Standing this close to him felt intimate, like those sharp blue eyes could see right through me. His calm face was only a few inches from mine.
Pursing my lips, I searched for another argument. “This fancy dress and glamour aren’t going to be enough. I don’t know anything about the fae. He’s going to see right through me.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” Soren said with a gracious smile, as if I’d told him something entertaining. “You’ll tell him you’re visiting us from the Shadow Court. That’s where I’m from. It will make him think you’re Unseelie and should excuse any odd behavior.”
Squinting at him, I tried to understand but came up blank. “Why?”
“Because in the eyes of folk here, the Unseelie are uneducated creatures of poor breeding.”
“Why will he even want to talk to me, then?”
Soren didn’t answer right away, though he didn’t seem uncertain, so much as unwilling to tell me. He sighed, adjusting his hold and dancing slower. “Caius has a penchant for wanting anything that I have. Now that he’s seen us together—seen us dancing and potentially getting along—he’ll be dying to steal you away.”
I’d just raised a brow, ready to tell him how crazy that sounded, when a male voice spoke up behind me.
“May I have this dance?”
BEFORE I TURNED, Sorenwhispered in my ear, “That’s him,” and then pulled back.
I wasn’t sure what I expected—maybe another hulking dude with blue skin, or wings like Soren, or other animalistic qualities—but besides his pointed ears, Caius could’ve passed for a human. He wore a delicate silver crown twisted to look like a vine with thorns. As I took in his black hair bound in a thick braid down his back and the way the shaved sides of his head revealed black tattoos, I amended my thoughts: He could’ve passed for aViking. Or, considering his all-black wardrobe, maybe a vampire Viking, if that was a thing. All that was missing were pointed teeth when he smiled.
I should’ve been awed by him. This was aprince, after all. It was like coming face-to-face with a celebrity in real life. Except it felt more like meeting a celebrity I’d never heard of before. It didn’t mean anything. He wasn’tmyprince. To me, he was just another strange creature like the ones who’d taken my family.
“Struck speechless, I see,” the prince said with a wink, like it was a private joke between us. He held out a hand to me as if we were in a formal ballroom about a hundred years in the past, acting like I’d already agreed to dance. As he did, the dark cloth on his arms bulged from the muscles underneath. My eyes followed the curve all the way to his high collar, where a sharp tattoo peeked out.
“Perhaps she doesn’t want to dance with you,” Soren interjected, casually surveying the room, only half paying attention to us.
I frowned. A second ago, he’d wanted me to dance with the prince. Had he changed his mind? “I can speak for myself.”
“Oh, by all means.” Soren waved a hand as if granting me permission. “May I introduce you to Prince Caius of the Hollow Court?” His tone was flippant, almost disrespectful. To the prince, he added simply, “This is Brynn.”
I turned back to the prince, nervous now. I should’ve taken the way out when Soren gave it to me. “I’d say yes, it’s just that I’m not much of a dancer—”
“Perfect,” he replied, scooping up my hand. “I prefer to lead anyway.”
With that huge grin, I couldn’t decide if he was cheerful or arrogant—maybe both. He didn’t spin me around like Soren, though, keeping it simple instead with a soft pressure on my hand, while his other cupped my back, guiding me through a slower song as the music softened into a new melody.
