Fae Star Read Online Free PDF Page B

sing. It was a beautiful song in another language and I found myself feeling lightheaded and unlike myself. Bael pressed his lips to mine gently at first and then harder, but with the combination of the drink and the magical song, I felt powerless to resist.
    “Hey! Step away from her! She’s mine!” I head Ian’s voice coming from far in the distance but I didn’t break out of my trance until Ian pushed Bael away from me.
    I was still a little tipsy when Ian pulled me away from the party and said, “You need to be a little more careful. That was a siren.”
    “Yeah,” I said, “Well. maybe you shouldn’t have left me by myself at a party full of strangers!” Ian paused for a long time, and I could tell I had hurt his feelings.
    “You’re right,” he said, “I’m really sorry. It’s just… you don’t know the effect you have on me. How hard it is to resist the call from the star. I just needed to clear my head.”
    “You mean you want to eat me to gain power just like everyone else,” I said, suddenly a little scared, “How can I trust you to protect me when you’re a power-hungry fae like the rest of them?”
    “No,” Ian said, “No, you don’t understand. It’s different with me. I”m not after your blood. I wish I could explain it to you, but I’m just not ready yet.”
    “Great,” I said, “Very comforting.”
    “I think it’s time for us to go to the castle,” Ian said, and my stomach dropped. As much danger as I was in, I was still nervous to go to the castle and meet the prince.
    “We can’t jump directly into the castle because of all the protection spells cast on it. We’ll have to jump to the entrance of the royal yard and then walk there.”
    I nodded, like teleporting in front of a castle was something I did everyday.
    Ian took my hand and the scenery changed. There was a large stone castle in the distance, about four miles away.
    “Wow, huge front yard,” I said.
    “Pretty standard,” Ian said, “I don’t trust anyone in the royal court, so you’ll have to do the talking since you can lie. Don’t tell anyone you’re human, and don’t tell anyone you’re the star.”
    There was a long stone path leading up to the castle. I could see guards at the front gate, which was about a quarter mile ahead of us, and I was sure there were many more inside the gate. A tall and very stern-looking man stopped us at the gate.
    “What business do you have with the royal family?” he asked.
    “We are bards,” I said, just saying the first thing that came to mind, “and we come to entertain the king and queen.”
    “Oh?” said the guard, “Would you care to sing me a song?”
    I should have come up with a better excuse. My singing was even worse than my lying.
    “No, your honor,” I said, and Ian stifled a laugh, “We have been given strict orders from the Bards Guild to only sing for the royal family.”
    The guard looked suspicious, but then he let us go. Ian burst out laughing once we were out of earshot.
    “Your honor?” he said, still laughing, “Sir would have sufficed.”
    When we got to the next guard, I said, “We are jesters. We have come to cheer up the queen.”
    “She needs it, these days,” the guard said, “I hope you have more luck than the last three.” I used that excuse from then on. We came to a stretch of path with no guards, and I asked Ian something that had been bothering me.
    “Ian,” I said, “What would happen if I were in love with someone else besides the prince?”
    Ian looked horrified, “You’re not, are you? No, there’s no way. I’ve never even seen you talk to a guy before, unless you include Bael, or that guy that tried to kill you.”
    “But what if I had?” I asked, “Hypothetically speaking, of course, what if I had fallen in love with you before I even reached the prince. Why didn’t he come for me himself?”
    Ian paused for a while as if deciding how to answer.
    “It’s complicated,” he said finally, “but