Khortland chuckles again, tapping the microphone on the podium.
“Welcome, and thank you for attending,” he says warmly.
Emrys has heard of Khortland Hale. Seventh in line for the throne of Zeneith, none of the responsibility of Heir, with all the perks of being Prince. Rumors constantly fly about the Prince. His just shy of white hair matches that of all his siblings, andtheir father, but his dark eyes under dark eyebrows echo the King. Khortland is almost the spitting image of Vitus Hale.
The Hales are said to be the strongest ice Fae line in existence. Emrys doesn’t know if this is true; he doesn’t pay much heed to Fae whispers. Being seventh in line means Khortland is almost the weakest of his eight siblings, but he is still much more powerful than the average Fae. With a Paramyr-bond to Aerin that magic would only increase.
Emrys doesn’t know if they should trust the Prince, but he is Aerin’s Paramyr. At least they have leverage over him after witnessing his covert affair with a Human of all creatures.
“Please, everyone, welcome Princess of Valtara, Aerin Tolvare.” The group applauds, and more photos are taken. Aerin waves demurely, and Emrys’s lip twitches.
Since Aerin freed him from Elara, Emrys has learned a lot about the Princess. The longer he’s with her, the more he realizes the days they spent together beyond the wall are the freest she’s ever been. The moments in which Aerin is not putting on a show seem to be far and few. She is almost constantly suppressing things to manipulate those around her. Even Malice. Even Emrys himself.
Emrys doesn’t know how to feel about this, but harbors a deep longing for Aerin to be free of it all.
“The Princess has arrived in Zeneith on my behest. For many years now I have been hard at work on a project, and I am finally ready to show my work to the world,” Khortland lies. “As a show of my enamor for the Princess and my dedication to the alliance forged between Zeneith and Valtara, I would like to present the first of its kind: a Wolf without magic.” Khortland waves towards Emrys.
The crowd holds silent on bated breath while Emrys, flanked by the guards, steps out from the shadows. Gasps echo;photographs snap. Prickles of shame run over Emrys, but he holds his head high, wills his eyes to be dull and lifeless.
“Through years of breeding and training, I have been able to isolate the form of the Wolf separate from the magic that drives the pack. The result is an obedient companion and protector. This particular Wolf is trained to obey the Princess almost exclusively.” Emrys stops at the podium, on the other side of Khortland. The Fae turns to Aerin, taking her hands in his.
“As a symbol of my devotion, please accept this gift,” Khortland finishes.
“Oh Khortland,” Aerin feigns, putting her hand on his chest but keeping her eyes on Emrys. “Thank you! He’s glorious.” Aerin brushes past the Prince and brings herself to eye level with Emrys. He holds still, determined to play his part. Aerin takes his head in her hands, and the crowd once again gasps. More photographs are snapped. When Aerin wraps Emrys in a hug even more flashes go off. Aerin gives Emrys a meaningful look, one meant just for him, before standing again.
“So, he’ll obey me?” Aerin asks, spinning back toward Khortland, like a kid in a candy store. Ever the actress. Khortland nods.
“Please, give the crowd a demonstration.” Khortland waves his hand like a showman. Emrys swallows a mouthful of spit. He hates every second of this. He glances to Malice who also looks disgusted. At least Emrys isn’t alone.
Aerin gives him a small smile before pointing at a Royal Guard down the line. “Defend.”
Immediately snarling, Emrys bares his teeth and stalks towards the guard Aerin indicated. It’s easy to channel his negative feelings about this entire charade into anger.
The guard goes white. The crowd gasps. Emrys makes slow strides towards his target, his growl echoing through the space. The guard starts shaking as Emrys gets closer.
“Don’t worry,” Khortland assures, “he will only attack on command.”
Aerin lets Emrys get inches from the guard who is now visibly sweating, just a lowly Fae with minimal magic. He would be no match for Emrys in this form, pulling from the deep well of Aerin’s Pack magic for his size and strength.
The sound of Aerin clearing her throat causes Emrys to still. “Come,” she calls. Emrys immediately straightens and trots with a wagging tail to her side. “Sit,” she commands. Emrys sits beside her, looking out to the crowd. More photos are taken. Aerin scratches his ear and Emrys leans into her touch.
“See,” Khortland says, smug. “Perfectly safe. Come Princess, let us eat.” Khortland gestures behind him. The guards fall into line, flanking the two Royals as the doors to the Royal Village swing open. Some royal representative thanks the crowd for attending. Emrys swallows the negative emotions and follows his Alpha.
37
AERIN
The Zeneith Royal Village has an old feel to it—pristine and polished, yet aged. Particularly compared to the abundance of technology and magic Aerin is used to in Valtara. Malice is in the next room, while Emrys sits on the edge of the tub behind her, in his Fae form. Aerin curls her hair in one of the many bathrooms in Khortland’s wing.
The day was long, full of acting. Acting at the tube station. Acting in front of Khortland. Acting at that heinous press conference. And now, they are getting ready to head out into the nightlife for even more. Feeding the press and feeding her father. Making certain no one suspects they are doing anything in Zeneith but celebrating summertime and being young, in the reckless and careless way Aerin is known for.
The truth is they have a lot to get done apart from the acting. There are still too many questions, and Aerin hopes the creatures in the North will be more forthcoming than those in her home city. And perhaps more knowledgeable. Almost everything Aerin has learned about herself was shared with her here, in the North.
Aerin swallows her nerves before calling Malice to join them. The Dragon-Fae begrudgingly leans against the doorway, arms folded over his chest.
“We need to make the most of our time here,” Aerin says, curling another piece of her golden hair. “We achieved our main goal.” Aerin glances at Emrys in the mirror, he doesn’t meet her eyes. She has a feeling their little show affected him more than she anticipated. The amount of things Aerin is saving to deal with later grows by the hour. “But there are still resources here that we won’t have access to in the South,” Aerin explains.
“You want to look for answers,” Malice concludes.
