She turned her face down to the effervescent green drink in her hand, hearing the servants announce King Rylo’s arrival. As he walked past, she couldn’t help but look up at him. His face was the perfect picture of indifferent royalty, but for a moment he met her eyes and gave her the faintest hint of a smile, his dimple making a quick appearance. Her stupid heart deceived her as it clambered in her chest. She wasn’t actually interested in this king, and why would he want her? He could, and probably had been with any of these super model beauties in the room. Hell, he probably had something with Selene. She was always at his side, after all.
Rylo took a seat on his throne, a drink in his hand, as music began. Fae all around her began partnering up to dance. Elio approached them, taking a long gulp of the green Bayberry cider in his glass.
“How are the witches this evening?” he asked, his charming smile obviously for Susan only.
“We are well,” Susan said, a blush on her cheeks as she took another sip of her own drink.
“Susan, would you like to dance with me?” he asked.
She frowned. “What about the woman you flew in with?”
Elio wrinkled his nose. “That’s my cousin. She’s distantly related to Rylo too. She’s my link to royalty.”
“Oh! Your cousin!” Susan said, beaming.
Elio smiled back at her, and Morgan felt a pang of jealousy at the way he looked at Susan. His desire for Susan was earnest, without games or tricks. “Yes, my cousin, Susan. I enter the feast with her every year. Now, would you do me the honors of dancing with me?”
Susan looked at her with a pleading expression.
“Go, I’ll be fine,” Morgan insisted.
“Thank you, Morgan!”
Susan gave a cheerful wave and walked toward the growing throng of dancing fae. It was fine that she was alone. She didn’t need to dance or laugh, or feel wanted and beautiful. Really, hanging out alone by the pillar was perfectly fine.
Morgan watched as the room began to spin with twirling couples. Some took to the air, dancing to the music above the rest of the crowd, delicate feathered wings spread out like fans. The dancing couples’ wings pushed a warm breeze around the room, cooling Morgan’s perspiring face.
“This may be the only time I wish I had Nepheli wings,” a deep voice said from beside Morgan. Her attention was snapped away from the enthralling movement overhead to a man she’d never seen before. His skin was so white it appeared pale blue. He had bright blue eyes and a smile of sharp teeth. The man’s hair was the color of purple seaweed Morgan once saw while on vacation along the Oregon coast. A faint scaly pattern dotted the man’s skin. Despite his strange, and obviously inhuman features, the man had this striking air about him that caught Morgan’s breath.
She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t even nervous standing in front of this man. Instead she feltintrigued.Like she wanted him to whisper all his secrets to her, and she’d happily listen.
“They make me wish I could fly too,” Morgan said with a quick grin.
He smirked with shark-like teeth, saying, “I’m Kai. You are?”
Morgan stuck out her hand, offering to shake his, but he didn’t take it. “Morgan. You’re not from Nephel, are you?”
Kai shook his head, “What gave it away? Are my gills showing again?”
The cider must be working overtime on her, because Morgan laughed like he was cracking the funniest joke she’d ever heard. “What are you, a mermaid?”
The man leaned in close, his chest was near enough to press against hers, and Morgan felt her back bump into the pillar behind her. “Do I look like a maid to you?” His voice was so deep, it rumbled.
Morgan gulped in a breath of air. She knew better than to start something with one of these fae, but damn, that voice alone made her toes curl.
“Merman then?”
“Sea fae. The ambassador.” His mouth turned up in a flirty smile as he said, “And you, curious little creature, must be the witch I’ve heard so much about, the kingslayer. I’ve been wanting to lay my eyes on you, but King Rylo has done a thorough job keeping you sequestered from the rest of the court. Now that I have, I do not think I’d like to stop looking.” Kai’s hair fell in an effortlessly handsome way across his face. “Can I get you a drink?”
Morgan wasn’t so entranced that she was going to accept a drink from a man she had no reason to trust, even if she did feel like she was under a bit of a spell being around him. “I can get my own. Want to join me?”
Kai winked at her as he pressed his hand to the small of Morgan’s back, leading her across the room to the side tables with glasses.
“Of course.”
Morgan looked around to the couples pairing off around the room. Some were just dancing to the rhythmic beat of the music. A couple was clearly making out on the dance floor, limbs entwined together as they held glasses of plum red wine in their free hands. Other couples were moving to the dark corners of the room. There were black gossamer curtains runningalong alcoves of the room and to the balcony. Their midnight dark fabric seemed to glow slightly, like it was sprinkled with stardust. She could make out figures behind the alcoves through the diaphanous fabric. Some were obviously stripped of their elegant ball gowns.
Was this party becoming an orgy? Already? They’d hardly even eaten anything and these dignified and snobby Nepheli were going straight to public sex. Maybe she’d been mistaken about what the fae meant byfeasts.
