I scowl at him. “You have a problem. I can’t believe you did that. Did you know this is my very first piece of mail? They don’t deliver post in Neutral Territory. My very first piece of mail in my life, and you opened it.” I turn in my seat to face him, which perks him up through his penitent expression. He straightens, as if I’m readying to forgive him for everything, including this latest crime. “Lexi, you are a very stupid boy if you think that I’m going to marry you and let you decide every little thing. You are not in charge of what mail I get or who I tell my story to. You are in charge of being a good man, and that is all. Good men don’t take control that doesn’t belong to them.”
He nods. “I’m going to be in charge of a kingdom, Lily. I’ll make decisions for other people all day every day. So will you. I’m new at this, and very bad at it.” He takes a chance and places his hand on mine.
“I’m not your subject. I’m…” I want to tell him I’m his wife, but I’ve never seen fae men value their women’s voices all that much. I want to be more to him than someone concerned with only appearances. “I’m your Lily-girl. Your partner.”
His eyes close, looking pained at the use of my nickname. “You’re right.”
“So instead of controlling me, focus on the things around you that need changing, so I don’t need this much protection. And I’ve got news for you; I’ve been handling my past by myself this entire time without you, and I came out the other end just fine.”
“You certainly did. And I had nothing to do with that. It was all you. My help sometimes isn’t all that helpful.”
I push him one further. “Your ‘help’ is sometimes another word for ‘control,’ and it stops today.”
He nods, and something about the firmness in his jaw makes me believe he really is sorry, and he really will try to get better at this. “Today,” he vows.
I touch his cheek because I’ve missed him so very much. I’ve wanted to be near him, even when I’ve wanted to push him away. He’s going to try, and I’m going to be patient while he learns how to have a partner in this.
Lexi kisses my fingertips, and I realize how much more I want from him. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted his tongue, too long since I’ve felt myself relax in his arms. “I’m still mad,” I admit.
“In your defense, I was very, very stupid. Twice, now.”
My eyes glint at the letter in my other hand. “My father wrote me a letter.”
“He did.”
I close my eyes. “I’m not sure I want to read it.”
Lexi stiffens but doesn’t release my hand. “I suppose that’s your prerogative. I can respect your decision.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “Good answer. You passed the test. Maybe you’re not so stupid after all.”
He grins, as if I’ve just told him he’s handsome. “Let me take you to the waterfalls tomorrow. The ones we used to collect pinecones near. Just us. I haven’t been with you in so long.”
“You’re with me now. You’ve been by my side all day!”
“You know what I mean. I just got you back where you’ll actually look at me. I want more of this.”
“Okay.” I stretch the fabric again with a huff of frustration. “I can’t wear this for the announcement. I have to change. The seamstress is going to be upset about all the creases in my dress. She counts them, you know.”
“She does not. A fae seamstress would never be so very vain.”
It’s a well-timed joke, and draws out my smile.
“You should congratulate me for being such a gentleman all day. I can see clear through your slip of a dress, as can every other man in the territory, yet I haven’t made an unsavory pass at you, and haven’t murdered the men who’ve stared at your nipples while you waved.”
My cheeks heat up. “The seamstress promised it wasn’t see-through.”
“A fae who lies? Well, I never. The scandal of it all.” He chuckles, finally relaxing in his seat. “She designed it that way on purpose to make sure every man can see how lucky I am, and every woman knows how beautiful you are, so they don’t fool themselves into thinking they have a chance with me. It’s really a compliment, wrapped in a lie. Don’t be too hard on Dulcinea. She means well.”
His arm finds its way around me, and though the trust between us isn’t quite there for all the things it should be, I decide to give up on my frustrations for the moment and relax into his side. “When are we going to tell your parents and the territory that I’m already married to Des?”
“I suppose that’s the sort of thing the four of us should agree on, and I shouldn’t go off-book.”
I gasp. “He can be taught!”
Lexi chuckles, kissing my naked shoulder. “I know you sneaked into Des’ room last night.”
I tuck a loose curl behind my ear. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“With me. You couldn’t sleep with me.”
I shrug, not willing to apologize for it. “I was back in your room before anyone else woke. No one saw me.”
Lexi sighs. “Luckily, the notion of a vampire and a fae hooking up is about as foreign to everyone as an elephant mating with a mosquito, so they don’t suspect anything. Still, I think it’s best we all make a plan about this, since we’re on speaking terms now.”
“Stop saying the right thing just so I’ll kiss you. It’s not going to work.”
His lips travel to the thin strap of my dress, and I can feel him grinning against my skin. “Pity. What do you say about this scrap of fabric here? It’s barely creased at all. One might assume we’re not on the verge of marriage with how unruffled you look.” His hand runs down my side just as the carriage comes to a halt.
I lift my chin. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ve only just barely forgiven you.”
Then Lexi does something so startling, I can feel my blush creeping clear down my entire body. He takes my strap in his teeth and drags it down my shoulder.
“Wicked prince,” I scold him quietly.
He kisses my bare skin, sending heat and shivers through me simultaneously. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”
He slides it right back into place as quickly as it fell when the carriage door opens. Lexi’s dark chuckle tells me he’s very much through with sleeping alone.
I expect the driver to be the one who greets us in the twilight, but the smile that welcomes me when I step out of the carriage is the dazzling grin of King Ronin—Des’ great-grandfather, and one of my few friends in the world. “Hello, darling. Did you miss me?”
10
Fae on the Floor
Destino
King Ronin’s never spoken to me this much in the span of an entire month, yet when Lily’s around, he’s simply popping with conversation. He comes to life around her. It doesn’t help that the fae are complete perverts, and the seamstress dressed my wife yet again in a completely sheer white dress that’s silkier than anything I’ve ever touched. I don’t like that she’s so relaxed around Great-grandfather, that he makes her laugh, that he’s always the first to offer her his arm. It’s the first time outside our bedroom that she’s been calm enough to smile naturally, instead of accessing that awful false grin she wears for Alex’s parents.
It’s not jealousy, because there’s no flirt in her voice for King Ronin. I don’t know what it is, but it rubs me the wrong way.
Alex is glued to her other side, as he should be. This is his hometown, and she’s going to marry him. Next month. She’s going to marry him next month. Our plan is actually going to happen. The territories are one step closer to uniting, whether they know it’s coming or not. Whether they like it or not.
“Dinner is served, your majesties,” one of the servants announces to us, drawing us from the receiving room into the dining room.
I sit beside King Ronin, because that’s what’s expected. Keep the vampires and shifters on one side of the table to make sure no one gets too close for the delicate fae’s comfort. I do my best not to steal glances at Lily’s
breasts, but honestly, they’re so beautifully displayed through the thin material, my fingers ache to stroke the taut peaks. She slept coiled around me in nothing but my shirt and a lacy scrap of underwear last night, and I loved it. She said she wanted to sleep in my shirt because she wanted to smell like me. Said just my scent made her feel safe. If there are other things that make a man feel like he can lift a house off the ground, I don’t know if any are better than a shy compliment like that.
Salem looks around, and it’s then I realize we’re one seat short. It’s the first time he’s been a man in days, and I’ll admit, it’s nice to be able to talk to my best friend.
Alex stands. “Sorry, Salem. I’ll go get you a chair, brother.”
King Fairbucks snaps his fingers and points to the floor where the missing chair should be. “Don’t trouble yourself. The shifter can eat off the floor, as he no doubt prefers.”
Alex hisses his disapproval, and I keep my mouth shut, as I’m supposed to do. We all handle our own parents. That’s the deal.
Lily’s unaware of the deal, apparently, because her expression goes cold as she fixes the king with a stony glare. “He’s a man, not a dog. Here, Salem. Take my chair.”
Then before anyone can stop her, she marches around the table and plops down on the floor near the end of the table on Ronin’s other side. The “lesser than fae” side. The fine material isn’t made for sitting on floors, but Lily ignores that, as well as Queen Kloe’s shriek of disapproval. “There’s no need for you to sit on the floor!”
“Why?” Lily protests. “Is there something demeaning about a person eating off the floor? Is that what we do to each other in this house? To fellow royalty?”
King Fairbucks has the gall to roll his eyes. “Do save your youthful ideals for someone with more patience than I have. King Ronin, have you ever heard such foolishness?”
The look he shoots my great-grandfather is filled with a warning. King Ronin doesn’t like shifters any more than the next fae or vamp, but he’s not as disrespectful as the fae can be. It’s a testament to how much power Lily truly does hold when Great-grandfather doesn’t brush her off with an aloof comment, but instead nods thoughtfully. “Lily makes a valid point. I think our ways of doing things might be outdated, and in need of thorough reconsideration. Actually,” he says as he stands. “Here, Prince Salem. Have my seat, Son.”
Son. It’s a thing he’s started calling Alex and me, and now Salem. I like it, I think, but it’s such a stark contrast from having to call my great-grandfather by his proper title most of his life. It’s only when Lily came around that anyone’s ever dared drop the “king” when addressing him. I’m not quite there yet.
Alex and I also stand, offering him our chairs.
Salem’s head snaps in King Ronin’s direction. I’m not sure if he’s more shocked that the king is offering him his seat, or if being called “son” for the first time in over a decade by anyone throws him more. He doesn’t do well with a spotlight, so instead he trots around to Lily’s side and drops down. “What did I tell ye about never being on your knees again?”
“You matter,” Lily says with such ferocity through clenched teeth that my insides shake. “I can go along with everything else, but this is disgusting. I won’t laugh at a joke made at your expense. I can’t play nice about something this cruel. I don’t care how much you hate me.”
Salem’s eyebrows shoot toward his hairline. “What? I don’t hate ye.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. The fact that you don’t like me near you doesn’t change me. I change me, not stupid social rules, not old prejudices. Me. And I’ve decided not to be a ruler who sits above her peers, so don’t try to take this away from me.”
It’s clear to me where she’s coming from, though Salem looks like he has no clue. He avoids touching her, being too close, because I know he’s one bat of an eyelash away from devouring her whole, so incredible is his love for her. How I wish they would stop being so skittish and let themselves relax around each other.
Salem’s voice has a gentle note to its gruff nature. “S’alright, Lily. It doesn’t bother me. This is just how the fae are.”
“I’m fae,” she protests as he stands, lifting her off the floor in a fluid motion. “I live here now, right?” She looks around to meet Alex’s eyes to confirm.
Alex nods. “Of course you do. This is your home, Lily-girl.”
Her eyes sweep from Queen Kloe to King Fairbucks. “Then in my home, I’d like my friends treated with respect. I can’t imagine such well-bred fae as yourselves would take issue with that.” It’s a compliment wrapped in a threat. If there’s ever any doubt she’s fae, that seals it. It’s impossible to watch her stand up to monarchs and be unimpressed.
King Fairbucks dons a simpering smile. “Of course we can be civil. What do you take us for, mongrels? And I know that you’ll be just as magnanimous when the General comes to dinners, smiling and sitting beside him and whatnot.”
King Ronin stiffens beside me, and it’s then I realize no one has caught him up on the details—large or invisibly small. “Do refresh my memory. Is there a problem Lily’s having with General Klein? She’s only been here a week. Surely there haven’t been any unpleasantries already.”
King Fairbucks flicks his wrist. “It’s a sad tale. General Klein had a daughter years ago, as you know, who we assumed died from the vampire attack in her classroom when she was eight years old. Only the girl merely appeared dead, and was listed among the deceased by mistake. She underwent a shock of some sort—you know how delicate females can be—and wandered into Jacoba, where she was attacked by a shifter.” I’m sick to my stomach when King Fairbucks motions to his cheek. “That’s how she became disfigured. She was so traumatized by watching her classmates come to ruin that she completely forgot who she was and wandered into Neutral Territory, where she’s been living ever since. My Alexavier rescued her, and discovered she was none other than Lilya Klein—his childhood friend. He was quite taken with her, despite her deformity.”
I cringe at his words, my fists clenched at my sides.
Queen Kloe gestures with her martini in her hand, spilling a few drops on the white tablecloth. “And there you have it. Our son is engaged to be married next month. We couldn’t be happier to have Lilya as our daughter. Long live the Fairbucks rule.”
“Quiet, Kloe,” King Fairbucks chides in a snap of coldness that spreads an awkward silence through the room.
King Ronin’s tongue slowly sweeps over his top row of teeth when he takes in Lily’s deadened eyes and gaunt complexion. He may not understand which parts of the story are a deception, but he reads her well enough to spot a drowning woman, suffocating under the weight of a fae-spun lie.
It’s all I can do to keep myself under control, and I’ve known about the stupid lie we’re going to have to help sell for a few days now. I watch the deception crash over King Ronin. He doesn’t allow it to mess with his posture or composure. It’s… It’s remarkable, actually. I need to learn that skill. I’m three breaths away from choking King Fairbucks out in front of his family.
When Great-grandfather finally speaks, his voice is composed. “My, what a happy ending. Your father must be so pleased you’re back. What’s the General’s reaction been to the news? If it was my child I’d been parted from, I can’t imagine letting her out of my sight for a moment.”
King Fairbucks bats his hand with a relaxed smile. “Oh, General Klein is overjoyed. Anxious to see her.”
“He is?” King Ronin lets out a light laugh meant for needling. He plays the game of the fae well. “He can’t be too anxious to be with his daughter if he’s not here. How unruly is your land if the General can’t have an evening off to spend with his long-lost daughter?”
King Fairbucks’ eyes narrow, though his smile doesn’t fade. “They haven’t actually been reunited yet. We’re saving that for the festival tomorrow night. I suppose since you’ve come by, you should tag along so you can see the grand reunion fir
sthand. We’ll have them greet each other for the first time on the stage, and then Alexavier will announce his engagement to Lilya. It’ll be splendid.”
King Ronin’s eyes flick to Lily. “I see. How overjoyed you must be.”
“Overjoyed,” she echoes, deadpanned. She says the right words, but she doesn’t hold back her true terror from King Ronin, which shines in her eyes when she looks up at him. No doubt he sees that she has no qualms murdering attackers with a silver dagger, but the mere prospect of a conversation with her father has her checking the exits.
Salem angles his body so his shoulder is bracing her from behind—support and strength should she need it. I move toward them, standing on her other side so she knows we’re in this together. No one can see my hand except Salem, so I run my knuckle down her spine to remind her that if the General wants to get at her again, he’ll have to go through us.
King Ronin touches his lips as he takes in the tenor of the room. “Everyone will take a seat now. I’ve no need for one.” He motions for Salem to take his spot, and we all obey. Great-grandfather has that way about him. He has little patience for fae games. “I’ll be in the receiving room. Alexavier, I have a gift for you and your future bride I’d be delighted to give you after you finish dining. I was going to wait until later, but you really should have it before the big festival. A token of generosity from the vampires to the fae on this joyous occasion. Do stop by when you’re done. Excuse me.”
There’s a hint just subtle enough for us to catch that old King Ronin’s hatching a plan.
“That is your future daughter-in-law, I hope you know,” Alex says in a low voice the moment King Ronin leaves. He points at Lily, whom all this controversy has been about, but she hasn’t said much about it all. Perhaps she’s learning that having a voice doesn’t actually mean getting to use it. Alex motions to us. “And those are my best friends. Since everything about you is faked, I should think you’d be able to spot the real thing when it’s staring you in the face. Your ways of ruling are small-minded. My rule will not be small. My wife will not feel unsafe in her own home. My brother will not eat off the floor.” He moves to stand in front of us, his arm reaching around behind him to grip Lily’s hip. She leans into his spine and closes her eyes.
Wicked Prince: Book Two in the Territorial Mates Series Page 7
