Another fae slid around a group of people waiting for their turn at the dessert table but not willing to get in the middle of the argument. Wade couldn’t help but take a second and maybe a third look at the newcomer. He smelled a lot like the sea, all salt and ocean when Wade took a breath, but also something else he couldn’t really place. He just knew he’d bottle it if he could.
Oh no, he’s hot.
Wade just managed not to blurt out that thought, unable to look away from the stupidly handsome fae who came to stand near him. He was dressed as elegantly as everyone else in an outfit of brown and deep blue. He wore a rich-looking fur cape that Wade really wanted to touch and half thought would make a great throw blanket in his apartment.
The fae would also look really good in his apartment.
He had a face that could probably let him walk a New York Fashion Week runway, with enough freckles that Wade wished he could count them. Wade knew it was impolite to stare, but he found he couldn’t look away, lungs drowning in an ocean scent he didn’t much mind despite being able to breathe fire.
“Riordan.” Wade glanced at the first fae, watching his lips curl over teeth that looked a little too sharp to ever be found in a human’s mouth. “You would speak up for mortals.”
“Nothing wrong with most of them,” Riordan replied coolly. Wade silently mouthed the name, liking how it felt on his tongue.
“One hopes he will not stay long.”
“Only long enough to eat all your cake,” Wade retorted, wrenching his attention away from Riordan.
Lord Diarmait—and wasn’t that a stupidly pompous kind of name—who claimed he wasn’t part of the Unseelie Court didn’t make a scene when he left the line, but the sheer dismissal of Wade’s presence was patently rude. If he cared at all, he maybe would feel embarrassed by the fae’s actions, but he didn’t.
Wade was pretty pleased with himself for snagging the fae’s gold bracelet when he’d turned to leave though. He twirled it around his index finger while staring at the newcomer.
Riordan made a strangled sort of sound. “That’s not yours.”
“It is now,” Wade said cheerfully as he pocketed the bracelet. It’d make a great gift for Lillian. “I didn’t need the help, but thanks anyway for getting him away from the table. He was blocking the panna cotta.”
Riordan glanced at the dish in question. “That isn’t panna cotta.”
“Oh? Then what is it?” Riordan said something in his language that Wade’s brain squeezed out as “Yeah, no, that’s panna cotta.”
He’d never questioned how he could just understand people who hailed from the supernatural and preternatural communities. Mundane human languages he’d have to learn the old-fashioned way, but if it was spoken by people who originated from beyond the veil or outside human norms, he generally had no issue understanding them.
Sometimes it paid to be a dragon.
Riordan laughed. He had a really nice laugh that Wade kind of wanted to hear over and over again. “I suppose it’s pretty similar. I won’t stand in your way of it.”
He stepped aside, and Wade had the ridiculous urge to reach out and yank him close again. He couldn’t ever recall feeling this way outside his pack, and even then, this felt different. “Thanks. What are you having?”
“Not the panna cotta.” His tone was teasing, as was the look in his warm brown eyes, making something weird and warm flutter in Wade’s chest. “I’ll let you go first.”
Wade filled up his plate with some more dessert and picked up a goblet of a syrupy-looking drink. He waited for Riordan to fill up his plate before the two of them wandered away from the dessert table.
“Did you come here by yourself?” Wade asked, totally not trying to dig for information. Really.
“Just me,” Riordan said. “My clan is back home. What about you?”
“I came with my pack. They’re around here somewhere.”
Riordan glanced at him. “Do you need to get back to them?”
“Probably,” Wade said reluctantly. “You could eat with us if you want?”
His hopes were dashed when Riordan shook his head. “While I came alone, there are some people I need to speak with still.”
Wade tried not to let his disappointment show. “Oh. Sucks that you have to work during a party.”
“Hopefully, it’s worth it.” Riordan hesitated a moment before saying, “The celebration will last a while. If you’re still around over the next few days, maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“Maybe.” Wade forced a smile. “Nice meeting you anyway.”
