Aine’s Day should be a time for celebration with family. But when the Unseelie dark fae launch a surprise attack, Galen will have to forego the festivities and fight to protect the Court of the Forest and the woman he loves. This story is an optional prequel in the Courts of Faery series and is set approximately 6 months prior to A Bargain with the Fae King. Please note that this story was previously included in two separate anthologies: This Wicked Darkness and Fierce Hearts.

For Lia Ashmore, the only thing keeping her grief and guilt in check after an accident nearly killed her little sister, May, are her recurring dreams of Riven, a shadowed man who’s become her confidant, a pleasant escape from the pain of reality. When May is taken by animalistic dark Fae, Lia journeys to Faery, desperate to save her sister. There, she comes face to face with three shocking truths: Riven is real, he’s not human, and in fact, he’s the King of the Forest Fae. They strike a bargain. He’ll help her save May in exchange for what he wants: Lia as his consort. But saving her sister is not as easy as either expected, and a failed rescue attempt reignites an age-old conflict between Fae courts. As her relationship with Riven blossoms, Lia becomes increasingly entangled in bitter rivalries and political power plays. In a world where no one can lie but everyone has secrets, Lia will have to decide who to trust. The choice alone could cost her heart, but the wrong one may demand her life—and her sister’s.

Wren Dawson spends her days tending to her ailing grandmother and her nights bartending. Orphaned after her parents tragic death years ago, she’s taken on the mantle of the responsible one, trying to keep her splintering family together. Her dreams of travelling the world aren’t going anywhere, and life is great. Mostly. When thieves rob her bar at closing time, Wren flees into the nearby forest to avoid becoming a grim headline. But her aimless sprint lands her in a whole different world and in the arms of a stranger—Sigurd, Fae King of Air. She’s the spitting image of his long-lost love, and he’s not about to lose her again. Bound to Sigurd by his magical spell, Wren pursues the one opportunity she has to return home: enter and win a Faery competition where the winner receives a wish granted by the powerful fae cauldron. But Sigurd challenges her in a way no one ever has and sparks a desire she never saw coming. As enemies close in on the Court of Air from all sides, Wren is torn between two impossible choices: seizing victory and returning home, or standing by the side of the fae king who sets her heart on fire.