Wilde Heart

Wilde Heart BOOK TWO IN THE FAE OF MANHATTAN SERIES EVIE MARCEAU Copyright © 2023 by Evie Marceau All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Cover Designer: Trif Design trifbookdesign.com Content Note: The Fae of Manhattan series is a paranormal romantic fantasy with sexually explicit scenes and adult language. 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 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Continue the Romance! Also By Evie Marceau Stay in Touch with Evie! Chapter One High above the bustling city, the rooftop garden that crowned Wilde Tower was a hidden jewel reserved for those with exclusive access—but standing at the railing amid the rose bushes, gazing out into the dying daylight, all I felt was alone. Manhattan stretched out below me in a maze of towering structures, eventually giving way to the glittering water of the Hudson. When I had first moved to New York City to study fine art, I’d been dazzled by the city. It offered everything my unpredictable on-the-road childhood hadn’t: stability, exhilarating possibilities, the promise that I could build a life of my own here. The artist in me had delighted in the city’s quirks and colorfulness—but I’d had no idea how truly magical it was. Not until I’d agreed to work for Severn Wilde. As the sun sank, a dusting of magical swirls circling the buildings caught the last rays. The twinkling mist wove between skyscrapers and the office workers and tourists who wandered through it, utterly oblivious. Had I really been like them once? My eyes wearing blinders so that I didn’t see the beautiful—and dangerous—hidden realm? But now I’ve ruined everything. I flinched as a pain twisted in my stomach. Pressing a hand to my side, my thoughts turned back to the terrible mistake I’d unknowingly made while trapped in the Bristol, the LA hotel that formed the seat of Black Ember’s Sun Court. Who the hell would think grapes would be so dangerous? Ever since I’d started working for Severn, I’d been warned by fae and werewolf and witches and even Severn’s wards, Henry and May, not to drink fae wine. And I hadn’t . . . at least not exactly. No one had told me fae grapes had the same effect. Now, a wave of dizziness overcame me, and I faltered, reaching for the handrail. I misjudged the distance and lost my balance, nearly toppling into the rose bushes when— “Hey! Easy there.” Zara hurried out of the elevator and managed to break my fall, sparing me from the thorns. That was Zara—a best friend who always knew how to keep me out of trouble. But not even she had managed to save me this time from the much larger problems I was facing. “Thanks,” I said as I straightened. I massaged my hand over my temple. Zara frowned. “You feeling okay?” “I was just dizzy for a second.” Her frown deepened. I sighed. “I’m okay, really.” The truth was, I wasn’t okay. All day, I’d felt like I was coming down with the flu. But I had no fever, no cough, or stuffy nose. My body was by all indications perfectly healthy. It was my soul that felt ill. Quietly, Zara said, “Severn says the Claim will only get worse and worse.” The Claim. That was what I’d gotten for stupidly eating a handful of fae grapes while imprisoned in Los Angeles. Now, my heart and soul insisted I belonged to Black Ember’s Sun Court, even though my body remained firmly rooted with Severn here in New York. “It’s not so bad,” I lied. Zara crossed her arms and leveled a hard look in my direction. “Bullshit. You look like you ate bad shrimp, and it’s only been a few days since you left LA. What happens a week from now? A month? If you don’t get back to the Sun Court, you’re going to wither away until you’re on your deathbed, probably insisting even then that it’s ‘not so bad.’” She made air quotes with her fingers. I gazed up at the darkening sky. Gray clouds were rolling in. Ever since I’d returned to New York, everything about the city had seemed grayer, bleaker. Despite my best efforts, some deep part of me craved scintillating glimpses of the Pacific Ocean and feeling warm sunlight on my face. I glanced back toward Wilde Tower’s glass windows, feeling apprehensive. “What else did Severn say?” “Well, he didn’t say anything for a while,” Zara admitted. “He only stormed around the apartment like a caged bull. Too furious with Black Ember to even speak. Finally, he started rattling out some curses in a language I don’t know. By the time he drifted back into English, he was vowing to chain the tower doors and keep you under lock and key. That man will go to the ends of the earth to protect you from the Sun Court, Willow.” I don’t know if I was comforted or alarmed by the thought. All fae were notoriously short-tempered, but Severn was even more prone than most to fits of rage, especially when my safety was involved. “He’s mad at me,” I said quietly. “At you? No. He knows you didn’t know what eating the Sun Court’s grapes would result in. Hell, that man could never do anything but worship the ground you walk on. I’ve never seen a fae, let alone a fae prince, so enamored by