S. E. Wendel Sweetling

Nowhere is safe for a fae alone... For all his many days, Allarion has been faithful to queen and country. In their sparkling city on the sea, the fae live long lives of pleasure and luxury. But pretty things can be rotten at their core, and not all is as it seems. A betrayal at the heart of the fae court shatters Allarion's belief in all that he once held sacred. Now in hiding, he must make his own sanctuary in the human kingdom of Eirea. The dilapidated estate of Scarborough has been waiting for a chance, and he intends to breathe new life into the land. All he needs is the final anchor to his magic, the one thing that binds a fae to the earth more thoroughly than any spell or power. A mate. Obtaining the woman he wants will be easy. Keeping her is another matter. There is no denying a fae when he comes to your door... All her life, barmaid Molly hasn't had time for dreams or fancies or romance. From caring for her cousins to serving the patrons of her uncle's tavern, life has always been about earning her keep. That at least kept her safe. Or so she thought. She never imagined her uncle might sell her off to the mysterious patron who's haunted the tavern and Molly's dreams for months. Molly wants a family-not a kidnapping fae with no sense of humor, his terrifying, grumpy unicorn, and a sentient but malfunctioning house. But then, life has never been about what Molly wants-at least until her fae captor insists that's all he cares about... A fae in search of his queen, a woman hoping for a home-together they could build everything they dreamed; if human and fae alike don't tear them apart first.