“The Unseelie Court,” Raiden adds, crossing his arms. “This here is the crown prince, and I’m his personal guard. Zaria here works for me, keeping tabs on the staff.”
“Personal guard? And here I thought we had been best friends since we were boys,” Maxon says, smirking at his friend.
Raiden’s wings flare outward slightly as he chuckles. “Yes, but my duty comes first. Your protection comes first.”
“Good to know,” Maxon replies, clearly amused.
“Only one guard?” I question.
Raiden’s eyes quickly meet mine, but Maxon answers before he can. “I don’t need a guard. I just keep him around for my amusement.”
Raiden scoffs.
Nix grins wickedly, her eyes glinting with excitement. “You should witness the prince in action. No one would dare lay a finger on him.”
Raiden stares at me, a serious expression crossing his face once more. I feel like his silver eyes are searching, trying to uncover my secrets. It makes me antsy and on edge. He is making me feel guilty for something I haven’t even done.
“I don’t know why I’m here, or how I got here, okay? So, stop looking at me like that.”
Raiden grunts and turns his back on me to say something to Zaria. My eyes trace over the edges of his wings. They look so much like bat wings. I wonder if he can actually fly, if they’d hold his massive weight . . .
“Don’t worry about him. He’s just being cautious.” Maxon approaches me.
My pulse jumps as he draws nearer, and I rest my hand on my chest.
“Can you really stop the queen from throwing me in the dungeons?” I ask.
Maxon’s eyes harden, his jaw tensing. “You won’t be going to the dungeons.”
My mind flickers back to the unseelie part of the conversation, and I can’t shake the dizzying sensation. Am I with the bad Fae? Unseelie is bad, right?
I stare at Maxon, the crown prince. He doesn’t seem all that bad. I look at the others. None of them do. But looks can be deceiving. I don’t know any of them, so who am I to say if they are good or bad? My internal monologue berates me for my lack of knowledge, causing me to feel even more incompetent.
“What do you mean by Seelie and Unseelie?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“The Fae realm is divided into two main courts. Seelie, who reign over the vibrant Summer and Spring courts. Then there is us. The Unseelie who hold their power within the Autumn and Winter courts. You know, amidst the crackling of frozen twigs and the howling of winter winds,” Nix sharp teeth show as she grins.
Clearly, she’s waiting for my reaction. I roll my eyes and gesture out the open doors to the garden.
“It doesn’t look that bad. The forest was filled with wildflowers.”
“Yes, I noticed that,” Raiden hums. “We rarely get flowers, our foliage more wavering between green, browns, and oranges.”
“Skora is in the heart of the Autumn court,” Maxon explains.
Tucking some hair behind my ear, I bite my bottom lip in contemplation.
“Just ask,” Zaria chuckles.
I peek over at her and ask. “Aren’t Unseelie bad?”
Nix guffaws, and Zaria presses her lips together to hold in her smile. I peer at Raiden, and he appears confused, while Maxon rubs his chin with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Oh, we can be bad,” he replies, his voice teasing.
Oh my god, that look has my stomach dipping violently. He is pure temptation, all wrapped up in sexy. Put a bow on him, and I’d unwrap him in a second.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts before I turn bright red. Zaria clears her throat and Maxon blinks, running a hand through his hair, a smirk tugging at his lips.
