“Amira, this is Gadrane, a good friend of mine,” Rhay said. “She pours drinks almost as well as me.”
“I’m always surprised by the ego of this guy,” said Gadrane with the hint of an accent.
“You and me both,” Amira replied and the two girls let out a short laugh.
“What can I get you guys?”
“A glass of indigo wine for me,” Amira answered.
“Vodka indio for me, love,” added Rhay with a cheeky smile.
Gadrane poured their drinks and slid them across the counter. “Here you go.”
Behind them, a fae climbed on the stage and started playing a sweet melody on the guitar. Amira turned around to watch him. He picked up the pace and fae started cheering.
“Remember, it’s an open night. Everyone’s welcome to join me,” the guitarist said.
A couple of fae climbed onto the stage and picked up spare instruments. The joyful and strangely still melodic music filled Amira’s ears.
Rhay smiled at her. “Wanna join?” he offered.
“Oh, I don’t know how to play any instruments.”
“I’m sure you have other talents,” he said without any innuendo this time.
Amira shook her head, too self-conscious to join the other fae on stage. Rhay, on the other hand, took a chair and put it next to the guitarist. He grabbed a small tambourine and started shaking it while singing about the happiness of being young and carefree.
His singing was definitely more pleasant than his cooking, but Amira had to disagree with his lyrics. Youth didn’t necessarily equal an easy and worry-free life. She was the living proof of the opposite. Still, she smiled at Rhay’s blissfulness. And when he gestured to her for the third time, she let herself be won over by the lively tune and joined them on stage.
She danced with other fae, her body taking over. In this instant, Rhay’s song was true, she was carefree. A wave of happiness shed her worries. She didn’t mind that fae were watching, she was dancing for herself, for the pleasure of moving alongside the fast rhythm.
* * *
They stayed on the stage for a couple more songs before stepping back and finding a cosy table to finish their drinks. A few fae stayed on the stage and started playing a slower, more melancholic song.
Amira took a few sips of wine while the euphoria of being on stage calmed down. She was still uneasy about their encounter the day before. “Rhay?” she started, her voice shaking more than she would have liked.
His lips curled into a half-smile. “Yes, princess?”
“I was thinking about what happened yesterday. You seemed so cold and distant without any reason…I don’t understand why you were so different tonight.”
Rhay looked utterly confused and for one second, Amira thought that she had completely lost it and that the conversation they had had yesterday was purely in her head. But before she could confirm her suspicion, she felt the strong grip of a hand on her shoulder.
She froze, her brain going into high alert. Had Karwyn followed them here? Was he going to finish what he had started earlier? Her body tensed as if it could still feel the king’s hands on her throat.
A warm and heavy breath grazed her cheek. “You dance well, girl,” a drunken voice said in her ear. She almost jumped and quickly removed the hand of the man who was now facing her. His glassy eyes and precarious stance indicated that he’d had too much to drink. The man tried to come closer and stumbled against their table.
Rhay grabbed him by the arm and helped him stand up again. “Hi there, my friend. I think you’d better go home.”
“I’d like to go home with this fine piece of ass,” he slurred as his grabby hand landed on Amira’s shoulder again.
She froze as she felt the disgusting warmth radiating from the man spreading on her body. Her mind shut off, overwhelmed by fear. The pressure intensified on her frozen skin, a twisted touch trying to dominate her. Amira wanted to fight back, but the memory of a burning hand held her back, silencing her once more. The only thing she had enough strength to do was wish to be removed from the situation.
She saw Rhay stand up in a blur. “Don’t talk to her like that,” Rhay snapped back at the drunkard. Rhay was taller but the other fae had a meaner look in his eyes.
“I’m just complimenting her,” he said while his lustful eyes undressed Amira.
Suppressing a gag, Amira sprung up. “Let’s go,” she said to Rhay. She tried to get around the drunken fae, but he grabbed her by the waist. She let out a soft cry and Rhay immediately tore the fae away from her.
