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his brother and sister were frustrated. In a short period of time she knew how they felt. Could he not see how miserable she was?
    Why did he not take her home to D’Naath? They would both be much happier.
    Perhaps she had yet to convince him. She was very good at persuasion. She had yet to give it her best try. With a smug smile, she decided to begin doing just that.
    Within a few days time, he would be anxious to take her back to D’Naath.

Chapter Three

    Braedon sighed in relief as he approached the hall. It had been a blissful day and evening. Not once had Trista hounded him. Perhaps she had finally listened to his decree and would now leave him alone.
    The hall was filled with the inhabitants of the castle, all assembled for the evening meal. He spotted his aunt and headed toward her.
    No sign of the faerie. Perhaps Nadine had her working in the kitchens. He chuckled at that, assuming she would not care for cooking duty.
    He did not care. Running a keep meant overseeing every aspect of the daily chores and activities.
    Sometimes she would be required to help. It was good that she learn this.
    “Where is my betrothed?” he asked his aunt.
    “I have no idea,” Nadine said, busying herself with directing the staff to put out the food onto the tables.
    “Has she not been working with you?”
    Nadine looked up and frowned. “No, I have not seen her all day. I assumed you had decided to spend some time with her.”
    An irritated tic formed near his temple. “Now why would I want to spend time with her? She is as annoying as a petulant child who has not gotten her way.”
    “She is very young and untrained, Braedon, in a strange land with people she does not know. A little kindness toward her would not be a bad thing.”
    It would be to him. He had no intention of treating Trista any differently than the rest of the people in the castle.
    So, if she was not with his aunt, then where was she? With his sister and brother perhaps? He searched the hall, spotting his siblings at the main table centering the room. No sign of Trista.
    He ate dinner and brooded, expecting her to come sailing in, late. But she never showed up, even past the time the meal had been cleared and many of his people had retired for the evening.
    “I am worried,” Nadine said, catching his attention before he stepped outside. “I had Erin check Trista’s room and she is not there.”
    Surely she would not have left the castle without permission. How could she? The gates were closed and well guarded.
    He would rather retire to his room but knew his aunt would badger him until Trista was found. With a resigned sigh he said, “I will search for her.”
    She nodded and he left the hall, heading out to the gates. Neither of the guards posted there had seen her, although one mentioned he’d spotted her a short while ago walking along the stone wall near the forest.

    The D’Naathian forest.
    Alone.
    Perhaps she had left, after all. Not the safe enclosure of the walls, but the portion of the forest that resided within the walls of Greenbriar. It was a forbidden area, sacred to the faerie people of D’Naath.
    Until his marriage to the faerie princess, no one in Greenbriar was allowed entrance.
    Yet something compelled him when he stood at the edge of the woodland, feeling the crisp, cool air emanate from the forest onto his face. The sweet smell of dolaberries enticed him to step forward.
    He had a strong hunch that Trista could be found within the forest, confident no one would come after her. She did not know him well at all. He had warned her not to go in there. If he found her within the forest, there would be hell to pay.
    Forbidden be damned. He was going in. He motioned to the guards at the gates, instructing them to allow no one to follow him inside the forest, but should Trista emerge from there to hold her, chain her if necessary. The guards both swallowed and went pale but nodded.
    With careful steps he entered the woodland, his boots