by Bekah Harris
“This is not the mortal realm, and the rules here are different,” Lochlan snapped. “The princess belongs to her people. If you are going to stay here with her, that fact must always be present in your mind.”
Noted.
Jules crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed beside Ivy. She pushed her hair away from her face. Ivy blinked up at her, smiling.
“Jules, Julie, Juliet,” she slurred. “There are three of you, but I only know one.”
Jules couldn’t help it. She laughed, clucking her tongue. “Ivy Hawthorne. I never thought the day would come that I’d see you toasted. But you, girlfriend, are completely smashed.”
“Not helping, Jules,” Bear said.
A few seconds later, two of the short, strange creatures Jules had seen when they’d first entered the Winter Court rushed into the room and began shooing Bear and Lochlan out the door.
“The queen has ordered that we take care of the princess and put her to bed,” the first one said. “Her Majesty has dismissed the guests and has requested to be left alone until morning. Barrett, Queen Lyric has ordered you stand guard tonight since you know Mistress Juliet.”
Mistress Juliet? It was all she could do to suppress laughter.
Bear nodded, but before he followed Lochlan out the door, he gestured to Jules.
“Say nothing about the mark until she is sober enough to hear it. She’s going to feel like death from the Fae wine before all this is over. She won’t be in any condition to hear anything until then.”
Jules nodded her promise and then turned back toward Ivy. The two ladies were undressing her, leaving her in only her bra and panties, before they pulled the silky sheets over her and cut off the light.
“I’m Madra, and this is Nareena,” the strange woman said. “We’re Her Majesty’s head Brownies. If you need anything, or if the Princess takes ill during the night, you can call us by pulling the string on the far end of the wall. Our rooms are directly beneath hers, and the bell will ring there.”
Jules nodded, and the two Brownies hurried out the door leaving her alone in the darkness with her best friend. Her best friend who was now a princess in a strange land, drunk for the first time ever and shamed by her betrothed. If this wasn’t the perfect time to need a best friend, Jules didn’t know what was.
But what kind of a best friend would Jules be now that she had to spy on her?
Filled with sudden sympathy that made her want to cry and simultaneously scratch Ardan’s eyeballs out of his skull, Jules crawled in bed beside Ivy and cuddled in next to her. There had to be a way around it. She would simply have to figure it out.
Ivy needed her now more than ever.
Chapter Thirteen
Lyric stormed out of the ballroom after dismissing her guests—two hours before the revelry was scheduled to end. She marched down the hallway toward the royal rooms, seething with anger. The Unseelie Prince’s transgressions would not go unpunished. She wouldn’t allow it.
Prince Ardan knew better. He had been trained since he was three-years-old, educated about the customs, practices, and traditions of the Winter Court. The other Winter Fae were at liberty to behave as they chose, but the royals were always held to a higher standard. They acted with grace and dignity in all circumstances.
Ardan knew Ivy had not tasted Fae wine or danced to their music because Lyric had sent a full report to King Odhran once Ivy had been located. Either the Unseelie King had failed to inform Ardan of two extremely important details of his son’s courtship with Ivy or Ardan had just lied to her face without so much as a shiver. Lyric suspected the latter.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”
“What is it?” Lyric whirled around to face Callum, Lochlan’s lieutenant.
With a grim expression, he handed her a folded piece of paper bearing the seal of the Winter Court. What now? With a sigh, she tore the letter open.
Only it wasn’t a letter at all. It was a report.
Four of her guards were dead.
Alena was nowhere to be found.
And the human girl Prince Ardan had just delivered like a gift had been spotted by Spraff, her lead messenger, unlocking Alena’s cell with the Imperial Key.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Lyric unleashed a series of half-crazed laughs. There was no way a human girl could have gained access to the key, infiltrated the Winter dungeons, taken out four guards, and then released Alena.
“The Unseelie Prince must think me some sort of brainless imbecile,” she raved.
Callum stood with perfect posture, as unmoving as one of her ice sculptures, knowing better than to interrupt or offer alternative theories.
“Clearly, he’s cloaked himself to make it look as if a human girl—and my daughter’s best friend, of all people—singlehandedly took out members of the royal guard all so my sister could escape?”
She looked at Callum then, who nodded in agreement. “It does seem far-fetched, Your Majesty.”
Just ahead, Lochlan’s footsteps echoed against the marble floor as he rushed toward her from Ivy’s room.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
Lyric handed him the report, watching the lines of his face harden as he read.
“You’ve met this human girl,” Lyric said. “Is she capable of counteracting Winter magic and overpowering my guards?”
Lochlan shook his head. “This reeks of the Unseelies. Odrhan and Alena have shared a bed for decades.”
“Precisely,” Lyric said. “Get me Slaine and Teagan. I will speak to them at once about this. Nothing happens where their mother is involved without them knowing about it. It wouldn’t surprise me if those two little devils had planned the entire thing.”
Callum cleared his throat.
“Alena’s daughters are gone,” he said.
“What do you mean they’re gone? I just saw Slaine at the revelry, pawing at Barrett as if he were a mouse. I didn’t give them my blessing to leave.”
“Lochlan sent me to follow Slaine after the display just before tonight’s events transpired. I followed her as far as the West Tower but then lost sight of her. When I checked your nieces’ room, it was empty.”
Lyric inhaled audibly. “Then, her behavior was a distraction to allow Teagan access to the portals.” She dismissed the issue with a wave. “Fine. Bring Violet to me. She was the only one who would have known where to find the Imperial Key.”
Callum lowered his eyes. “Mistress Violet is gone, as well.”
A dagger to the heart would have held less of a sting. Violet had been involved? Alena had used the hurt Violet felt over learning the truth about her humanity and used it against Lyric without hesitation.
“Damn my sister,” Lyric shouted. “She’s disappeared right in front of my face, and I know Odrhan and Ardan and Violet or perhaps all of them are involved.”
She looked at Callum. “You will deliver a message to the Unseelie King. His son must be punished for tonight’s appalling behavior with Princess Ivy, and he will be questioned about his involvement with Alena’s escape first thing in the morning. And send a team to find Violet. She belongs in Winter or in the mortal realm. Nowhere else.”
Callum dipped into a deep bow. “Yes, My Queen. I will leave immediately.”
As Callum hurried into the opposite direction, Lyric turned to Lochlan, staring into his gorgeous face. “Is Ivy going to be alright?”
He smiled. “When the hangover wears off and she remembers what happened, she’ll be mortified. You stopped their dance before their behavior became truly scandalous. Winter magic is stronger than its ever been, and your people owe that to Princess Ivy. All this will blow over in a few days.”
Lyric leaned into him. She was exhausted.
What game was Alena playing? And what would be next? Lyric had suspected her sister would try to escape somehow, but she never dreamed she would go so far as to kidnap a human girl and get Violet involved.
That meant she was desperate. Alena would make her final p
lay soon enough. And Lyric would have to be ready.
Chapter Fourteen
Bear needed to stab something.
What, he didn’t know.
And yet, he did.
What he wanted was to plunge his blade deep into Ardan’s chest, but since the Unseelie prince wasn’t there, the only other option were the walls and floors outside Ivy’s door. Which would only make things worse for him. If he destroyed the queen’s castle, she would probably dismiss him, and then he’d be a solitary Fae—which might not be so bad other than the fact that he’d never see Ivy again.
When Lochlan had carried her into the room, her head thrown back limply, Bear had feared the worst. But when he realized she was drunk and that Prince Ardan had taken advantage of her condition rather than taking care of her, a hatred sharper than any blade seared through him, cauterizing the wound that bled every time the prince touched Ivy. One day, if the opportunity ever presented itself, he would get even with Prince Ardan for ever hurting Ivy’s reputation when it was his to protect.
The ungrateful, spoiled bastard.
Footsteps ahead caught his attention. When he saw the dark hair and eyes, Bear immediately drew his blade.
“It’s Padraic, not Ardan,” a voice said. “You don’t have to pull a dagger on me. I come in peace.”
Bear put the blade back in its sheath but kept his hand on its hilt. “Your Highness, how can I help you?”
It killed Bear to treat the brother of such an entitled rake with respect, but then again, the Crown Prince of the Unseelie Realm had never done anything to him personally. Perhaps it was unfair to brand him guilty by association.
“I saw what happened in the ballroom tonight and wanted to check in on Princess Ivy,” he said. “Is she well?”
“She’s going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow, but I’m sure she’ll recover.”
Bear gave him an even stare, cutting himself off before he could insult Padraic’s brother.
“No thanks to my brother, I’m sure,” Padraic said. “Queen Lyric has already requested an audience with my father tomorrow. Ardan will certainly be punished. We all saw. The Princess was visibly drunk, and he invited her to dance because he knew the music would intensify it. And then, with what followed…Well, my brother was out of line.”
Bear gave him an even stare, trying to control the rage he felt. And then, with what followed… Translation: Ardan had kissed Ivy or gotten handsy with her on the dance floor. Maybe both. Either way, he had behaved inappropriately at a formal Winter revelry.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Your Highness?” Bear asked. He couldn’t imagine why Prince Padraic was lurking around the Winter Court, talking to a lowly guard about Ivy, someone he had no reason to ask about other than his brother’s association. It was beneath a royal to personally check in on someone. They had “people” for that.
“I was wondering if Miss Juliet made it back safely,” Padraic said.
“Jules?” Bear was too tired to hide his surprise. Why would Padraic possibly be interested in the welfare of a mortal?
Padraic raised his brows expectantly, as if he were hoping Bear would go get her so that he could see her or speak with her. After everything Jules had been through tonight, hell had a much better chance of freezing over before Bear ever let Jules get any more mixed up with the Unseelies than she already had.
“Jules is inside with Ivy,” he said. “They are both sleeping after what could best be described as a traumatic day.”
“My brother didn’t harm Miss Juliet, though?”
Again, Bear examined Padraic with what was surely a confused expression. He was the Crown Prince of the Unseelie Realm. And he was asking about Jules?
“Why, exactly, are you so concerned, Your Grace?”
Padraic raised his chin, his brows furrowing as if he were turning the possibilities over in his mind, grasping for answers. .
“I can’t explain it,” Padraic answered. “I find Miss Juliet…intriguing. She stood up to my brother without a shred of fear or reverence. The way I see it, someone like that—human or Fae—is worth knowing.”
Bear huffed. Padraic’s relationship with Ardan was strained at best. It always had been. They had been born only eighteen months apart and had always been more competitors than brothers. But maybe, just maybe, if Padraic thought it would piss Ardan off, he would undo the curse Ardan had placed on her. He decided to take a chance and answer.
“Well, whether or not Prince Ardan hurt Jules really depends on your definition of harm. If, by harm, you mean did he physically hurt her, then no. But, if by harm, you mean marking her with an Iron Cross to ensure she doesn’t break whatever deal they struck, then I would say yes. Yes, Prince Ardan harmed her.”
Prince Padraic’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, but otherwise, his expression was a completely controlled mask of indifference.
“I see,” he replied.
“Well, I can assure you that no more harm will come to her here,” Bear said. “If I might be so bold, why do you care, Your Highness?”
Padraic wrinkled his brows, again, shaking his head as if in deep thought. Then, he turned away and walked back down the hall until he blended with the shadows.
Hours later, Bear went on high alert when he heard a loud thud from within Ivy’s bedroom. Not hesitating for a second, he burst through the door to find Ivy crawling across the floor, moaning, as Jules tried unsuccessfully to help her to her feet.
“I think she’s going to puke,” Jules said.
Bear rushed through the darkness.
“Ring Madra,” he snapped at Jules, who cast him a dirty look before rushing toward the far wall.
Trying to ignore the fact that Ivy was dressed only in her bra and underwear, he scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom.
“Bear?” she whispered. Her voice was weak, helpless, and it had the effect of a needle stabbing him right through the soul.
“I’ve got you,” he said. “Shhh.”
“My head,” she whispered. “My head hurts so bad.”
“I know, he said. “I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been there plenty of times.”
He lowered her to the floor and held her up as she balanced over the toilet on wobbly elbows.
“Trust me, you’ll feel better once you throw up,” Bear said.
And it was true. Fae wine had gotten the best of him more times that he cared to admit before his tolerance built up enough to keep him from embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“What do you have to be sorry about?” Bear asked. Still holding on to her, he smoothed her hair away from her clammy forehead with his free hand and pulled her close.
“Because I—because Ardan—”
But before she could get the words out, she lurched forward, depositing the Fae wine—and everything she’d eaten that day—into the porcelain bowl.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered. “Please, Bear, don’t leave me.”
“Madra will be on her way,” he said. “She’ll make me go. I’ll catch it from her for even being in here right now, but I’ll be right outside. I’ll always be right outside.”
“But it’s not fair,” she said weakly, “it’s just not—”
Fair.
He knew the words she was going to say before she was overcome again with violent heaves courtesy of Queen Lyric’s finest Fae wine brought out only on special occasions. Before either of them could say anything more, Jules rushed into the bathroom, rifling through the cabinets until she found a washcloth. She scooted to the floor on Ivy’s other side and wiped her face and mouth.
Bear rose from the floor, hoping to escape before Madra caught him beside the half-naked princess, but he just wasn’t that lucky. He nearly ran into her when he exited the bathroom door, trying to ignore her frantic screeching has he made for the hallway. Lochlan would probably have to write him up in the morning, but he had been doing his job. He had been taking care of his
Princess, which was something he would do for as long as he lived.
Chapter Fifteen
Padraic stormed into his father’s study, prepared to unleash his fury about Ardan’s continued disobedience, but as soon as he burst through the doors, he froze in place. Perched atop his father’s desk was Alena, the Winter Queen’s sister.
Who was supposed to be rotting in the depths of the Winter prison.
Behind her, talking in violent whispers were Ardan and Father.
“I take it you received Queen Lyric’s request for a formal audience?” Padraic said.
King Odrhan turned to Padraic, lumbering toward him in three long strides. “Where were you? You were supposed to keep an eye on your brother. Now I have to deal with Queen Lyric, and I make it a point never to deal with Queen Lyric unless absolutely necessary.”
Padraic didn’t bother concealing his frustrated huff. “What did you want me to do, Father? How was I supposed to know he would bring a human girl to the Winter Court on a leash? How was I supposed to know he would shame his princess in front of her people? You have to admit, it’s not exactly the type of behavior one would ever expect from a royal who is an invited guest of another realm, is it?”
But their father was no longer listening.
“What human?” He turned to Ardan then, who was leaning against the wall and pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“The human was my doing,” Alena chimed in.
Padraic turned on her. “Aren’t you supposed to be spending the rest of your life in the Ice Queen’s dungeons?”
Alena’s mouth spread into the serpentine smile he had always loathed. If she had never slithered her way into Odhran’s bedroom, his father might actually be a decent king.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Ardan brought the girl in to free me from the dungeons. Ardan cloaked himself and Violet so it will look like the human set me free. She is but a pawn in our little game and shall be rendered useless before long.”
