to focus.
I will find Princess Ashe.
I will bring her home.
I will convince her to be my wife.
The first two seemed simple enough, but he had no idea how he was going to accomplish that last part. Heath was not in love with Ashe, nor she with him. He had met her exactly twice.
Both times she struck him as overly modest and embarrassed, though kind. She did not comport herself like a princess of the Winter Court at all.
And though it was supposed to be a secret, everyone knew Ashe had no magic to speak of. She was an anomaly, a dud, even in her own eyes, apparently.
He recalled the wording of the fae prophecy that had led him here.
Animosity will grow between Autumn and Winter.
A daughter of Winter will bring peace to both kingdoms.
Heath, along with everyone else, expected that a daughter of Winter referred to Ashe’s sister, Wynter.
Wynter was as confident and elegant as Ashe was timid and plain. She had been engaged to Heath’s older brother, Killian. Everyone hoped that this betrothal between an Autumn prince and a daughter of the Winter Court would seal peace between the two kingdoms.
Everyone except Wynter, that was.
She had secretly plotted against the Autumn Court in an attempt to bring about the every war the rest of them were working to prevent.
And she had gotten herself killed in the process.
So the only daughter of Winter left to bring peace to both kingdoms was the unlikely Princess Ashe.
And now that his older brother, Killian, was marrying a mortal, the only prince of Autumn left to marry Ashe was Heath himself.
Whether she wanted to marry him or not, he was certain she was the kind of princess who would fulfill her duty. At least he had been certain, before she fled to the mortal realm.
Perhaps in time they would grow fond of one another. Heath had always been told that he was a sinfully handsome man.
And Ashe was pretty enough when she wasn’t busy worrying about what everyone else thought about her. And more importantly, she seemed like good-hearted girl.
His plan was perfect.
All he had to do was find her.
Poor Ashe had slipped away in the chaos before his brother’s wedding. Heath figured she was worried that everyone would suspect her of being involved in her sister’s plot.
He didn’t blame her. But anyone who had met her two times would know this was impossible.
He scanned the hillside for signs of her passing, but saw nothing that would give him a clue as to her whereabouts.
Though the woodland was sparse compared to the ancient, lush forests of Faerie, it was still thick enough to hide the footsteps of a single princess moving with stealth.
But time was on his side. Ashe would have beaten him here by only an hour or so. She could not have gotten far.
His bear side tugged at his consciousness, asking for control.
There was no reason to deny him.
Heath closed his eyes and shifted into his other form.
Instantly, scents and sounds from miles around slammed into his awareness.
He shook himself, his thick pelt making a satisfying sound that partially muted the others.
He went up on his hind legs and tasted the air, ignoring the thousand mysterious smells that revealed themselves, searching only for the clear, bright scent that Ashe would have trailed along with her from Faerie.
But instead of one trail from his world, he found two.
The first was the pale pink of a frightened runaway.
The other was a blue so bright it seemed to throb.
A bounty hunter…
So Heath wasn’t the only one chasing the princess. That complicated matters.
He lowered himself to all four paws and lumbered through the trees as swiftly as he could.
Bare branches reached out to impede him, but his thick fur protected him. He pushed through, slender snout making the way for his big body.
In spite of the circumstances, it was hard not to enjoy himself.
Heath didn’t spend as much time in his other form now that he was an adult with responsibilities.
The bear missed running free.
Hurry, he urged it from deep inside. Someone else is after her too. We have to find her, and we have to find her first.
Beyond that, there was only so much time in the hourglass. When the sand ran out, Heath would be sucked back to Faerie, whether he had accomplished his goal or not.
The hillside dropped off quickly and the girl’s scent grew stronger, as did the trail of her pursuer.
Heath thundered down the precipitous slope until the valley began to