On the night that Evren sneaks out to attend the great bonfire, she never could have guessed that she would attract the attention of, not one, but two extremely handsome Fae. While sitting alone on a log near the fire, she is approached by the first. She is quickly charmed by his confidence and he soon reveals that he knows a few tricks. He can access the Magic of the past. But that's not the exciting part.
He is soon chased off by another, devilishly charming, Fae...but there is something suspicious about him...His eyes appear to glow purple when it's close to midnight. Evren senses that she should be cautious, but she can't fight her odd desire to be near him.
Little does Evren know, both Fae are extremely dangerous and have their sights set on her.
Excerpt:
Brayden placed his palm between her shoulder blades and escorted her out into the garden. The ballroom paled in comparison to the garden's beauty. The entrance was lined with rose bushes nearly eight feet tall. Each bush must have had nearly seventy massive fully bloomed red roses. At the end of the path the garden opened into an elaborate maze of sidewalks; sidewalks lined with flowers that Evren had never even seen before.
One flower specifically caught Evren's eye. It was quite large, spanning nearly one foot in diameter. The only way she could think to describe it, would be to compare it to an exploding star. The center of the bloom was bright white, almost glowing. The center petals faded to a light blue while the middle petals faded from blue to a deep purple. The outer petals remained the same deep royal purple but had what appeared to be glitter specks on the tips of the pointed petals.
Brayden's hand applied slight pressure and Evren stepped away from the flower. Her eyes lifted and instantly locked on the massive four tier marble fountain that sat in the heart of the sidewalk maze. The stone twisted so delicate and elegantly that Evren could hardly believe that it was made of such hard stone. The tiers narrowed as they rose, but each maintained the same fluidity as the previous tier. The top tier came to a point, where small sparks of alternating color shot about a foot into the air.
A lone violinist sat on the fountain's edge. He started to play the moment he saw them. Evren sat on a nearby stone bench, her knees nearly giving out due to the grandeur of the garden. Her eyes rose to the stars, and she watched as a few fell from the sky.
"Do you remember when we were children? That first week while I was staying with you and your grandmother, I had so many nightmares. I remember waking up screaming, soaked in sweat...you were always there holding my hand when I woke up."
"I didn't know what else to do..." said Evren.
"And then that one night, the nightmares were so terrible that even if I closed my eyes for a moment-"
"So, we snuck out."
Brayden smiled. "You came to my room and promised that you would make me feel better. We snuck out and found our way through the valley of the boulders, and we found that hidden pond."
"Thinking back, we were foolish to sneak out," said Evren.
"We must have sat there for hours, just looking up at the bugs, convincing ourselves that they were stars-"
"Our feet in the water, I was partly afraid that a fish would eat my toes," laughed Evren. Her eyes were distant, but focused. Almost like she was reliving the moment as they spoke.
Brayden inched his way closer to her. For the first time, ever, he seemed clumsy in his movements.
Brayden leaned in, his voice soft. "Even though it would be highly improper, I would very much like to kiss you. I-if that's alright."
Evren couldn't speak, she could only nod.
Brayden leaned in slowly and placed his lips on her right cheek. He lingered for a moment, then drew back slightly. Evren could feel the butterflies in her stomach, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had them too.
