Yet another topic on which she and I disagree.
The more opulent, the better in her mind. I’m not even sure I want a formal wedding, especially after seeing how stressed Kerris was while planning her own. I did what I could to help alleviate some of the pressure, but in the end, the burden was hers and Everett’s to bear.
Of course, I won’t be marrying a king, so we wouldn’t have the entire kingdom watching and judging.
Maybe we should elope instead.
Nolan never seems keen to discuss it, saying he doesn’t mind either way.
Thankfully, we have a little time before we need to start worrying about that.
Kerris’s gaze catches mine, and she waves me through the waiting crowd. The royal guards allow me past with nods and somber glances. Nolan should be here among his colleagues. Instead, he’s sleeping off what is bound to be a terrible hangover.
He’ll come back to himself soon enough. Then he can rejoin their ranks, and all will be as it should.
I climb the steps as quickly as I dare, careful not to spill my drink on the marble.
Kerris throws her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug, rattling my glass. It’s a wonder I don’t drop the thing.
“Oh, sorry!” She pulls back. “I was so excited to see you, I didn’t realize you had that in your hand. How are you? You look amazing.” Her brow furrows. “Is this the dress we picked out? I could’ve sworn it was black and white.”
“My mother took issue with that one.” One of the many reasons for this champagne. Bottoms up.
Everett Gathin, Willowhaven’s first Unseelie king, nods down at me, his gray-green skin stark against the crisp white of his linen shirt. “Nia Quill.”
Knowing how much he hates curtsying, I incline my head, which earns me a roll of his black eyes. According to Kerris, all this formality drives him mad. Little wonder, considering he grew up in the desolate Unseelie lands.
“How’re you finding castle life, Your Majesty?” I bite back a smile when he grimaces at the moniker. He has yet to master the false air of self-importance that comes with court life. I secretly hope he never does. There’s something refreshing about a man unable—or unwilling—to hide his every emotion.
Everett’s gaze warms as he glances down at his wife. “Kerris makes this stone building almost bearable.”
“That’s wonder—” Something hard slams into my knee.
I’m not sure what I expect to see when I look down, but it’s certainly not a tiny white goat with two small horns protruding from its head.
Kerris’s laughter chimes as she scoops the bleating kid into her arms and turns toward where another Unseelie is thundering through the crowded garden.
The newcomer waves when he sees the goat in Kerris’s arms. He cuts straight through the guards to jog up the stairs, his glossy black hair swinging over his shoulders.
When his gaze meets mine, his steps falter, and he misses the top one. His long arms flail, barely catching himself on the railing. As he straightens, his mouth stretches into a wide smile.
Maddox Finch is the only Unseelie who offers them freely—along with an unobstructed view of his razor-sharp teeth.
It’s incredibly off-putting.
Teeth aside, no one should have that many muscles. They’re stacked on top of each other, from his thighs to his shoulders. It’s downright vulgar, and I cannot possibly imagine how awful it would feel to trace the dips and swells of each one.
Thank goodness I’ll never find out.
If I stare, it’s not because I’m unfaithful but because he never wears a shirt, which means his more-green-than-gray skin is always on full display for everyone to see. I’m not even sure any of the Unseelie own shirts except for Everett, and that’s only because he’s our king.
Taking the goat from Kerris, Maddox pats its wiry head while the little beast stares at me through googly blue eyes. It might be the ugliest creature I’ve ever seen.
Who brings a goat to a garden party?
Maddox Finch. That’s who.
I straighten my back, which brings the top of my head nearly to his square jaw. Given my height, I’m used to either looking men in the eye or looking down on them. It’s irritating to have to raise my head to see his face properly. “I didn’t know they allowed animals in the castle.”
