Chapter One

THE WIND CARRIED THE SALTY mist of the ocean, and it kissed my cheeks like a silent welcome home. The melodic lap of the waves sang to me as a greeting, and among the push and pull of the tide came a whisper from the water.

You're home, Princess.

I'd had my eyes squeezed shut, sure I was dreaming, but at the faint voice, I opened them once more. The vast ocean remained before me, as well as the distant land mass in the middle of it. Everything looked relatively normal, but there were a few things that let me know this world wasn't the human one.

The sky, dusted in hues of pink and orange from the setting sun, gave the moon—the abnormally large moon—occupancy in the sky. The water was the clearest I'd ever seen, and even from several feet back on the shore, I could see clear through to the bottom at every angle. All was as I saw it when I had first stepped through the veil between the human world and this one.

Ambrolia, the realm of Fae.

The water nearest me beat against the sandy shore in an unnatural fashion, and as it rose high only to fall back down, I realized it was trying to get my attention.

Smiling softly, I approached with my hand held out to it. "I'm home."

The water lifted up out of the waves to swarm my outstretched hand. The warmth of the water spread through my limbs, and it calmed me to my very core, which I appreciated considering I was freaking the fuck out.

I'd just walked through a glittering hole in the air and stepped out into a whole new realm. Even though I'd experienced enough in the last few months that proved magic and Fae were real, it still hit me with the weight of a freight train when I saw new evidence of this world of which I was a part.

Rune came up beside me, slipping his strong arm around my waist. He pulled me close to his side and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You should see how beautiful you look right now."

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I beamed up at him. With the Ambrolia sky behind him, he looked every bit as handsome as some fantasy prince in a novel. His black-and-white fox ears stood proudly amid his white hair, and his fluffy fox tail dragged in the sand behind him. He slipped his arm from my waist to take hold of my hand with his clawed one. As soon as he smiled down at me, I felt grounded. He was here with me, the man I loved with every fiber of my being. I wasn't alone. We'd tackle this new world together.

"The water is clearly happy to see you," Dallas laughed.

Her fiery red hair entered my peripheral as she took her place on the other side of me. Her green eyes scanned the waters and distant land. The rest of the Water Fae present—members of my personal guard—stood with Dallas, and they all looked out at the water with distant, almost somber expressions.

Dallas swallowed hard and mumbled, "I can't believe we're actually back. It's … It's surreal to be here."

"I know what you mean," Akira said.

He and the rest of Rune's and my friends gathered by the edge of the shore. Akira looked at the ocean, while Ardley, Bassel, Avana, Marlow, and the others spun to take in the trees and trails leading away from the sea a good distance behind us.

"Why is the moon so big here?" Greshim, one of Rune's little brothers, questioned. His fox ears twitched excitedly.

"Because," Alvaro answered with a warm smile. He gazed down at Greshim and his twin, Newt, holding their clawed hands tightly. "It has to be large enough to make room for all the Lunar Fae who live there."

"That m-m-makes sense," Newt said with a nod.

Looking over at Alvaro, I asked, "Have they not been to Ambrolia before?"

The fierce looking man shook his head, his black fox ears twitching slightly. "They have not."

"No one comes here anymore," Rune added.

My eyes went wide. "Why not? This is everyone's home, isn't it?"

"It hasn't been safe to return to Ambrolia for decades," Avana, the dark beauty with an iridescent shine to her Chameleon Fae skin, explained.

"That's why Land and Water Fae have lived in the human world for so long," Rune started. "Here, war became normal and expected. In the human realm, it's harder to get away with killing each other because humans talk. They ask questions. If a Fae is killed or winds up missing, human involvement becomes inevitable, which risks Fae exposure. Living amongst humans helps keep Fae safe from most attacks."

"Key word being most ," Bassel mumbled, his liger tail flicking angrily.

Carlos, Bassel's partner with whom he'd just reunited, leaned in and squeezed him reassuringly.

Bassel glanced at me. "If you lived in a community made up of Fae and few or no humans, you were more likely to be a target."

I immediately knew that was what happened to him based on the brief explanation Akira had once given me of Bassel's life in the human world. Bassel had lived in a small town in Egypt with other Land Fae, and one day, Water Fae invaded, taking his home. His life had been uprooted, and ever since then, there had been a part of him that was left broken inside, craving the home he'd lost.

Feeling even more determined to achieve our goal, I held my head high. "Let's make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else."

Bassel's lips lifted ever so slightly at the corners. "Let's do it, Princess."

The title was another reminder of who I was and the long, trying road ahead of me. If I had been asked months ago where I'd see myself come November, it definitely wouldn't have been leading an entire kingdom full of magical, shape-shifting people on a journey toward reconciliation and healing as their Princess. Sometimes, I felt like this was all a dream, and any minute, I'd wake up to find myself snuggled up in my twin-sized bed back in my college dorm room.

"How about we get you to the palace now?" Dallas asked, shaking off the somber mood with a clap of her hands.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Palace. Right."

I turned to make my way into the forest, but Dallas quickly grabbed my arm to stop me. Chuckling, she said, "Where are you going?"

I paused and glanced over my shoulder at the trees. "I—I don't know. I just assumed the palace was that way."

"We're Water Fae, Bria," Imani, one of my newest friends and head of the Water Fae army, teased with a smirk. "So where do you think we live?"

My eyes went wide as I realized what she was implying. I pointed a disbelieving finger at the sea and gasped, "The water? We live in the water?"

"Yes!" Dallas squealed before falling reserved. "Well, not in the water. Not anymore anyway, but that's a story for another day." She grabbed my shoulders and gestured to the distant island once more. " That's where we live. Morardia. We live on the water."

The news shocked and thrilled me. Right there, across the glittering waves, was our island. I swallowed hard.

Home .

Since I was adopted, I'd always had a fascination with the idea of home and family and what those things looked like for me. My adoptive parents, Wendy and Greg Ashmoore, were extremely kind people who provided in all the necessary ways, but I'd still always had this void dwelling within the deepest parts of my heart. I had questions without answers and fantasies of unknown faces belonging to my real mom and dad. To now be separated from those answers by mere rippling waters left me eager and restless.

Scanning the shore and finding no dock, boat, or any other means of transportation, I asked, "How do we get there?"

"There are two ways to get to the island," Dallas said. "I'll let you choose. Above or below?"

My brow furrowed at the nonsensical question. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Dallas started, gesturing at the sea again. "We can get there by traveling beneath the water, or we can go on top of it. Those who can breathe underwater swim, and those who can't walk along the sea floor in a bubble. If we go on top, we essentially ride on an ice boat."

The air was free of any chill, and the water held no sign of ice. The ice boat didn't seem to be feasible with the warm conditions, but I was too locked onto something else she'd said to point that out.

Dumbfounded, I looked from her to the water and back at her again. "We can breathe and swim through the water?"

"Some of us can," Imani clarified.

"And some of us can't," Rance said. "It's an ability that's becoming rarer and rarer."

I glanced over my shoulder at the Land Fae gathered beside me. I really wanted to go underwater, but as soon as I saw my friend's ashen faces and wide eyes, I realized that was a big ask of them. Walking beneath the water in a bubble that could collapse and drown all of them? I'd probably be against it, too, if I wasn't Water Fae. The only one who looked unfazed by the idea was Rune. His golden eyes merely held mine with a confidence that spoke volumes. He trusted me to decide. He was willing to follow me wherever I chose to go, even if that meant to the deepest depths of the sea.

Turning back to Dallas, I said, "I think it's probably best to get there on top of the water. Less scary for the non-Water Fae."

Dallas shrugged. "Fair enough." She straightened, holding her shoulders back, and raised her hands out toward the water. The waves in our vicinity instantly froze to create a platform within the water. Dallas looked at Rune and his friends, waving a hand at the ice. "All aboard."

Slowly, the group stepped onto the thick, solid platform. Even with the constant rocking of the waves, it somehow stayed level. I assumed that had to do with Dallas and her control of the water. It was that control that I envied and hoped to one day master. I craved that bond with the water, one so strong that it knew what I needed before I even had a chance to voice it.

I looked back at the crystal-clear water, and a warmth started to build inside my chest, spreading down my arms to my fingertips and over my legs, down to my toes. The water was reaching out to me, and if I wanted to learn and form that bond, I needed to start listening. So while everyone else boarded the makeshift raft, I closed my eyes and tuned in to the soft lullaby that whistled within the white caps.

Come.

Trust me.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to do exactly that. I trusted the whispers, as well as the pull of my heart, and I stepped forward, leaving the shore behind. Only instead of sinking through the water to the sand below the surface, I stepped onto something solid. Looking down, I saw my reflection glittering in the water with my feet firmly placed above the waves. Excitement flurried in my chest as I took another step, just a bit further into the deeper shores, and once again, instead of sinking, I met solid footing. Beaming with awe, I held my head high and started my trek toward home, walking on water.

"Woah," Ardley called from the platform, which floated near me.

My friends aboard watched me with the same kind of wonder that, no doubt, filled my own eyes.

"When did you learn to do that?" Ardley asked.

"Just now," I said with a breathless laugh. "The water told me to trust it, so I did."

Rune beamed at me with pride. "It's because you're a badass."

"Just like her mom," Dallas added with her own grin.

Some Water Fae had joined Rune and the others on the platform. Dallas and Rance propelled and steered the ice toward the island. Other Water Fae walked behind me, and I could see some swimming beneath the surface. All of it had me practically vibrating with excitement. I was ready to see more.

More of this world.

More of what everyone could do.

More of what I could do.

There were suddenly so many possibilities in front of me, and for the first time since deciding that I would lead Water Fae on this path of peace, I truly believed it. I could do this.

And it started with home.