Free Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series) by Cheri Schmidt

will it help us against the pixies and werewolves?” Does it work like the fairies’ healing juice? she wondered as Ethan downed what they’d just brought to him.
    “This is only part of what will help you,” said Alora.
    When she realized Ethan was already reaching for a slice of the big cake she sank back into her chair and considered the tart she was still holding. With a shrug of her shoulders, she popped it into her mouth. She didn’t feel energy surge through her body like she had with the fairy juice. The flavors of crust and a burst of berry filled her mouth, and that was all. “Hmm,” Danielle murmured now reaching for a little bowl full of mixed fruit that had been drizzled with a pink sauce of some kind.

Chapter 5
    Fairy-Dusted Retreat
     
    While Ethan and the others continued to eat, the fairies fluttered away from the table one by one, like butterflies alighting from hydrangea blooms. As their tables were vacated, the tiny furniture vanished as though they’d returned to whatever place the fairies had conjured them from.
    It wasn’t long after they’d left, that their music for the evening rose from miniature instruments. Ethan looked over at the ring and watched as the wee sprites began their dance with a procession of fairies that started high above the forest floor and spiraled down to the enchanted ring of mushrooms.
    Moonlight slanted into the scene from above. The music increased in volume and he could just pick out the ones with twig-like flutes pressed to their mouths. They produced a sound that was so organic one couldn’t resist its pull. Ethan frowned. They’d danced with the fairies before, but tonight the music sounded different to him somehow and he couldn’t fathom why.
    Mentally shrugging his shoulders at that, he returned his attention to his food. They’d dined at the table for probably an hour or more and he was growing quite full, even painfully so. This food had just been so incredibly irresistible. He took one more little cake even though he knew there would be a physical price to pay for his gluttony. This was the last one, he promised himself, as the delectable morsel dissolved against his tongue like a spoonful of honey.
    The cares that troubled his soul had lifted away as he’d entered this place earlier today. While he would never admit aloud how much he liked the fairies—because that would be a girly thing to confess—he could admit to himself that he loved it here and secretly wished they’d come back more often than they had. After this feast, he decided they would come back frequently from now on.
    It seemed there were no adverse side effects to consuming food tainted with fey magic. It’s true that he felt slightly ... what was the word? He wouldn’t say drunk exactly, because he didn’t feel out of control like that. He didn’t feel muddled either, but ... perhaps the word he was looking for was charmed. And healed, he thought, as his hand slid beneath the table and dropped to his knee. That felt even better than it had before he’d been dropped by the pixies and the juice had been the only thing where he could feel the magic work within his body.
    His gaze swung to Danielle who was licking her fingers clean of something purple and sticky-looking. Clearly she had completely forgotten her upset from earlier. The look of pleasure that curled her mouth into a contented smile told him that. He mentally thanked Alora and the other fairies for the small gift as he vowed to offer his gratitude in person later. She still wore her shirt instead of having it tied around her waist and he was grateful for that too. Ethan didn’t know how much longer he could restrain the streak of violent jealously within him when he’s caught Casanova noticing how snuggly her T-shirt hugged her fully-bloomed body.
    Making a visual pass over the table, his eyes landed on the guards. It seemed they were finished eating as well. The two who irritated him the most, Casanova and