To Marry a Fae

TO MARRY A FAE MIRANDA BRIDGES To Marry a Fae by Miranda Bridges Copyright © 2023 Building Bridges Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locals is entirely coincidental. SERIES AVAILABLE Lords of Forbidden Fantasy To Kiss a Dragon To Marry a Fae To Tame a Wolf To Love a Vampire Brides for the Houses of Fate Sacrifice Surrender Shatter Rebellion Retribution The House of Kaimar The Commander’s Captive (on Audio) The Monarch’s Mate (on Audio) The Bodyguard’s Breeder (on Audio) The Legislator’s Lover (on Audio) The Healer’s Hellion (on Audio) Hearts of Stone Chosen by a Beast (on Audio) Tamed by a Beast (on Audio) Seduced by a Beast (on Audio) Taken by a Beast (on Audio) Loved by a Beast (on Audio) Elemental Mates Glacier (on Audio) Inferno (on Audio) Obsidian (on Audio) Tempest (on Audio) Zephyr (on Audio) Terra (on Audio) Amethyst (audio TBD) Delivering the Dirty Thirty Sensual Breeder Brides of Ancient Greece Daughter of Troy Den of the Fallen The Masquerade The Maverick The Marquess The Madam CONTENTS 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 To Kiss a Dragon Also by Miranda Bridges About Miranda CHAPTER 1 Sabine “If you want to piss me off, just tell me I can’t do something,” I say. Gil throws up his hands in frustration, his lopsided grin disappearing in an instant. “I’m not telling you can’t go into town. I’m simply advising you not to.” My best friend beseeches me with his gaze, the warmth of his brown eyes melting the frost around my heart. “I care about you and don’t want to see you hurt.” The word again is left unsaid. It floats in the air like a foul stench. I wrinkle my nose as memories of my last encounter surface in my mind. The villagers changed tactics that time, opting to use stones instead of throwing old fruit at me. The scar on my cheek is a constant reminder of their prejudice. And my fae heritage. Well, that, along with my slightly pointed ears, superior strength, and heightened senses. As if I could forget being a half-blood. A faeling. “Ling” meaning lesser. Lesser fae… or a greater human, depending on how you look at it. Taking a moment to rein in my anger, I brush away a patch of mud on my pants. It’s a losing battle. Bits of dirt from my time spent gardening cling to my clothes as well as my face and blonde hair, dimming its shine. I can’t avoid the filth any more than I can my parentage. “You’re right.” I sigh long and loud. “I just keep thinking that if I show up over and over, it’ll force them to deal with their narrow-minded attitudes and accept the fact that I’m a person. One who bleeds and feels like they do. It’s not as though I’m completely fae. My human mother was a pillar in this community before she met my father.” Whoever that bastard is. “May Willa rest in peace eternal,” Gil says. He bows his head, and his dark locks glide along his temples for a brief moment. “I think you overestimate the villagers’ willingness to change.” I lift my chin. “And I think you underestimate my tenacity.” “No, I don’t.” He steps up to me and runs his gaze over my face. It’s leisurely, a slow and steady perusal that unsettles me. “I’ve never doubted the fight in you, only your ability to win.” My eyes narrow. “Is that a challenge?” He exhales and scrubs his hand over his jaw. “I know better than to do that. You’d get yourself killed.” “I might be impulsive, but I’m not an idiot.” Hurt creeps along my chest and burrows inside my heart. “I want to stay alive more than I want to elevate everyone’s low opinion of me. It’s why I still live in the forest instead of in town.” Gil flicks his gaze to the small dwelling behind us, my home since birth. In a clearing surrounded by trees sits a modest, single-story house with a steep roof, designed to shed snow in the winter. The siding is made of rough-hewn logs, while the small windows are made of thick plank wood and covered in shutters. A trail of broken twigs and crushed leaves leads to the door. “I know,” he says. “I didn’t mean to be insulting.” “You were.” He nods. “I’m sorry, Sabine.” “It’s fine.” I shrug, portraying a nonchalance I don’t feel. If Gil were fae, he would’ve detected my lie. “You could spar with me by way of apology…” A gleam enters his eyes. “I thought you’d never ask.” I grin up at him. The only time we don’t engage in a skirmish is when it rains or I have chores to do, hence the constant appearance of grime on my clothes. “Shall we dance?” Several moments later, I’m twirling my staff merrily while Gil glares at me, his breathing labored. “Tired already?” I ask with a wink. “What were you saying about me losing?” He shakes his head, his smile from earlier reappearing. “Sometimes it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about being strategic and living to fight another day.”