Hazel takes a sip of wine, and her dark gaze meets mine, so I look away. I can understand why armies fear her.
King Malachi walks the room with Selia on his arm, occasionallypointing in my direction. Fae fawn over him as he does his rounds, and Selia doesn’t so much as blink when he grabs another female’s backside as she whispers in his ear.
Maybe Selia doesn’t care.
Or maybe she isn’t allowed to.
Is that what he’s going to expect from me at some point?
The thought of touching the king, much less doing anything more intimate with him, has me taking another sip of my wine. It’s robust with the slightest tang of bitterness. Cherries, someone said. Another fruit I never had the chance to try on Alyssium, but there’s an abundance here.
I’ve been steadily downing glasses all night, which is probably not the best idea as my magic fights to recover. But I’m on edge. For magic that refuses to cooperate, the loss of it was overwhelming.
“He’s leaving early,” I mumble to myself as Malachi leaves the room with Selia on one arm and a male on the other.
Hazel seems to take that as her cue to leave as well, exiting through a side door at the opposite end of the room from them. She’s only ever here if King Malachi is present.
“Seems he has his hands full.” Greer’s voice comes from beside me, her gaze set on the door closing behind the king.
I spend more time with Greer than anyone else at the palace, but we aren’t friends. From what I gather, Greer isn’t friends with anyone. So I’m surprised that she’s bothered to initiate the conversation tonight.
Regardless, I jump at the opportunity, motioning to an open couch at the back of the room. “Want to sit?”
Her eyebrows pinch at my offer, like she doesn’t know what to make of someone trying to spend time with her. Or maybe she thinks I’m absurd for asking a guard to take a seat while the room is still full. Either way, after a long pause, she nods.
With the king gone, the ceiling has dimmed, and all aroundus, Fae have become more uninhibited. Some drift in groups out the doors, while others get comfortable at tables and couches.
Watching them makes me miss the comfort of the tavern on Alyssium. Letia and I would claim a table at the back while the crowd grew rowdier with every round of drinks. Some winters were so bad we’d get snowed in, so we’d take turns resting our heads on each other’s shoulders to sleep. I miss my friends. My home.
My father.
The hole that carved itself inside me when I lost him isn’t healing. If anything, it grows wider by the day.
“Hiding in the back as usual. I should have expected it.” Callum stops at the couch with his hands in his pockets, still wearing the same thing he was earlier.
He smiles down at me, and it’s another flash of the tavern. When I wasn’t home, he knew where to find me and Letia. The village was small, with not much to do once night settled in. He’d always find us in the back, whispering to each other.
Callum would claim to be at the tavern checking on the humans. But we knew he was really there for us because he’d steal the seat across the table and stay there all night.
“Are you going to sit down and have a drink or stand there and judge us?” I pat the seat beside me.
He grins, dropping into it. Snatching the wine from my hand, he takes a healthy sip.
When he hands it back to me, his gaze skates to my left. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this relaxed, Greer.”
Relaxed isn’t a word I’d use to describe Greer when her back is stiff, and she hasn’t so much as had a sip of wine, but at least she’s sitting.
“Same goes for you, Wilhelm.” Her eyes drop to his casual outfit.
It’s almost impossible to look at Callum tonight.He’s attractive in guard armor, but even more so when he’s relaxed like this. It’s hard to ignore every brush of his leg or graze of his arm. Which is why I avoid his gaze and sip my wine, hoping he thinks the drinks are the reason for my cheeks warming.
The crowd is thinner now and far more relaxed. Glancing at the far doorway, I notice Wilder walking in.
“Why is he here when Selia isn’t?”
“He’s probably looking for someone desperate enough to climb into his bed.” Greer huffs.
“Would they?” My eyebrows pinch. “He’s the king of Vaelier. He wants to destroy all of us.”
