Cursed. She was cursed.

Till now, she'd only said it in a broad sense. But how far did this curse extend?

Wyrn entered and she hid the paper behind her back. Eventually, she tossed it onto the bed and hurried to clean what she could of the room.

Unsurprisingly, Wyrn joined her, picking the broken vase up.

"It was childish," Vadde said, pensive.

"No matter. You can come to my room. In fact, we'll likely get a house built now that we're official." She stood and he looked up at her, his smile shaky. "You really don't mind being married to a—?"

He sounded like a person drowning. Even the shape of his mouth distorted.

The more and more she tried, the less calm she felt.

Finally, she settled on one thing. She'd give up. If she was cursed, would it affect Wyrn?

She could barely admit to him why she'd been given away.

Her woeful expression had him holding her face. "What's wrong?"

Those blue eyes on her stole most of her resolve. What was wrong? Nothing that he was to be blamed for. But if she didn't stop moping, he'd misread her reaction. They'd just spent the night together; he'd observe everything about her for the entire day.

Turning her face to press her lips to his palm, she kissed his hand.

He smiled.

Now a couple, they exited the room to everyone's undivided attention.

Wyrn hated that response the most. By the doorway, he'd set down a basket. Now, with everyone staring, he hesitated to pick it up. Vadde was different. She caught sight of Shaza's frown, and it fueled her smile as she picked up the basket and caught Wyrn's hand as she walked out of the yard with her head held high.

Vadde's husband wasn't as cooperative. "I should do the chores first."

But his chores involved feeding livestock. He'd—he'd surely smell.

Vadde watched, helpless as Wyrn made his way toward the pigs first. It went without saying that one pair of eyes was on her, and they were. Shaza's smirk took time maturing but it came.

A body ran past her, and Bonn reached Wyrn in time to snatch the bucket up before he could touch it.

"No worries, Brother, I'll do this." Bonn nodded back toward Vadde. "You two have fun."

Face crimson, Wyrn cleared his throat and said, "I'll, I'll milk the cow—"

Another brother joined Bonn, offering his help. Then another. By the final one, Wyrn's discomfort won out.

Vadde bit her lips inward to keep from laughing at Wyrn's grim expression. He snatched the basket from her, forcing her to grin as he dragged her instead.

"It's not funny." Wyrn grumbled, "They'll misunderstand."

He walked strong but flinched when she struck his backside. Now with the entire morning free, they walked further up river to avoid meeting anyone. It was Vadde's first time in this area of the valley.

Wyrn stepped into the water with his boots but forced her to hold the basket as he picked her up and carried her across.

"Are you sure we can make it? You can just let me walk," she complained.

"Need I...." He kept his grip sure as he planted his feet. "Remind you...." With one final grunt, he leapt to the other side of the riverbank. "Of the rabbit?"

Vadde fought to get down, sincerely cross. "You...."

She barely set foot on the soft grass before he snatched the basket and ran.

His movements made her stand and take notice. He wasn't a fast runner, though he wasn't as slow as she expected. When she gave chase, she was sure to keep from overtaking him.

They slowed to a walk by the time they came to a clearing.

Further upstream, a raggedy path caught her eye. "What's that?"

Wyrn held out the sheet to let the wind take it up before he pulled it down again.

"I don't have to look; I know it's the path you're referring to." He sat, pulling her down with him. "The most dangerous place here as it brings you into the enchanted forest."

His words made her smile. "Enchanted? So, there's magic inside?"

He scoffed. "You're married to a~~ yet you wonder if there's magic inside?"

Until now, Vadde might have argued it. Yes, magic was real, but many facts about magic were myths. If not for this word she couldn't hear, she may have believed that.

He wore that worried look again as he watched her, so she scooted closer to him. They rested side by side, staring at one another. His look of joy made her feel full.

"You look like you're glowing," he observed.

She reached out to stroke his face, running her finger down to his chin. "I'm just thinking about how good you felt."

His body warmed. The reaction was so quick that she chuckled.

"You mustn't say such things." He sat up and reached for the basket and she caught his arm.

For some time, he refused to acknowledge her. Finally, he removed her hand and kissed it as he went to work rummaging through their breakfast.

"You're going to enjoy these. They are only made on special occasions. It's by luck they were there."

Vadde slipped from his grip and rested on her side, watching him. "We both know the special occasion," she teased.

Teasing his shyness was quickly becoming an addictive habit.

He looked down at her. "Don't you want to eat?"

She honestly didn't. Instead, she held his knee. "Come lie down with me."

With a hold of her hand, he complied. Vadde liked seeing him. In this moment, she didn't think of her curse or what it might mean.

She didn't have much time to when a blue and red body flashed before her eyes.

Fairies.

The red one lay midair with her legs up, the blue holding her by the thighs as he thrust into her. Now and then they'd pause, switch positions where the blue rested his groin on his lover's mouth while pressing his lips between her legs as well.

Vadde's face burned hot, an observation Wyrn made.

"Are you feeling ill?"

That wasn't the feeling that was coming to Vadde.

"Oh, look at them," the red fairy said before popping the blue member back into her mouth. She pulled it from her lips yet again, circling the knob with her tongue as she pumped the blue shaft. "It's no fun if they won't join us."

The blue one came up for air and shrugged. "Told you you were wrong about them."

But at they spoke, a tentative hand held Vadde's waist. Vadde blinked herself awake and focused solely on the curious expression before her.

"If—" Wyrn began but Vadde lunged forward and caught him in a kiss.

Her action had the fairies taking flight higher. They laughed shortly after and turned to observe them.

"Oh, good," the blue fairy drawled, "I hadn't gotten a good view of their insertion yesterday. This is a fine chance. Come."

Whatever they were doing, Vadde blocked them out. It worked because she heard nothing beyond the gentle smacks of Wyrn's lips meeting hers.

"Husband?"

Wyrn stifled a laugh. "Yes, wife?"

He tasted sweet. "When you talk of fairies...is there something that...that attracts them? Is it luck? Or...or bad luck?"

Though their lips were still pressed together, Wyrn stopped moving. His response to her attempt at another kiss was to pull back and stare into her eyes.

Silence stretched between them for so long Vadde feared he'd realized...that she was cursed.

"Wyrn?"

He shot into a sitting position and she followed. He held her face with his right hand and guided her chin this way and that, fear in his eyes.

"What—what is it?"

Whatever he found, he was satisfied enough to calm. It was the look in his gaze that punctuated his serious words.

"Fairies are a bit dull. Extreme emotion takes them over. When they get into a rage, sometimes they can never leave it...for years. That's why wars with them are so devastating—they don't let up. But they are also difficult to provoke. Some say they can't feel much.... But they're drawn to one thing."

Vadde felt proud that she could contribute even this one word, "Love—"

"Affection. It's addictive and it's hard for them to generate it on their own so they follow it with others. But you must listen to me, and it's something that you must never forget. A woman touched by a fairy is ruined."

That one word sounded so offensive from his otherwise gentle tone.

"It's something in the magic," Wyrn explained. "A male Fae will condition not just a female fairy, but any female who takes his interest physically. But she can feel only pain with someone else, Fae or otherwise. As such, the absolute worst thing a fairy can do is bed our women."

Vadde's brows knitted. "Are you saying...?"

"If you cross one, it's one of the things it can do to you. They'll kill you if you're lucky. I beg you, please never consider the Fae for anything. Ever."

The tenderness of his voice offset his words of conviction.

He worried for her, and she felt the tangible danger.

She was sure to hold his hands and assure him, "I follow your lead. Always."

Instead of continuing on their intimate course, he lingered in her presence for a good while. Finally, he kissed her forehead then her nose, and then, her mouth.

His warm hand held her knee. More than once it inched down then back again.

Vadde whispered between the kisses, "Go on."

The next hesitation was brief as he slipped his hand between her legs.

"You put nothing on," he panted.

She slid her hand into his trousers. "I was hopeful."

By midday, despite them sharing one another more than once, she didn't have to admit she was unwanted. Her in-laws made that fact known for her.

They held hands as they strolled to the house to eat and his father and Aggu met them at the door.

"We have to talk," his father said, eyes settling on Vadde. The words to leave his mouth came with a disgusted scowl. "We have no use for princesses."