2 Prologue

She laid across the chaise on the balcony patio. One leg tucked underneath the other. One hand clutching a book and the other tugging one of her royal purple braids. Her face neutral. Her eyes scanning the pages. A cup of tea and a plate of biscuits sat on the small table she'd pushed next to the couch. A view of the grey boulders leading up to the open sapphire ocean sprawled just outside the balcony. A cold salty breeze ruffled her pink sundress. Her espresso dark skin brightened to a glowing dark tea underneath the rays of white sunlight. Thin circular rose gold reading glasses glinted as she turned her head. He could stand there and enjoy the view for all time. But he had a mission to do. It wasn't her fault, he told himself. It wasn't his fault either, he reminded himself. It just had to be done. He placed his weight back on his feet and walked towards her. He grabbed an iron garden chair and placed it next to her chaise. She didn't pay no attention to him as she often did when she was reading.

"My love?" he called her.

"Hmm." She answered.

"Please notice me."

"Do you want attention?"

"Yes please."

She placed a string which served as a bookmark between the pages and closed the book. She put the book down on the table and shifted her weight until she faced him. She looked up at him. The sun hit directly across her face. His heart skipped when he beheld her beautiful almond eyes. Dark mahogany pupils with a ring of ebony surrounding it stared back at him. Big pouted maroon tinted lips curved into a small smile. A deep dimple on her cheeks appeared. She knew the effect she had on him. She was beautiful and she knew it.

Sometimes he hated the effect she had on him, it made him do stupid things for her yet he couldn't deny that her confidence in her beauty was what attracted him to her in the first place. An unappreciated beauty was what she was. Cheekbones started to define themselves, thick perfectly shaped eyebrows, thick curled lashes, almost clear glowing skin and perfect eyes. He'd never met anyone with such a strict skincare routine or such amazing genes. Her parents did an amazing job on her. He raised his hand and cupped one side of her face. Cold spread through his warm fingers as she leaned into his touch.

"My love, you're the most amazing woman I'd ever met." Her smile widened. " I care about you so much. And I would do anything to protect you and keep you from harm." He used his free hand to lift up her glasses.

He placed his other palm on the other side of her face. He leaned down to her and made her look into his eyes. Such sweetness and innocence sat on that face. A face that had seen no hardships and barely felt any pain. He'd keep her from such a tragedy.

"My love, you are to never fall into the trap of magic. No fae spell or curse or hex may harm you. No jinn magic shall ever seduce you. You are now and forever more immune to any means of magic. This I say, this shall it be." he recited his spell.

Her smile faded, her eyes lost its shine as the spell took place.

He pulled her face towards his and planted a soft kiss on her lips. His fingertips placed on the sides of her temples. A tingle of magic hummed underneath his skin as he placed the protective spell over her. Every magic had a marker that it had to be anchored to. He moved one hand down her spine and settled on a spot on her hips just slightly on her butt. There he placed the marker. A little tattoo of his initials in his language with a line through it. He knew she wouldn't dare look there. As much as she enjoyed showing off her body, that was the one place she'd always kept covered. She suffered a burn mark there when she was young and it left a nasty mark. She hated looking there even if the scar was lost to time. It was the perfect spot.

He pulled back from the kiss once the spell was intact and he worked out any loopholes. Her eyes fluttered upon, mouth agape and eyebrows furrowed in confusion. There was only so much a human wouldn't notice but using magic on them would shift something off in them. He placed a hand behind him and summoned up the gift he got her.

"Rem something just -" she sputtered.

"I got you a gift." he said quickly.

"Ooh presents." Her eyes went wide. An excited smile spread across her face, lighting it up again.

He showed her a

rectangular black box and placed it on his lap. He opened the box for her. She gasped. A silver necklace with a quartz gem dangling from the edge.

" You shouldn't have."

"I wanted to. I wanted to give the perfect gift to the perfect girl."

She turned around. He took the necklace from the box and unclasped it. "That's so cheesy." She said as he placed the necklace around her neck.

He fumbled around with the clasp. " You like calling me out on cheesy things." He released one hand and touched the necklace. A small spark jumped off his finger to the necklace. It clasped itself.

She turned around back to him. "That was honestly the lowest you've went since we met." She touched the amethyst gem in the middle of the silver chain. A blue light spread from the gem and surrounded her. He smiled when the extra protection charm activated.

"Thank you. It's adorable."

"Even with the cheesiness?"

"Yes."

"Promise me one thing."

"Of course."

"Never take the necklace off."

"But it doesn't match most of my outfits." she pouted.

He knew she'd say that. That's why he had the perfect solution. "It changes colour in water."

She grinned. She put her glasses back on. "Definitely not take this off then. How'd you get it? What kind of metal is this?" she brought the gem up to her eyes.

"Details don't matter."

"It does if I want matching earrings." she adjusted her glasses.

"I can get you matching earrings if you don't question where I got it." he groaned inwards. Now he had to find matching earrings. It's just as well, everything she had came in a set why not the earrings too.

"Diamond studs."

"It's not like you wear any other jewels." he commented. She touched the necklace and gave a little squeal. She loved it.

He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "On a serious note, please don't take it off."

" I won't."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

" I love you."

" I love you too."

He took her other hand and placed a kiss on her palm. She smiled and looked away.