My entire face and ears flushed as he stepped forward, cupping my jaw with his hand, tilting my head up towardshis.I could vaguely feel myself standing on the tips of my toesin an effort todraw closer.
His lips brushed mine as he said,“I’ll praise you for as long as I breathe, Aviva.”
Then our lips met in an all-consuming kiss, and if I had ever been more than that moment, Ididn’twant to remember.
***
“Teagan?” I knocked on the door across from Quinn and Ezra’s, calling for my sister.
“Come in, I’m just finishing up with Margo.”
Sliding into the room and shutting the door behind me, I noticed the space was set uppretty much theexact same asmine andByn’s room, except instead of one bed, there were two smaller ones. The crystals that made up CastleAvyerwere now a mix of deep blues,whites,and silvers, as night had fallen swiftly over the Isles.
“Do you mind lighting a lantern and bringing it over?” Teagan requested from where she stood behind Margo, who was sitting at the breakfast table in the corner. Teaganseemed to beworking on taming the young female’s unruly short waves with countless bejeweled clips.
Upon realizing who had entered, Margo tilted her head my way and smiled.“Hi,Viva! Teagan is letting me wear my circlet tonight!”
“Margo, please sitstill,” her older sister sighed in a way I knew thatwasn’tthe first timeshe’dasked Margo to stop moving.
Margo,realizing her error, looked straight forward again and sat up as straight and tall as she could. She was stillfairly smallfor eight—almost nine now—butshe’dgrown a little taller over the past few months.
Grabbing an unlit lantern off the small table by the door, I called a small ball of blue fire to my palm and placed it inside. The blue flames cast a cool glow—so different from the warm light of the other small fires in the space.
Margo’s eyes lit up as I put the lantern on the table before her, but to her credit, she didn’t budge.
Teagan did a double take when I finally entered her line of sight.
I knew itwasn’tmy attire she was concernedwith.I’dadorned myself in a deep indigo gown—one with a wide slit running along my leg, so that if I needed to, I could move freely. The sleeves were sheer and thin, and the entire gown was light.I’dgone with this one tonight to combat the warmth of the Isles, though it was also becauseI’dalso picked outa pair of trousers for Bynto wearthat matched the indigo color of my dress.
No, it wasn’t my attire. It was my damp, limp, wavy hair that had her looking stunned.
“We’ve got to fix that,” she said after a beat of silence.
With only ten minutes to spare before we needed to meet Lyra at the end of the hall, Teagan managed to finish Margo’s hair and secure her small golden circlet to her head, as well as twist my hair up into a firm, elegant updo made of twists and braids.Some strands hungin short waves, and my silver circlet was placed atop the crown of my head.
Fortunately, Teagan had been ready to go beforeI’dstepped into the room. Her hair was in a simple but classy half-up style, with her own golden headpiece adorning her. For what might be the first timeI’dever seen, she had picked out a long green and gold dress. It fit her in all the right places, and it matchedMargo’sperfectly.Both green gowns had patterns of suns and flowers sewn into them with gold threading, though in slightly different patterns.
When all of us were ready, I grabbedholdof Margo’s gloved hand and twirled her in a circle.
“You’re going to be the prettiest princess at this dinner, Margo,” I exclaimed.
Margo giggled, using my hand to spin herself again, then curtseyed dramatically.
As I watched her curtsey for a second time to an invisible crowd, I caught sight of Teagan looking our way. Before she caught my eye, Icouldn’thelp but notice just how sadthe eldest Princess of the South truly appeared.Her lips were tilted up in a soft smile, yes, but her eyes made it look as though she wasn’t even in the room with us.She felt far away, like she was trying to outrun something nobody else could see.
Then our gazes clashed, and she looked like the same TeaganI’dalways known.
Shaking my head in an effort to clear it, I said to them, “Let’s go show them what fae from the mainland arereallylike.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Do you think the food is poisoned?” Matea whispered from my left.
I fixed a pointed look at my sister in warning, though Icouldn’tsay Ihadn’talready considered that thought myself.
When our group had filed into the spacious dining room after following Lyra through CastleAvyer,we’dbeen surprised to find itempty—voidof any of theRividianroyals. The room itself was constructed of the same earth-grown materials as the rest of the castle, including many of the room’s components. The giant table in the center, the same one we all had taken a seat at, looked as though it had sprouted up from the floor. The people of theOcreinIslesseemed to be veryin tune with theirzirilium—at least here in the castle.
The rectangular black table had two crystal chairs on each end. Lyra had motioned for Byn and me to sit at one end, leaving the rest of theValwainto sit closest to us—though my wings made sure I was the one left most uncomfortable.
