At one point, she did turn to Rhay, remembering their conversation from the previous day. “How did your experiment go yesterday?”
Her new friend let out a sad sigh. “I got my hands on an incredible crystal that prevents hangovers. So I went out to test it. I was having a grand time until this beautiful but strange woman distracted me and stole it. I can’t tell you the hangover I had this morning. I’m never drinking again.”
Amira stared at the glass filled with indigo wine Rhay was holding. She raised her eyebrows but Rhay was completely oblivious to the irony. She let out a sparkling laugh and went back to dancing.
* * *
Amira was resting on a soft sofa in one of the tiny alcoves surrounding the room. She could feel her head spinning and her breathing was uneven and loud. She tried to calm it but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t help but zero in on the sound. When she turned her head to the left, she finally understood why. A couple on the sofa next to hers was heavily making out. Amira stood up so quickly that she almost fainted.
As Amira entered the main space, she realised that the mood had shifted from carefree, almost childish fun to a more intimate atmosphere. The music was slower, coating the guest in its voluptuous notes. Everywhere Amira looked, she could see couples engaged in affectionate conversations. Everyone seemed to have found a partner for the night. Even Rhay was busy flirting with a beautiful fae woman and what appeared to be her male companion. She avoided staring at the hands moving swiftly over exposed flesh.
In her home kingdom, it was uncommon to see such blatant displays of affection from same-sex couples. Although it wasn’t forbidden, many fae from Allamyst believed the true picture of beauty was that of a man and woman sharing their life together. From her studies, Amira knew Turosian was more open about such things. It was one thing she had always admired about the kingdom. Same-sex marriages were only frowned upon when it concerned royals, since they needed an heir of royal blood.
Suddenly, she felt like the room was closing in on her. Her line of sight clouded, almost as if to protect her from seeing too much of the scandalous turn of events. She felt like she was being burned alive by an intense blaze. Panicked, Amira fled to the nearby terrace.
Overlooking the city of Parae, she felt completely alone but safe. The fire was gone and the peaceful night wind almost made her feel cold. Now that she thought of the situation with a clearer head, she wanted to punish herself for reacting in such a childish way. She was twenty-three, old enough to know about the instinctive desire to find a companion for life—or at least for the night.
But she wasn’t able to stop herself from feeling uncomfortable. Maybe it was because of her lack of experience. But how could she change that?
With Karwyn,a tiny voice whispered in her ear, poisoning her brain with the dreadful expectation. In her heart, she knew that the two of them would never enjoy the intimate time they would have to spend together to produce heirs to the throne. Her eyes watered at the thought of having to share a bed with her future husband. How could she ever grow accustomed to a loveless marriage?
A sharp noise distracted her. She listened carefully. Two fae were whispering and then the noise broke through the silence again. It was a muffled scream, Amira realised, coming right from underneath her. She took a deep breath and looked over the railing.
At first, she wasn’t sure she understood what she was seeing. But as the moonlight hit the scene, she almost shrieked.
Chapter15
Lora
All it took was handing over a few silver notes and they were ushered in through a thick black curtain that veiled the events happening inside. As they walked into the main room of the club, Lora surveyed her surroundings in the dark red light.
There were several stages with performers. Some fae were watching them with eager eyes, sitting on the black chairs close to the action. Some were getting drunk by the bar. And others, occupying velvet couches, were too engrossed in their company and shared activities to pay their surroundings any attention. These lounging areas were partly hidden by blood-red, sheer curtains.
Not hidden enough, Lora thought. She got an eye full and quickly lowered her gaze, but it seemed like no matter where she looked, there was always something she’d rather avoid.
“How badly do you want to leave?” Eyden asked, watching her reaction closely as he grinned.
This would be so much more tolerable with alcohol running through her, but Lora had learned her lesson last night.
She kept her face expressionless. “Not at all. I have no problem being here.”
When she looked away from Eyden, she noticed a shirtless fae who was sitting close to them trying to catch her eye. He nodded at her suggestively, his hand drifting down, and Lora turned a full 180 degrees.
Eyden chuckled softly. “Right. Doesn’t bother you at all.” He scanned the room again. “I don’t see him. Let’s look upstairs.”
“What’s upstairs?” she asked, hoping it would be less crowded. She already felt so uneasy being surrounded by fae—adding this atmosphere was not helping the least bit.
“Private rooms.” Eyden moved closer to her side. “I’m going to take your hand.” Lora stared at him. She was still processing the private room comment. “Better to pretend we’re together than have others try to chat us up, isn’t it?” Eyden asked.
Lora thought of the shirtless fae from earlier who was now getting more than enough attention from two other fae. “Right. Yes.”
Eyden didn’t look at her as he took her hand and led her towards the dark staircases that formed a half-circle. Both staircases led to an interior balcony overlooking the ground floor. Lora didn’t have time to sneak a glance over the railing as Eyden whisked her away.
He led her into the nearest corridor. It was almost like a hotel, a long stretch lined with doors, painted in crimson light. No windows were in sight. They walked by door after door and avoided running into drunken fae who stumbled into rooms. Lora trained her eyes to look straight ahead to avoid catching a peek of the fae who didn’t bother closing the door before getting right to it.
When they turned onto another similar corridor, Lora caught a flash of turquoise—a guard’s uniform—as he disappeared behind one of the doors. Eyden must have seen it too. He picked up his pace and encouraged Lora to do the same. His grip on her hand tightened, sending an unexpected jolt through her.
He stopped next to the door and put a finger to his lips as he let go of her hand. Lora stayed quiet and copied Eyden’s movements, flattening herself against the wall next to him. She could tell he was trying to listen to whatever was going on inside. The distant sound of music drifting up from the ground floor didn’t make it easy for Lora to hear anything. She was also distracted by the chatter and noises coming from the other rooms in their vicinity. Some of them made her cheeks flush.
