Moon's Flower (Kingdom, #6)

“This is unheard of.”


Calanthe’s smile was bittersweet. “Then you’ll understand my dilemma, my friend.” Thinking about the blanket of stars filling the skies, and the lands all across Kingdom an excitement Calanthe hadn’t felt earlier began to buzz through her bloodstream and she snatched a hold of her friend’s hands. “Let’s travel, June.” She flung one of her hands wide. “Let’s see this world.”

In her excitement she failed to note that June had gone stiff and unresponsive.

“I want to swim through the Never Seas, touch the golden grains of Eastern sand, sail above the clouds in—”

“Then become a fairy godmother,” June retorted. “They often get to see the world.”

Again, in her enthusiasm, Calanthe failed to note the hint of disapproval coloring her friend’s words. “No, I do not want to pair up couples.” She shuddered at the thought. “I’d make a horrible godmother, what do I know of love?” She laughed at the absurd idea as she plucked a fat leaf off a tendril of ivy creeping over the stump of the tree she sat on.

That’s when she finally noticed that her friend wasn’t laughing with her. “June?”

Adjusting the snail shell on her head, June’s lips pinched. “What is wrong with this life, Calanthe? Or being a godmother? That’s what we were born to do, what you were born to do.”

Shaking her head, Calanthe had no words. Oh they were there, all crowding her tongue, but none of them could make it out. Because there was too much to say and she was obviously horrible at expressing herself. Not to mention the fact that Calanthe wasn’t really sure what she was feeling. So she rubbed the smooth leaf over and over and wondered why this life wasn’t enough.

Why couldn’t she be as happy as every single one of her sisters so obviously seemed to be? Why did she always have to feel like the outcast? Why was she so different? Why?

She wanted more. But more what? The only thing she knew was that when she found it, she’d know.

Tossing the leaf aside, she shot to her feet. “I’m going for a walk.”

Her thoughts were too muddied, and June’s censure simply wasn’t helping.

Brows dipping, June latched onto Calanthe’s wrist as she made to sail off into the woods. “You’re not planning to head to The Blue’s cottage to steal another seed are ye?” she hissed it low enough that no one heard.

It still didn’t stop Calanthe’s pulse from hammering in her throat. “I told you I wouldn’t.” She shook off her friend’s hand. “Whatever happens, June, I’m very sorry I dragged you into this mess with me. But I swear that you can trust me. Only please, give me time to figure all this out.”

And without pausing long enough to give June time enough to respond, Calanthe barreled toward the tree line, flapping her ivory butterfly wings harder than she ever had. A restlessness was crowding her soul, making the vastness of the glen feel small and much too tiny for her.

But when Calanthe thought of striking out and heading into Kingdom proper, she was so confused, without a clue where to start. Books would often lead one to believe that a fairy led a glamorous life, but it simply wasn’t true. Fairies seldom traveled outside of their nesting grounds. Where you were born, was where you stayed. And for those few who had a restless soul, they joined Godmother Inc. to become godmother’s, but the thought of living solely to pair up happily ever afters…

She sighed, so lost in thought that Calanthe never noticed the stranger walking straight toward her. Not until she slammed so hard into his chest that stars swam before her eyes and she tumbled through the air with a tiny cry.

A large hand caught her before she could hit the ground and the cry of pain from hitting the hard as steel chest, turned to one of surprise and then amazement.

It was a man.

A man inside the fairy glen.

A beautiful, beautiful man.

Where before her brain had been chaos, now it was silent and focused, all on him.

He had thick, wavy brown hair that tumbled about a face that looked honed from the finest granite. His beautifully square-cut jaw was all sharp lines and held a hint of a beard that shaded the ivory paleness of his flesh. Piercing brown eyes were focused hotly, intensely on her face. But it was his lips that kept dragging her gaze back. They were neither too full, nor too thin. They were perfect, perfect lips and something inside of her began to grow warm.

Her heart did a strange sort of racing thing in her chest. And as she lifted her hand to rub at it, it dawned on her that she was sprawled out on the palm of his hand. Her legs at odd angles, her white rose petal dress lifted high enough to expose a long expanse of thigh.

Heat crawled up her throat and settled in her cheeks.