She didn’t know what to do with the surge that pulsed from within and threw her hands at the window above Cahir, wanting it to scare him as she discharged a violent arc of electricity that shattered the glass in every direction.
The room erupted in screams.
She smiled as she watched the glass shatter, noticing how Cahir and the others on the dais had to cover their heads to protect themselves.
The guards rushed toward her, colliding with each other as Elco’s mighty roar echoed through the room, stopping them from their approach.
“I saidSTOP!” Cahir shouted at everyone. He looked back at Seda, his eyes softening. “Seda, could you please pull your powers back in, and we’ll find somewhere private to talk?I can explain everything.”
The woman with exposed breasts casually tucked them back in and looked at Seda with raised brows as she brushed glass off hershoulder. Her eyebrows slowly relaxed, and a smile spread across her lips.
Seda slowly looked between the woman in red silk and Cahir. Did she want to talk to him? So far, everything she had argued with herself on her journey here without him had been true.
“What do you want to do, moon-flutter? I’ll follow your lead,” Elco asked, his body tightening around hers. He watched the guards with baited interest.
When had he eaten last anyway?
She waited a few moments before answering Cahir, allowing the people in the room to wonder as they watched their king nervously fidget.
“The Wisps sent me here. I have a lot of questions for you,KingAel,” she shouted, sarcastically emphasizing his title and name.
He winced at her use of his true name, and Seda smirked as the Fae in the room murmured over her mention of the Wisps. She watched him slowly descend the dais and head toward a door on the far side of the room.
She would have her revenge. The shattered glass wasn’t enough.
“This way,” a woman’s voice said from beside them, and Elco snarled, flashing his sharp fangs as he turned to see who it was. The woman in the red silk gown appeared at her side, guiding her to follow Cahir out of the room. “Your friend is welcome to join you.”
Seda’s slitted eyes followed her as she walked away. She grumbled and moved away from Elco’s protection, walking beside the woman and smiling as the guests watched her leave, enjoying the fear on their faces.
She glanced back at the woman and felt venom rise at the sight of her. Was she one of Cahir’s whores? She regarded her beauty, which enraged her. She had long, golden hair and pointed ears adorned with earrings.
Seda didn’t wear fancy dresses or stylish jewelry.
She bit the inside of her cheek and silently scolded herself. Why should she feel any animosity toward this woman regarding that liar? He was dishonest, and if this woman desired him, she was free to have the lying bastard.
With a devious smirk, as if she had just uncovered some juicy gossip, the woman looked at her. “That was quite a grand entrance. I’ve never seen anyone make Ael fidget like that before. Please do it again?” She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Seda.
Seda noticed that the woman didn’t give Cahir a title when she referred to him, as if she were close to him.
“And who are you?” She tried to hide the sharpness in her tone, pretending she didn’t care, but her emotions were a tangle of currents. The woman chuckled, and Seda clenched her fists as sparks of electricity flickered across her knuckles.
The woman glanced at Seda’s glowing hands, her face paling. “I’m Luelle. I’ve been friends—only friends—with Ael since childhood. I’m also one of the three advisors here in Umbrea.”
“Seems like he has quite a fewfriends. Did you know he made me feel like I was hisonlyfriend? Did you know he lied… for years?” Her tongue moved of its own accord.
Sure, she occasionally missed him during her journey, but seeing him with these wretched women upon arriving changed that. She held back the vibration of her simmering magic that wrapped around her throat, choking her.
“Ael doesn’t claim to be friends with just anyone. If he says he’s your friend, he means it.” Luelle turned away from her, and Seda rolled her eyes.
Luelle was obviously a fool for believing anything that man said.
The ballroom door closed as they left. Elco followed, snarling at anyone who dared to come too close. Mostly, people dropped their wine glasses with muffled shrieks as they hurried away from her path.
When they entered the hall, they saw Cahir waiting a few doors away, holding a door open. “I can take it from here, Luelle. Please give us some privacy.” He looked at Seda, his cheeks flushed, and then back at Luelle. “Can you please see to it that Fran sets up that room for her in the East Wing? She knows which one.”
“The East Wing?” Luelle asked, the corner of her mouth curling upward.
“Yes. And make sure there’s room there for Elco, as well.” He cleared his throat and quickly glanced at Seda before looking away.
