fusspeach
Cursed by birth. Hunted by fate. Bound by the sea.
Cherub was never meant to exist. A half-fairy with no wings of her own, she crafted a pair from wood and twigs, lacing them with stolen magic-an illusion of belonging in a world that refuses to claim her. Cast out by the fae and feared by humans, she survives in the shadows, unwanted and unseen. Until a bounty is placed on her head, and every mercenary in the kingdom comes hunting.
Alessandro D'Amari was born to rule, but he would rather be lost at sea than chained to a throne. On the eve of his coronation, he vanishes, abandoning his royal title for a sailor's freedom. No crown. No kingdom. No expectations. Just the open waters and the promise of an untamed life.
When Cherub stows away on Alessandro's ship, she expects to find passage-not a runaway prince with his own secrets. Thrust together by fate, the two strike an uneasy bargain: safe harbor for her, an ally against the ones chasing him. But the sea is restless, and so is magic. Something ancient stirs beneath the waves, something that knows their names.
Because cursed blood calls to cursed blood.
And the tide always returns what it's owed.