A Kingdom of Deceit and Desire by Leslie O’Sullivan
Chapter 1
The King’s Riddle
My curtsy before Finnbheara, the King of the Connacht Fae, sets my eyes inches from well-formed thighs which his fitted silver and white metallic tunic does nothing to hide. I immediately lower my head to avoid the appearance of ogling the Faerie king. Impropriety is not a great start when I’m on the verge of bargaining with a mythical figure for the destiny I need to control.
My raging nerves are a bold contrast to the gentle strains of a violin and the barest hint of bells permeating the light mist surrounding us. It’s only been moments, but time flaunts its gift of endlessness as I wait for his response to my proposal.
What have I done?
I’ve asked this man, a Fae King, possibly the most powerful ruler of the Tuath Dé Dannan, the Irish Fae, to bargain with me. The Eala Duir I thought I was would never dream of being so bold.
Dream.
I wish I were dreaming. My current predicament mocks even the most outrageous of my dreams. This place, this reality, the Tír na nÓg where I stand, is the fodder of legends from stories my Irish grandmother, Máthair, told me as a child. Those same stories my soulmate, Sionnach, created as shadow plays in hearth flames. He spun fantastic tales for a girl who had no idea she wasn’t a girl at all, but rather the concoction of a Fae King as a gift to his former human lover, my grandmother.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sion calling far too much attention to himself in the king’s presence by frantically searching for a way out of here. The irony makes my head pound. A heartbeat ago, this was exactly the place we wished to be.
With a light touch, The Fae king lifts my chin until our gazes meet. “There’s no need for posturing.” Full graceful lips curve into a sly smile as his hands take mine, helping me rise to my feet. The man is breathtaking. Pronounced cheekbones and a strong jaw enhance the beauty he radiates. “It is no secret I enjoy dealing in bargains.” A deep melodious chuckle rumbles from his pretty lips as he tucks my hand through the crook of his elbow. “I expect no less than a well-crafted proposal from a child of my making.”
Behind us, Sion unleashes his signature grunt I pray the royal doesn’t notice. This is no damn time to spill distaste for the king all over the silver and green grass carpeting the threshold of Tír na nÓg. I fight the urge not to pull my focus from Finnbheara to shoot Sionnach a warning look.
The king whirls toward Sion, anger spiking. “Silence, spawn of Loho, or I’ll add another fox to my menagerie.”
I seize the opportunity to widen my eyes at Sion. He and Finnbheara have history, and not a pretty one. I only exist because of that history. The king never would’ve created me if Sion didn’t need help putting an end to the soulfall he was bound to. A parade of trapped souls would be forever banned from their chosen afterlives if he and I together hadn’t found the keys to open the gateway to their eternities.
The king tilts his head to one side then the other, studying me with narrowed eyes. “No,” he says and runs a fingertip along the side of my face. “You are not a child. The beads of being I ignited into life successfully flourished into a woman of singular beauty.” He closes his eyes and inhales deeply. “Ah, I sense bountiful talents lying within you. I have done well.”
Finnbheara pinches a lock of my flighty white-blond hair and lets it fall strand by strand, seemingly [LG1] mesmerized at the way each bit floats from his grasp. The admiration in his expression shifts as his eye color changes from lavender to peach, before settling into the smoldering deep orange shade of a banked fire ready to leap back to life. His gaze sweeps brazenly down my body, my shape very visible through the sheer, knee-length Fae tunic both Sion and I were clothed in once we shifted from fox and swan to human form here in the Faerie realm. I suppose I should be grateful Finnbheara didn’t leave us naked.
His lustful stare should deserve my disgust, but I’m fascinated by this living myth. Truthfully, his perpetual youth adds to his allure. He looks to be close to my twenty-eight years, certainly not a day over thirty. His loveliness is difficult, no impossible, to turn away from. A rush of pleasure courses through my body at his prideful scrutiny. Lightheadedness threatens to overtake me as I’m drawn toward this elegant man.
Before our bodies touch, a hundred tiny pinpoints of heat prick my insides. The Veil sprites, internal magical flickers gifted to me when I first accepted the truth of Faeries, swim through my spirit. Their presence prevents me from falling into the near-trance the king’s attention invites.
Finnbheara encircles my wrist with his fingers, extending my bare arm to study it. To my surprise a faint river of glowing light runs beneath my skin. I’ve been able to feel but never witness the Veil sprites within me in any detail before.
Finnbheara smirks at the wandering lights. “Yes, you are a success indeed.” He slowly circles fingers up from my arm to shoulder, his gaze never leaving mine. The royal contact summons my Veil sprites, and they cluster around his touch.
When the tips of his fingers travel higher along the side of my neck, a swift movement off to my right, steals my attention as well as the king’s. Sion with clenched fists and ruddy curls bobbing charges in our direction.
Copyright 2024 by Leslie O’Sullivan
Being tied to the Fae is no guarantee the folk will throw open their gates in welcome.
Believing they’ve earned a place in the Fae kingdom of Tír na nÓg, Eala Duir, a folklore academic, and her time traveler soulmate, Sionnach Loho, are about to face the harsh reality that mischief and misdirection lurk at the very core of Faerie bargains.
When Finnbheara, King of the Connacht Fae, confronts the pair on the threshold of his realm, they learn only Eala will be welcomed into the land of eternal youth. Desperate not to be separated from Sionnach, she strikes a bargain with the wily king to insure both lovers a future in the enchanted domain. As an added caveat to completing the requirements of the bargain, much to Sionnach’s dismay, Eala agrees to embrace her Faerie gifts by submitting to lessons with the handsome and arrogant Fae, Robber Bright.
Now Sionnach and Eala must time travel through the Veil, hunting through Irish history, folk tales, and mythic gods to unravel the truths hidden in Finnbheara’s enigmatic challenge or face eternity apart.
Fantasy Romance [City Owl Press, On Sale: December 1, 2024, Paperback, ISBN: 9781648985010 / eISBN: 9781648985003]
Leslie O’Sullivan is the author of Rockin' Fairy Tales, an adult romance series of Shakespeare/fairy tale mash ups set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s music scene. Coming soon is her Behind the Scenes contemporary romance series that peeks into the off-camera secrets of a wildly popular television drama. She’s a UCLA Bruin with a BA and MFA from their Department of Theater where she also taught for years on the design faculty. Her tenure in the world of television was as the assistant art director on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Leslie loves to indulge her fangirl side each year at San Diego Comic Con.
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