He held my gaze, and I held his, playing a game of tug-of-war with our eyes. When I was younger, shyer, I might’ve looked away first, but I was no longer the introverted little fae Remo Farrow got a kick out of intimidating.
“I pity the man who will stand at your side the next time the Cauldron appears.” His tone was as abrasive as the stone wall beneath the moss. And with that, he backed away, soaring around the heavy pillar and through the gap between the stilts.
I ran his words through my mind, feeling my eyebrows dip and rise, before dipping again. Didn’t he think he’d be the man standing at my side? Did he sense I would use mygajoïto kick him out of the kingdom?
Slowly, I put on the gloves, the material molding around my fingers, adjusting to their narrowness and shorter lengths, then circled around the bathroom just as Aylen and Shiloh appeared at the bottom of the glass staircase. Both stopped chatting at the sight of me.
“You’ve changed out of your dress,” my great aunt remarked.
“Sauce stain.”
Shiloh arched a brow. “That your fire couldn’t remove?”
I let them assume changing out of my purple garb was my way of showing Neverra what I thought of my engagement. “Surprisingly, yes. I’ll see you upstairs.”
When Shiloh’s nose twitched, probably catching a residual whiff of dust on the air, I sidestepped them, then slalomed around the hovering faelights and up the flight of stairs. Silence settled over the guests when I landed in the dining room.
“Snagged my skirt on one of the stilts,” I told my aunt Lily.
Her dark, expressive eyebrows writhed.I’ll fix it for you tomorrow, she signed.
I was tempted to tell my aunt not to waste her time, but instead, I smiled and said, “Great,” and conversations resumed.
I felt Nima’s black eyes on me. Pert smile pasted on my lips, I looked up. She inclined her head to the side and mouthed,Are you okay?
No, I wasn’t okay, but I didn’t want to worry her. Not yet. Besides, I’d struck a bargain. If I didn’t keep quiet, I’d lose my leverage over Remo.
“You wore the gloves.” My fiancé was watching Lydia, the faerie waitress, serve Sook wine with such attentiveness it strengthened my belief that something was going on between them.
“Not for your sake,” I replied quietly.
Lydia’s mouth stretched into a wide smile at something Sook said.Gejaiwe, how many men was she after? Her lips were so red and glittery it looked as though she’d dragged them over a hedge of crimsondrosas.
“Woods never do anything that doesn’t benefit themselves,” he muttered, glowering at Lydia and Sook.
I shook my head, making my earrings dance and cast tinsels of light over the table. I steadied them but regretted lifting my hands when Remo’s scent leaped off the gloves and assaulted me. The desire to pluck them off and toss them back at him was strong, but I tamed the urge.
Patience wasn’t one of my virtues, but I couldn’t afford to ruin mygajoï, so patient I would become. I simply hoped it wouldn’t take Iba too long to uncover what had become of his bastard brother.
8
The Leaf Portal
When digestives and dessert were served, I excused myself to go to the bathroom.
“Did you eat Glade kelp again? That stuff gives me the runs every time,” Sook said between mouthfuls of coconut pudding and spice cake.
Giya elbowed him, but I grinned. “You know me and my love for kelp.” I hated the stuff with a passion. It was slimy and bland, and according to Aylen, prodigious for weight loss. “I’ll be right back.”
Several sets of eyes tracked my progress around the table, but it was Nima’s I felt most intensely.
Please don’t follow me. Please don’t follow me.
When she pressed away from the table, I beelined toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Has Neenee Cass commed you yet?”
Nima frowned.
“Didn’t she have a date with that old actor who won an Oscar?”
