“How long have I been away?” he asks, staring straight ahead.
“More than two years.”
His chin dips, and hehmsthoughtfully. “My mother is well?”
“Last I heard. I’ve been gone for just as long as you have, minus a day.
“You look different,” he says, studying me.
“So do you.”
He stops in the middle of a grand hallway, turning to face me like he’s sizing up an enemy. “Your scars are still hideous.”
“Your personality still sucks. I’d rather be ugly on the outside than on the inside.”
His lips part in shock.
“Youaredifferent.” His gaze trails down my body, not that he can see much with Christabel’s cloak clutched around me. “Much changed, but for one…thing.”
He moves closer, forcing me to back up a step. Another. Kai leans in close. I register his familiar woodsy scent, but faint, along with the way cold rolls off his skin. His nose brushes my ear.
“What are you doing?”
“Smelling you.” He pulls back, satisfied. “Still untouched. I suppose no man would have you with all those scars.”
I gape at him.
“Did you just sniff me to determine whether I’m a virgin?” I squeak in horror.
“Her Majesty has gifted me with enhanced senses.”
“But no actual sense,” I retort acidly. “Never mind manners.”
Kai strides away without waiting to see whether I’ll follow. Not knowing where else to go, I trot after him.
“Bold words from a scullery maid,” he tosses over his shoulder. I catch those words like the sharp end of a knife. He’s never looked down on me or Nana for our work. He used to say that hard work was commendable. But that was a different Kai. This is not my friend. I’ve come all this way for nothing.
“You know what’s shameful? Turning up your nose at a feast. Throwing away perfectly good food. I’ve known more hunger in a single day than you’ve experienced in your entire life, Prince.”
I shove him between the shoulder blades. It’s like pushing a boulder. He doesn’t stumble. He keeps walking and barely glances back. I want to believe there was amusement written on his face, but it was so brief that I probably imagined it.
“Plus, I can cook a meal when I get hungry. Can you, Kai?” We both know he can’t. He turns to glare daggers at me, but his expression melts into passivity as his gaze glides over my head.
“Are you volunteering to cook us supper, Gwendolyn?” a silky female voice says from behind me. I whirl. I have no weapon. What would be the point? She has more magic in her pinky finger than I possess in my whole body. This entirecastle is her weapon. All I have is a cloak that can fend off her miniature foot soldiers.
“Sure.” I feign nonchalance. Jealousy curls like wildfire smoke through my blood. She’s exquisite with her sable hair, pale skin, and red lips. The delicate crown crafted of snowflakes and icicles suits her sharp fae beauty. I wouldn’t have held a candle to her loveliness even before she marred mine. Knowing that she’s taken everything from me yet remains agelessly stunning feels wrong on every level. Nothing about this is fair.
I’ll save Kai just to thwart her, out of pure spite. He certainly hasn’t done anything to deserve my help. But he didn’t deserve to be taken captive by this witch queen, either.
“Unwanted guests must work for their supper,” she says. “Kai, darling, come. We shall entertain ourselves while Gwendolyn makes herself at home in the kitchen, where she belongs.”
Her speech is slightly accented and spoken in a cloying purr. I wonder if this is how all fae speak, or if her unusual cadence is from having lived so many centuries and learned our language long ago.
“I’ll show her the way,” Kai says woodenly, that passive expression still on his face. He moves to the queen’s side. I’m loath to admit they make a stunning pair, but it’s true. Her icy beauty with his sharp handsomeness. I can easily imagine what people see when I stand beside him: a mismatched pair. I’m sure people wonder why a man like him ever tolerated the company of a woman like me.
I can’t let these thoughts sink me. I must see this through.
Kai bends to press a chaste kiss against the queen’s pale cheek. For some reason, this gesture shocks me more than anything. A stone of dismay sinks in my stomach. My face burns and I jerk my gaze to the floor.
