She frowned, and Garrin’s gaze zeroed in on her lips, causing her stomach to flutter.
Damn prince and his Fae hotness. How was she supposed to keep a clear head when he looked at her like that?
Zirel cleared his throat, breaking the moment.
“Are you trying to flatter me?” she said. “You’ve already dragged me to this freezing place. What else do you want?”
Garrin let out a sigh. “This is not merely about your abilities and the initial reason we brought you here. It appears you have…returned to yourself. Physically, at the very least. Your powers may manifest more fully as well.”
“What does that mean, I’ve returned to myself?” Lex looked for a reflective surface.
“It means,” Zirel said, while Garrin peered away, seemingly unhappy about the situation, “your true nature has been hidden from the world. You are not only an incredibly attractive Fae, but your eyes glow in a way that is more than Fae.”
Lex let out a bark of laughter. What was wrong with them? “You both know better than anyone that I haven’t showered with more than one of Garrin’s ice loofas in months.” She pointed forcefully. “No one can match your looks, and certainly not me.Youstill smell good, which is just wrong. Men shouldn’t smell better than women.”
Both Fae turned abruptly to the door. “They will be here soon,” Zirel said.
And what was scarier? Lex heard the sound that had caught their attention too.
Others approached from a distance Lex shouldn’t be able to hear from, but she could.
“Go,” Garrin said to Zirel. “I’ll deal with the guards while you take Lex to my court. Her beauty will stand out, but it will also explain why I’ve brought her here. Tell them she is from the Land of Sun and that I’ve chosen her for my bride.”
“Your what?”Lex said. “I thought I was your girlfriend.”
“Intended, girlfriend, bride—it is one and the same. You must be more than one among my harem or my father will grow suspicious.”
Lex narrowed her eyes. “But I’m not your fiancée, and you can’t lie.”
“Whether or not the ceremony occurs is to be determined—therefore, it isn’t a lie.”
Lex started to speak, but Zirel picked her up bodily and swept her through a side door she hadn’t noticed.
He set her down abruptly, and the door closed behind them.
She dusted off invisible dirt in sharp movements. “Stop manhandling me.”
He shrugged.
She looked around the large, ornately decorated room that appeared to be something straight out of another century, the ceilings at least twenty feet in height. The walls were made of gold, or what appeared to be gold, with polished stones creating stunning mosaics, including the one on the ceiling. And not only images of the snowcapped mountains she’d been subjected to. The mosaics showed imagery of forests and green hills, and people pushing carts of food. And battle scenes. Grisly battle scenes were depicted on one of the walls, with beautiful men and women attacking each other using swords and magic-flecked hands. “What is up with this place? Garrin said we were going to a castle, but I’ve never seen pictures of castles that look like this.” She pointed to a prominent figure at the center of it all. “Is that…”
“The king,” Zirel said, and peered out a door. He lifted his arm and gestured for her to come closer. “They are waiting.”
The door Zirel stood beside was massive. Larger than any she’d ever seen. Then again, Fae were extremely tall, so tall doors probably came with the territory.
Lex had been called a giraffe back home because of her height. But her mother was tall, and Garrin and the others were even taller. She wasn’t a giraffe. She was simply Fae and built like one. Which, sadly, now made sense.
“I’m not ready. What if I panic in front of Garrin’s court?” She’d grown comfortable around Garrin and his men, but in front of an entire castle of Fae? Not likely.
Zirel sent her a gentle look. “You are not the same person you were at the beginning of this journey.”
She shook her head. “You say I look different and that my power level has changed, but I feel the same inside.”
“Who you are and who you will become is something to be discovered. But you will not succeed by hiding away.”
Damn Zirel and his wisdom. Lex closed her eyes and let out a breath. He was right, and it was super annoying.
With her chin held high, she passed over the threshold and walked into another massive interior room. Only this one was crowded.
