His wide eyes are all that betray his composure. He holds up his hands in casual surrender. “My apologies.”
With a violent sweep of her hand, the root burrows back into the ground.
He straightens his waistcoat and extends his arm. “To Selene Palace.”
Lorelei brushes past him. Before I can take a step, he faces me and folds into a graceful bow. I can’t tell if he’s mocking me. “Prince Franco at your service. And you are?”
“Evelyn,” I mutter through pursed lips.
“Evelyn. Is that your true—”
“Don’t even start.” With a scowl, I rush after Lorelei.
Prince Franco matches my pace, eyes burning into me. “I like you.”
“Excuse me?”
He smiles, revealing the tips of elongated canines. A vampire. “You smell like violence. That’s my preferred vintage.” With a nod of approval, he streams to the head of our small retinue and leads the way.
With a shudder, I force my trembling legs to keep moving.
15
Queen Nyxia is a sight to behold, as is the lush palace that surrounds her. Upon an obsidian throne, she sits with such confident authority, you’d think she’s the queen of the world. Walls of moonstone and opal make up the throne room while the ceiling ends in enormous domed glass, giving an open view of the sky above.
My eyes linger on this feature as Prince Franco leads us toward his sister. “You should see it at night,” he whispers in my ear.
I avert my gaze without a reply, focusing on the Lunar Queen instead. Lorelei and I drop into curtsies. As we straighten, Nyxia rises from her obsidian throne and steps down from the dais to approach us while Franco sprawls on an elegant chair at the base of the throne.
My eyes are locked on Nyxia, stunned by her eclectic clothing. At the council meeting, she wore a slim black suit. Now she wears dark silk trousers with a top that is somewhere between a jacket and a dress. The material is a blue so dark it’s almost black and shimmers indigo and violet when she moves. The collar is enormous, its stiff fabric lifting from the neck to frame her face at an angle. The front is cropped above her hips like a waistcoat, but the back is like an open-front skirt, trailing the ground behind her.
Like the first time I saw her, her short silvery hair is slicked back, and her smile reveals pointed canines. She assesses me from head to toe. “What an odd surprise. If it isn’t Miss Evelyn Fairfield.”
I force my words past my lips, hoping I can manage them without a stutter. “I come seeking your hospitality for a short period of time.”
“Now, what would King Aspen’s mate be doing seeking hospitality with me? Aren’t you his beloved champion?” Her voice is laced with sarcasm. “Then again, he sure is collecting his share of mates these days, isn’t he? I believe I’m supposed to witness yet another grand spectacle with a Chosen in a few days from now.”
My breath hitches and I find my throat stripped of words.
Fortunately, she doesn’t wait for a response, instead turning her attention to my companion. “And you, Lorelei. How wonderful to see you again. I didn’t realize we were on speaking terms. You hardly said a word to me at Bircharbor.” Her rosy lips pull into a pout.
Lorelei crosses her arms, throwing out all sense of formality. “Trust me, we wouldn’t be on speaking terms if I didn’t need to call in that favor you owe me.”
She lets out a trill of laughter. “I can’t believe you’re still upset about what happened at Summer Solstice.”
“Still upset? Solstice was less than four months ago.”
“A silly accident.”
Lorelei narrows her eyes at the queen. “You gave Malan traumatic nightmares. About me. She could hardly look at me for a week.”
Nyxia shrugs. “I don’t create the nightmares from nothing. They come from existing fears.”
“And you fed off hers.”
Another casual laugh. “I was jealous. You know how protective I am over you.”
“If you wanted to be so protective, you would have tried harder to keep me around in the first place.”
“If I recall, you were the one who ended things with me.”
Lorelei grinds her teeth. “And if I recall, you cheated on me. With seventeen other fae. At once.”
Nyxia waves her hands in a dismissive gesture. “It was Beltane.”
My cheeks grow warm, and I wish I could shrink on the spot. This is not the kind of conversation I feel like I should be present for.
Franco watches me through slitted lids, then slides lazily from his seat. Nyxia and Lorelei are still arguing by the time he makes it to my side. “Come. They’ll be at this for a while.”
Lorelei whirls toward us, eyes furious as they lock on Franco. “Don’t you dare take her anywhere.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Nyxia says. “Until I make a formal decision about whatever you’ve come here for, she’s under my protection. Franco can take her to the baths. Speaking of, you could use one yourself. Why don’t we get you out of those filthy clothes.”
Lorelei rounds on the queen. “Oh, that’s just so like you. Turn every serious topic into a seduction—”
“Told you. Come on.” Franco waves his hand forward. “I’ll take you to the moon baths.”
He starts toward the door, but I hesitate, eyes flashing from the prince to the arguing pair. With a sigh, I give in and follow Prince Franco.
The prince winks as I catch up to him. “Bet you didn’t know you were in for that treat.”
“Can’t say that I did,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry, they’ll cool off in an hour or so. Although, I doubt they’ll be making up in the same fashion as they used to.”
We continue down the moonstone halls in silence. My heart races with every step, both from the unfamiliar territory and my unsettling companion. I feel his eyes burning into me more often than not, and I wish he’d just keep his gaze to himself.
“So, you’re the Evelyn Fairfield I’ve heard so much about.”
I suppress an irritated grumble. “What exactly have you heard?”
“That you’re King Aspen’s mate.”
“I am.” The statement is a barbed defense against his unwelcome stare, but as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize their futility. I might be Aspen’s mate, but it means nothing now. Not when I’ll never see him again. Not when he’s about to marry another. “I mean, no. Not really.”
His lips quirk into a grin. “Not really. How interesting. Are you too proud to share him with his new Chosen? Or is it King Ustrin’s venom against you that has you running to Selene Palace?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“It might be, if you are to stay here for a time. Selene Palace is not just my sister’s home. It’s mine too.”
I keep my lips pressed tight as we continue through the palace. Finally, we come to an ornate sliding door. As the prince pushes it open, wafts of steam spiral into the hall. We enter, and I find three enormous pools inside the room. The ceiling is domed glass like the throne room, with that eerie light bathing everything in a dusky glow. The smell of jasmine and gardenia beckon from the calm waters.
Franco faces me. “Welcome to the moon baths. This is another place I recommend you come at night. I’ll keep this room private and have a servant bring fresh clothes. In the meantime, make yourself at home.” With that, he shudders and transforms into a black raven. I jump, hand to my pounding heart as I watch the raven prince fly into the hall.
Alone in the bathhouse, I stare at the pools. The size of the room and the vast sky above make me feel vulnerable. Even though I’m the only one here, I feel exposed, but the thought of cleanliness is too tempting to ignore.
Before I can change my mind, I hurry to peel off my filthy clothing. Luckily, my corset has been torn enough that I can remove it without aid. Then I slip beneath the soothing waters.
Once clean, I find my pile of clothes have been replaced with a thick towel and a dress in a light
weight shimmery fabric the color of fire opals. I pull the dress over my head, relieved to return to the freedom of fae clothing after the confines of my corset.
Unsure where to go now, I take a few hesitant steps past the sliding door and into the hall. Lorelei leans against the far wall, arms crossed. She appears to have gotten cleaned and changed as well, all blood and grime wiped from her brown skin, a long, silky, black dress clinging to her form. Her expression looks relieved when she sees me. “Oh good, Franco didn’t drown you.”
“You should be surprised I didn’t drown him.”
“True.” She gives me a halfhearted smile, then nods toward the other end of the hall. “Come. Nyxia has rooms for us so we can rest.”
I follow her eagerly, the word rest like a tantalizing prize. The bath was merely a precursor to what my body truly needs after everything it’s been through in the past twenty-four hours. But first, there are questions that need answers. “Did you explain my situation to the queen?”
Her expression darkens. “I did. She’ll provide you hospitality so long as you need.”
“You don’t seem happy about that.”
“I’m happy that we’ve found a safe place for you to stay.”
“But you aren’t happy that you have to see her because of it.”
“Exactly.”
“So...you and Nyxia?”
“Yeah,” she grumbles. “We were a thing. Two years. She wasn’t into settling down like I was. She was even less into seeing me move on to someone else. Hence her petty revenge on Malan.”
It’s hard for me to imagine my friend in a relationship with the domineering Nyxia. However, it’s clear Lorelei can hold her own against the queen.
“That’s why she owes me a favor,” Lorelei says. “I nearly tore her head off, queen or no, after what she did to my lover. Like I said, prepare yourself for some uncomfortable dreams while we’re here.”
“Will do.”
We come to a small room with walls of onyx and silver. The ceiling hosts not a dome but a glass window in the middle where faint light streams through. A bed with indigo velvet blankets beckons me from inside. Lorelei puts her hand on my arm. “You should get some rest. Do you…feel comfortable staying in this room alone? I can stay with you.”
I try to offer a reassuring smile. “No, Lorelei, I’ll be fine here by myself.”
“Very well. I’ll be in the room next door if you need anything.”
She slips down the hall, and I enter my room, legs nearly puddling to liquid as I head straight for the bed. My head hardly hits the pillow before sleep overtakes me.
The nightmares begin without warning. I’m trapped in the underground laboratory again, and Mr. Meeks stands over me with a knife, the gaping wound at his neck trailing blood down the front of his apron. He cuts into my arms, my legs, my skull. I scream, but my lips are sealed shut. Fire roars around us, but instead of strengthening me, it burns the flesh from my bones. Mr. Meeks doesn’t cease his operation, his knife digging into my very soul as flames char him from man to skeleton. The fire obscures my vision, but before it burns my eyes, I see the silhouette of a stag charging through the room.
Aspen.
I repeat the name like a soothing melody. The more I focus on it, the dimmer the terrifying visions become. Finally, the nightmare fades, blood and fire drifting to smoke as I follow the safety of the name. No longer is the dark lab surrounding me. Instead, a bridge spans before me, and I don’t hesitate before crossing. At the other end, I find myself in the dining room at Bircharbor Palace, the sound of waves falling upon my ears.
Aspen stands at the rail near the open expanse, back facing me as he stares out at the night sky. My heart leaps at the sight of him, at his messy hair, his towering antlers, the wrinkled waistcoat that tells me he hasn’t been sleeping well. Like before, a violet aura glows around him.
“Aspen.” I say the word out loud this time.
He whirls, freezing when he catches sight of me. For endless moments we do nothing but lock eyes. Then his swift stride carries him across the room. His hands frame my face as his lips press into mine. My body responds to his, arms wrapping around his waist, moving up his back. Our kisses are hard and urgent, as if fighting against the strain, that discrepancy between what our touch feels like and what it should feel like if this were real.
It’s the only thing that reminds me this is just a dream.
As if the realization comes to us both at once, our kisses slow. We separate our lips but our foreheads remain touching. “You’re all right,” Aspen whispers. “What happened to you?”
I swallow hard. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I wish you were really here.”
“I wish I was too.”
He pulls his head back, eyes swimming as they drink in mine. If only the evening light were brighter so I could better make out his beautiful eyes, the dark brown flecked with green, gold, and ruby. Eyes I should have done a better job at memorizing when I had the chance. His thumb trails over my bottom lip, then along my jaw. I take a hand from his back and place it over his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart beneath my palm. My breath hitches, eyes locked on his lips, ready to taste them again.
Before I can claim them, he speaks. “Where are you? I need to know you’re safe.”
“I’m safe. I’m—”
“Aspen.” The voice that shatters the moment grates on my ears with nauseating familiarity. Maddie Coleman strides into the dining room draped in a robe—one of my old robes. “I thought you might show me the selkies like you promised.”
Aspen stands at the rail again as if he never left it. Come to think of it, I can’t recall him leaving my side. One moment he was in my arms, the next he was gone. He’s no longer looking at me but at Maddie. His jaw is set, but I refuse to read more into his expression.
Because, of course, this is a dream. No. A nightmare. And if this nightmare is as visceral as my last, I can only imagine what I’ll be forced to witness next.
I take one last look at Aspen. His expression falters as his eyes meet mine before I close my eyes and try to remember where I am—where I really am.
The Lunar Court. The bed.
I jolt upright, blankets tangled in my limbs as I blink into moonlight. My head pounds. I look around the room, expecting a dark shadow to be hovering nearby, red eyes glowing as it drinks in my nightmare. But there’s nothing. No one.
I let out a shaking breath and shove the blankets off me, forcing away the dream-images that linger in my mind. As much as I enjoyed the part about Aspen, it’s Maddie’s smug expression that prevails. The vision of her wearing my robe and speaking to my mate with such familiarity sends a wave of burning rage through me.
I nearly let it consume me before I remind myself that Aspen isn’t my mate anymore. He’s about to be hers, and there’s nothing I can do about that. Not if I want Aspen to save the treaty.
With a grumble, I get out of the bed. There’s no getting back to sleep now.
16
I find a small wardrobe in the room filled with an assortment of clothing. From within, I retrieve a midnight-blue velvet robe embroidered with stars and crescent moons. My dress is slightly wrinkled from sleeping in it, so the robe should hide that as well as warm me from the slight chill in the air.
I open my door, expecting to find darkness and quiet in the hall outside. What I don’t anticipate is the bustle of activity that greets me. Dark has fallen over the hallway, but orbs of light that resemble moonlight hover along the walls. Fae float by in pairs and triplets, speaking animatedly. And I say float literally, as most of the fae appear to be sprites and specters, their bodies hovering above the ground like wisps of flame or smoke. Some are tiny, about as tall from the ground as my kneecap, while others are of average human height. A couple glance my way, but most are too distracted to pay me much heed. I can only guess they must be servants.
I scurry to the room next door and tap a light knock. “Lorelei.”
/>
A dark shape dives down from the opalescent beams of the ceiling, materializing as Prince Franco by my side. I lurch back. “Could you not do that?”
He leans lazily against the wall next to Lorelei’s door. “I wouldn’t wake her. She’s sleeping deeply, and it wasn’t easy for her to find restfulness.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugs. “I can sense her dreams.”
I bristle, wondering if he’s to blame for my uncomfortable nightmares. “Are you like your sister then?”
“Not exactly,” he says. “I’m not nearly as powerful.”
I pull my robe tighter around me, then cross my arms over my chest. “What is it you do then?”
“I can sense dreams and feed off their energy in a similar way that Nyxia can. But she can do more. She can enter another’s dream space, prompt fears and memories to the surface that she can use as nourishment. She can’t control the dream, but she can give the dreamer a nudge in the direction she’d like them to go.”
He flashes me a smile, revealing his pointed canines. It brings to mind a very specific concern I have yet to find clarity on, one I know I should handle with some delicacy. Which, of course, is not my specialty. “Is it always fear you and Nyxia feed off of?”
“Fear is one of the strongest emotions to use as nourishment as well as one of the easiest to elicit from another, but we feed off any emotion that offers an enticing taste.”
Perhaps I was too delicate. “Is there...anything else you feed on?”
He looks at me through slitted lids, the corners of his lips revealing his amusement. “I take it you’re hinting at something. Perhaps you should ask me directly.”
Heat flushes my cheeks. “Do you drink...blood?”
He smirks. “Depends whose blood and how tempting it is to taste it.”
Great. This is just great. It’s a struggle not to bring my hands up to cover my neck.
To Wear a Fae Crown (The Fair Isle Trilogy Book 2) Page 11
