Prince of Deception

PRAISE FOR THE MYTHS OF AIRREN “This whimsical and enchanting tale, filled with poisonous injustice and seductively forbidden romance, will sink its claws into you and have you falling for the monsters.” NICOLE FIORINA, AUTHOR, HOLLOW HEATHENS “Hickman takes readers on an unforgettable adventure, traveling alongside a cast of witty characters as they fall in love against the odds. With unique twists on our favorite, beloved tropes, and a knack for well-crafted characters, Hickman is the queen of romantasy.” MIRANDA JOY, AUTHOR, THESE WICKED LIES “Hickman’s tales of tortured souls have their hands wrapped deliciously around my heart and refuse to let me go. These are characters I wish were real and a world I long to visit. You need these Fae, this pooka, and these women in your life.” VANESSA RASANEN, AUTHOR, ON THESE BLACK SANDS Copyright © 2023 by Jennifer Fyfe All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblances to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental. Published by Midnight Tide Publishing. www.midnighttidepublishing.com Book Title / Jenny Hickman- 1st ed. Paperback ISBN: 978-1-953238-95-5 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-953238-96-2 Cover design by Cover Dungeon Character art by Lauren Richelieu CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Epilogue WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Acknowledgments Also by Jenny Newsletter Sign-Up More Books You’ll Love About the Author PROLOGUE Hearts can’t be stolen. At least that’s what I used to think. Until I met her. By “her,” I meant the woman lying next to me, with hair of fire spilling across the snowy white pillowcase, tickling my collarbone. Lashes fluttering like a butterfly’s wings. Pink lips curved into the perfect bow. I held my breath, waiting for the moment Leesha’s mossy green eyes would open and find mine. If her father discovered us together, he’d have my head. The threat of a lowly human farmer wielding a garden hoe was nothing compared to what would happen if my mother found out about the two of us. “You’re meant for greatness, Rían. I’ve seen it.” Witches and their “sight.” The Phantom Queen could keep her greatness. All I wanted was the angel sleeping next to me. Sunlight leaked from beneath the closed door, glimmering like an iridescent bubble when it met the ward I’d created last night. My soundproof tost kept our even breaths and mingling heartbeats silent from passersby, ensuring no one would disturb us in our world of sheets and skin. Leesha turned, raising her arms toward the headboard in a slow, languid stretch. Her shy smile left my heart ramming against my ribcage. If she wanted the world, I would give it to her. All she needed to do was ask. “Happy birthday, Rían,” she said in a voice thick with sleep, her accent more lilting than humans from Airren’s eastern coast. Was it any wonder? Her family lived so close to the Tearmann border you could practically spit on the Forest from her front stoop. Leesha’s short nail needled my side. “Did you hear me? I said happy birthday.” Nineteen years in the face of eternity wasn’t anything to boast about. Still, if Leesha wished to celebrate the occasion, I’d start with nuzzling her neck and tasting the way her pulse hummed against my lips. “Thank you.” The heat from her sigh ruffled my undoubtedly disheveled hair. The mahogany strands could do with a cut. A task that could wait until later. First, I had a woman to ravish. “I need to get up,” Leesha murmured even as one long leg hitched around my hips, pressing me closer. “Do you, now?” “Mmmm hmmm. If I don’t help Mother with breakfast, I’ll be expected to help with dinner. And seeing as I have plans with a certain suitor . . .” Her weak protest melted into a soft moan the moment I shifted my hips in line with hers. “Should I be jealous of this suitor?” I managed, already so hard I was fit to burst. “He is quite handsome.” “How handsome?” Fingers threaded through my hair, tugging me forward. “The most handsome man I’ve ever met.” “And?” “And he has a heart of gold.” I huffed a laugh. My heart was more likely to be made of soot than gold, but if she wanted to see the best in me, who was I to set her straight? “And?” “And he is a prince.” “A prince, you say? How can I ever hope to compete?” She giggled, blinking up at me through hooded eyes. “Don’t worry. He’s also young and foolish.” “Not as young as he was yesterday.” “Rían . . .” She drew me closer, grinding her soft center against me. “We can’t . . .” “No?” I urged my hips forward, answering her call. “Mmmm . . . I really should get up.” The room around us went hazy when she guided me into her heat. If the world ended right now, I’d go to my death with a smile on my face. “Off first, my love. Then up.” Despite all the books I’d read on physical intimacy, I’d been grossly unprepared for my first time with Leesha. Seeing as it was her first time as well, we’d found our