Marina

Bonus Content

END

Hello again!

Thank you for reading Marina! I hope you enjoyed her love story with Caspian. This book is only the first of six other novellas I plan to publish independently.

The second "fairy tome" is called Orelia, and it's based on the story of Rumpelstiltskin. You can read the beta version of the first chapter below. If you'd like to know when this book will be out in your favorite stores, you can head over to the Facebook author page or use the attached link to join the mailing list. Thank you very much for your support! Happy reading!

Orelia

Chapter One

There were moments when she wished she was dreaming. That she could wake up and sigh in relief after realizing that what she'd seen or heard was all in her mind. Unfortunately, the landlord's frown was as real as the overdue debt on her hands.

Orelia gulped as she waited for the man to speak. She clutched the edge of the worn countertop. She could barely look at Mister Bailey as he counted the handful of coins she'd handed him for their rent... six months ago.

The landlord shook his balding head after summing up their payment. His wrinkles on his weathered face deepened as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I just can't give you any more extensions."

"How about until the end of the season?" she asked. "Please?"

Mister Bailey stayed silent as his eyes, framed by square glasses, roved over the shop she and her sister had made their own. Gleaming bottles of balms, oils, and elixirs populated the tall shelves they'd installed. Boxes of powders, herbs, and talismans had been stacked on several display tables in the middle of the room.

If the shop closed now, they would have nowhere to store their supplies, let alone sleep. Orelia hoped that their landlord would at least give them a week or two to figure out their living arrangements. It wasn't like they could go back to the orphanage at their age.

Mister Bailey finally sighed. He perched his glasses higher on his hooked nose. "The most I can do is until the end of the month."

Orelia's face brightened. The invisible vise around her chest seemed to ease its grip. Her fingers let go of the counter so she could turn to the woman sitting at the far end of the counter.

"We can work with that," she said. "Right, Sienna?"

Her sister was going through their account books, but that didn't mean she hadn't been listening in. Sienna had good ears and sharp senses. She could follow even the most complicated conversations if she wanted.

Her sister looked up from the accounts and shrugged. "If you say so."

That didn't put Orelia's mind at ease in any way. She turned back to Mister Bailey, who had begun to scoop their partial pay into a linen pouch. The coins tinkled and clanked as they settled at the very bottom of the bag.

"Remember, Orelia," their landlord said. "Lots of villagers have wanted to set up shop in this building for a while now."

"We're trying our best, Mister Bailey." Orelia rubbed the back of her neck. She was all too familiar with the competition among the village's local establishments.

Other shopkeepers often remarked on how lucky they were to have secured the place. After all, the building was located at the heart of the village, between the market district for produce and the boardwalk. Beyond that stood the cottages of people who worked on the fields or in the traveling caravans.