My lips parted. “You’ll come with me to save her?”
The Queen chuckled. “Well, not me, of course,” she sniffed. “But I’ll be sure to send you with a hundred or so soldiers and whatever mounts and weapons they may need. I won’t let the faeries get away with messing with my family – and that includes youandmy new niece-in-law.” She let out a determined huff.
Warm feelings stirred up inside me. And with the little stone-eyed dragon staring up at me, it was almost too much to bear.
“Still, I won’t let you leave here until you have control over your Gift,” my aunt said, her hands on her hips. “So, once more, if you will. Close your eyes and breathe, Lukas.”
After handing my little dragon off to Olesha and Leena, I, for the first time that week, did exactly as I was told.
CHAPTER 42
NARIA
My knees trembled so much they hurt beneath the skirt of my white, puff-sleeved dress. We were stood on a gilded balcony. Arenn’s arm was tight around my waist as he swept his other arm towards the thousand or so guests in the ballroom.
“…and lastly I want to thank you all for joining us tonight for our engagement ball.” His voice carried effortlessly over the sea of faeries below us. “I can only hope that each of you finds a love as powerful as Naria’s and mine during the celebrations tonight.”
Applause roared up from the ballroom while I kept mygaze fixed on a small crack in the quartz wall. All the time I watched the walls, I wasn’t thinking about their hungry stares, or the blinding crystal chandeliers, or the loud music, or the—
“Why are you trembling, little human?” Arenn’s whisper sliced through me.
“I’m just so excited,” I lied with a smile. “Our wedding is only a few days away.”
Eyes glinting, he pulled me towards a dark alcove. “Three days, human,” he murmured, pushing my back against the wall. “Three days until you’re mine forever.”
His fingers brushed my arms, and I gasped. The sweet scents of wildflowers and cinnamon teased my senses, but for some reason I held my breath, refusing to let them in.
“We should go and dance,” I suggested, edging out of his hold. I didn’t want to dance. But more than that, I didn’t want to be here – with his lips just inches from mine.
“There’s no hurry.” His hands dropped to my wrists, gripping me tightly. “Let me just have this moment with you. Alone.” Lifting his hand, he brushed a wisp of hair from my face as I shuddered. “You don’t understand how long I’ve needed to have you here, how long I’ve burned for you. And soon, I’ll ruin you enough that you won’t dare think of anyone else ever again.”
My heart stuttered. For a moment, I considered shoving him away and charging down the stairs that led down to the ballroom. But where would I go once I got there? I couldn’t hide in the crowds forever. Even if I managed to get past the guards to escape, there was nowhere else I could go. My mind was just as foggy as it’d been a week ago, and there was still that awful, lingering headache.
“Arenn? Naria, darling?” Queen Amabel’s voice crept up a nearby spiral staircase.
Arenn scoffed, finally giving me some air. “What?” he called back.
“Your guests are growing restless,” she sang. “Won’t you come down so I can begin the ritual?”
My brows shot up. “Ritual?”
“My mother has brewed a potion that will show anyone who inhales the fumes a path to their true love.” He scowled. “She wants us both to take it so we can find each other again across a dark ballroom. I told her there’s no point to all this. I already know you’re my true love. But,” he tilted his head, smirking, “I suppose it would be a good show for our guests.”
“It would be,” I agreed, but more because I liked the idea of a dark, quiet ballroom.
“Come, my love.” He extended his hand and I took it, letting him lead me back to the dance floor.
After crossing the bustling ballroom full of faery guests in twinkling gowns, we arrived at a black metal cauldron bubbling away in the centre of the room. Queen Amabel stood behind it, an aged book in one hand while she held a vial of pink liquid in the other.
“Come, come, my dears,” she said to us, eyes sparkling. “Once I add the final ingredient, we shall dim the orb lights and send you both to different sides of the ballroom. Then you’ll have to follow the smoke back to each other.”
“Smoke?” I echoed.
“Yes, you’ll see it guiding you towards each other like a misty, glowing path in the darkness.” Her tone buzzed with excitement as I stepped up to the cauldron to peer inside.
Green liquid swirled around streaks of blue inside the pot. The longer I stared at the fizzling mixture, the more fear rose up inside my throat. Whatever strange concoction this was, it wouldn’t lead me back to Arenn. Arenn wasn’t my true love. He couldn’t be. Because true love didn’t feel like your stomach was caving in every time they tried to touch you.
“Good luck, my dears,” Queen Amabel said as the ballroom quietened. A large crowd had formed around us, every pair of eyes fixed on her pink vial as she tipped it into the mixture.
