“Sea.”
His expression darkens. “Queen Melusine is a keen-eyed ruler. Not much gets past her.”
“Yes, well, she won’t be at court during the wedding, will she?”
“Ah, so you would like this message delivered while Queen Melusine is distracted.”
I nod. “And if the recipient isn’t at the Sea Court, I need her found as soon as possible. This message must get to her at once.”
“It sounds like you need a spy more than a messenger.”
I uncross my arms to put my hands on my hips. “Do you have someone in mind or not?”
He leans lazily against the wall, a smirk playing over his lips. “I may have someone who will perform this duty, but it won’t come free.”
“How much will it cost?”
He eyes me from under his lashes. “Your company. Tomorrow night. At the full moon revel.”
“My company?” My pulse quickens, but I manage to keep a straight face. “I’m not going on a date with you.”
“You can call me a chaperone if that makes you feel better. The Lunar Court can get quite...rambunctious on the full moon. With my sister away at Bircharbor Palace for the wedding, you’d do well to keep close to me.”
“Or perhaps I should stay in my room and avoid such rambunctiousness altogether.”
He shrugs. “Suit yourself. However, that is my price.”
“Fine,” I growl. I pull the letter out from under my sash. “But this isn’t a date.”
“I dare not dream of it.” He accepts the letter, then turns away and stalks down the hall, but not before whirling back around and shouting, “Wear something scandalous.”
I purse my lips and shoot him a glare, but as soon as I face ahead, it turns into a half-hearted smile. I’m left with the smallest comfort—that if I must endure the night of Aspen’s wedding, at least I won’t have to do it alone.
18
Lorelei isn’t too pleased when she learns of the promise I made to Prince Franco. “You agreed to do what? To go to the full moon revel? Do you have any idea how these celebrations tend to end?”
Her raised brow tells me it isn’t fear I should feel, but a heated blush. “Well, no,” I confess.
“Every moon revel in Lunar might as well be Beltane.”
I lift my chin to hide my trepidation and make my way to my wardrobe. “Then you better come with me and make sure the prince keeps his hands to himself.”
“Or we could skip it altogether,” she says.
“I sort of...owe him,” I say as I begin rifling through the dozen or so dresses in the wardrobe. The first is black, which I immediately deem too dour before flipping to the next. Pink? No, reminds me too much of Amelie. Blue chiffon? No. Reminds me too much of Aspen. My heart plummets, and I’m forced to consider what’s happening at this very moment. Queen Nyxia departed for Bircharbor at dawn, and now it’s nearly evening. Surely the treaty has been sealed with a wedding at this point. I swallow the lump in my throat and blink the tears from my eyes as I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood. Only then can I breathe again and return to examining the dresses.
Lorelei puts her hands on her waist, oblivious to my moment of pain, and bumps her hip to the side. “Are you telling me you made a bargain with Prince Franco?”
I pause my search to meet Lorelei’s eyes. When Franco offered me his terms to deliver my letter, I knew it was a bargain of sorts. But the weight of that fact didn’t strike me until now. I’m suddenly aware of how careless I’ve become ever since Mother told me I’m part-fae. Somehow, the knowledge has made me grow less wary around the fae, less guarded.
Having fae blood doesn’t make me invulnerable, though. In fact, I still have nearly all the human weaknesses and very little fae power. I can still be glamoured or tricked into a bargain. The incident long ago with Amelie and the goblin is proof that a part-fae can be glamoured. Although, whether her relationship with Cobalt is additional proof is impossible to know. Is the Bond the only reason he controls her, or did he glamour her into the Bond to begin with?
I return to sorting through the dresses. Gold? No, it’s too scandalous. Prince Franco would be all too happy about it. Purple silk? Another heart-sinking reaction.Definitely not.
“Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea,” I admit, keeping my voice level, “but I needed him to do something for me. I needed him to find Amelie. He agreed to send a spy to deliver my message to her discreetly while Queen Melusine is at Bircharbor. I must know if she’s coming to Mother’s trial.”
“Why would you ask Franco? I could have handled it for you. I could have gone and done it myself.”
