Chapter One
Hadrian
I knew I shouldn’t be here, but like every other time, her beauty beckoned me.
I was helpless to resist the lure of temptation—completely captivated—enchanted. Some would find irony in a Fae enchanted by a human. Once upon a time, I may have argued with them and convinced them of the impossibility of such a statement.
That was before I saw her, however. Everything had changed in that moment.
I don’t believe in fate, the concept absurd to those of my people. We are endless—eternal—the masters of our own destinies. The longevity of our lives affords us the chance to sample all that life offers and with that comes the arrogant belief of our superiority.
Had someone told me I would become fascinated with a human female, I would’ve laughed and dismissed them with a casual wave of my hand. I would’ve reminded them who I was—Prince Hadrian Strongbow, youngest son to Queen Willomena—and such behavior was beneath me.
That was before I saw her, however. Everything changed in that moment.
Aithne. Her name was like a prayer on my lips.
Until that first encounter, I’d considered myself incapable of being influenced by baser emotions. But one look at her radiant beauty—the way her countenance seemed to outshine even the sun—was my undoing.
Aithne.
I didn’t ever stand a chance.