I was destined to go on my first shopping trip in fairyland looking homeless.

I caught Sebastian grinning as he watched me. “What?”

“Oh, I was just thinking of offering you the use of one of the most important Fae inventions.”

“And what would that be?” I asked, every ounce of my frustration flowing into my words.

He walked over to a cabinet next to the mirror and pulled out a brush. “We call it a brush.”

He held it out to me. “How was I supposed to know that you had a brush? I figured that you just wiggled your nose, and your hair was styled.”

“Once again, you didn’t ask, little fairy. You may need to start working on that.”

I snarled at him, but he ignored me as I opened the cabinet once more to look in the mirror. I tried to brush my hair as best as I could, but I needed a shower. It had been a rough couple of days, and my hair was not behaving in the least. I put the brush up and locked the cabinet.

Sebastian was still grinning when he asked me if I was ready.

I nodded, my fingers still trying to convince my hair to be a little less wild.

He chuckled at me and walked out the door, a pack on his shoulder. At least I would have some shoes again after I was done with this shopping trip. What would it be like to go shopping in the Immortal Realm? What kind of Fae would I meet? And when was breakfast?

Chapter 12

Sebastian

It felt good to have fed at least a little bit. I was nowhere near sated, but at least I wasn’t starving. My body didn’t have the same aching sensations, and I could fight again.

With anyone else, I wouldn’t have gotten that much power from the little bit of foreplay that Rose and I had shared last night in the dreamscape, but she was far stronger than I’d have expected.

First times were always more powerful though. That could be it. I thought about the alternative. This naïve and inexperienced girl being a Queen of the Dark Court? How would she survive?

Seraphina would kill her just as she’d done with the previous Dark Queen. Just as she’d done with the previous Queen of the Light. There would be no one to help her. Within the Fae, murder was not illegal. Even the murder of a Queen. A Queen had to be able to protect herself. Other people could help, but Seraphina would destroy them without a second thought unless Rose was capable of fighting on her own. Not even I could go toe-to-toe with Seraphina.

Her guards were for protecting her from assassins and armies, not from fighting another Queen. At least not for fighting a High Queen. I sighed. It would be better for Rose if she could just go into hiding even if she was a Queen.

We stepped into the yard, and I locked the door to my cottage. I was sad to have to leave. Regardless of where we went, people would know what and who I was. At least our shopping trip today would be amongst friends.

We got outside the gate, and I took Rose’s hand. “I thought we were going to a town near here?”

“We are. It’s just in the Mortal Realm. A quick step into the warrens and then out again, and we’ll be there.”

She seemed surprised. “Oh. I just thought that we’d buy clothes from this side.”

“The people that I have to see work in an illegal business. They forge scents. It’s far easier to hide in the Mortal Realm.”

She nodded in understanding. “So the Mortal Realm is like the ghetto. Got it.”

Not entirely sure what she meant by that, I shrugged and touched the shadow that lay across the ground. Slipping into the warren, I called for the mists. They covered our feet as always when I walked through the warrens, and Rose didn’t make any screams.

Good. She’s learning. We moved silently through the tunnels for only a few minutes, and I reached out to touch the wall. Yes, this was the right place. The image of a small alleyway between two imposing buildings came into my mind.

I stopped walking and glanced at Rose who nodded. She was beginning to impress me with how quickly she learned. She was even beginning to be a little less annoying.

I pulled on the image in my mind, and we slid through that space between the realms. Stepping out of the shadow, Rose tensed. Darkness blanketed the alley. She was not comfortable in a city. Especially in a dark alley.

The thought made me chuckle. If she only knew that there were very few creatures that lived in this Realm that could actually hurt a full-blooded fairy, she would probably be a lot less nervous.

I whispered to her, “Calm down. We’re in your world. You don’t have to be afraid. I have a friend who’s going to take care of you while I get something to hide your scent. She lives in this building, but you really shouldn’t leave the shadows until she gets here