Fergus reached out, stopping me with a hand on my arm. “Would you like the first dance this night, Amber from Iadrun?”
His question surprised me so much, it took a moment of mouth-opened surprise before I answered, shaking my head. “I can’t. There’s an order. I … have to dance last.”
He almost smiled again. “You make it sound as if you do not wish to dance with me.”
I shook my head a second time, knowing I was taking up too much of his time. That everyone in the room was staring at us while wondering of what we spoke. All I wanted was to become part of that crowd. And to stand here staring into those deep brown eyes.
I drew a breath. “Of course I wish to dance with you. But I have been informed that tonight comes with many rules, one of which being that the person who was drawn last must take the final dance of the evening. And that person is me.” I glanced out at the sea of people, catching a glare from Piper. “There are forty-one other girls who deserve your attention first, and you’ll be upsetting them if you don’t stick to the regulations.”
I waited for him to nod and dismiss me, but his eyes narrowed. “Call me a rebel. I like to break the rules.” He held one hand out to muted gasps from the onlookers around the room. “Would you care to dance?”
I stared at his hand, caught between desperately wanting to slip my fingers into his, and knowing that it was the very last thing I should do.
“You know, some would call it insolence, your refusal to do as I ask.” His eyes danced, the boredom banished for the moment, and a smile played at his lips.
I shook my head. “It’s not insolence at all, your Highness. Just a wish that I might not be the girl who gets you into trouble for not following protocol.” Or the girl who gets noticed by everyone for the same thing.
Now he smiled. “Don’t worry, there’s no chance of that.”
“There isn’t?” Because there seemed like a high chance to me.
He nodded to his outstretched hand, waiting until I gave in and placed my hand in his before answering. “I can do what I like. I am a prince, after all.”
I drew in a breath. That was it. The line Jasmine had almost said, the one I hadn’t heard in close to a year. His fingers closed around my hand, our forearms brushing as he directed me off the bottom step and into the middle of the dance floor. It was as if he didn’t hear the shocked gasps from the rest of the room, for he paid them little heed.
He turned me to face him, his other hand settling on the small of my back. I lifted my hand to rest it upon his shoulder, meeting his eyes. I wasn’t sure I could ever tear my gaze away from him again.
The other guests moved to give us room, just as the band lifted the volume of their music. “Don’t look so worried.”
I smiled. “I’m not worried.” I didn’t want to enjoy this. But the longer my hand was in his, the more likely it seemed that I might never release it.
His eyes fell on my ears, and I lifted my hand from his shoulder, reflex making me want to pull my hair down to cover them. But my hair was tied back, and when I touched my ears, they weren’t deformed. I dropped my hand back to his shoulder, hoping I didn’t look as awkward as I felt.
Fergus shook his head. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ll not judge you for your rounded ears.” His eyes went distant, and his grip on my waist loosened. His feet stilled, and we drew to a stop on the dance floor.
“Prince Fergus? Are you all right?” I lifted myself up onto my toes, trying to get into his line of vision.
He blinked, his eyes clearing. Then he smiled down at me. “Yes. Yes. Perfectly fine. My apologies. You just … reminded me of something. Someone.” He blinked again, tightened his grip upon my waist, and led me around the dance floor. We turned and weaved in time with the beat until my head grew dizzy and my breathing grew ragged with exertion.
“So, you took your potion? I trust it didn’t taste too revolting?”
I frowned, unsure what we’d switched to speaking of. He’d been silent since we started dancing. “I … ah...”
“The potion that allowed you to come from Iadrun and stay in Faery without the magic in our realm driving you mad.”
My eyes widened. I was pretending to be a human. It should have been obvious what he was speaking of. “I hadn’t realized until I took it that there was such a potion.” That wasn’t even a lie. Until the Unseelie Court had explained to all of Faery how they would bring six women from Iadrun here for the Declaration, I hadn’t known about the potion.
Fergus nodded, eyes sparkling. “Now you are aware of one of our realm’s most closely guarded secrets.”
I placed a hand on my heart. How I loved seeing his eyes dance the way they were now. “I shall take it to the grave.”
Fergus laughed and for a moment, it felt like it always had between us. But his smile died faster than it ever had in the past. He looked over my shoulder and heaved out a deep sigh. “Well, Amber of Iadrun, it has been lovely to meet you, but I have another forty-one dances to get through before this evening is over, and Jax is giving me the evil eye.” He dropped my hand and stepped away.
I inclined my head, both grateful and disappointed that my time with him was over. And annoyed I hadn’t prepared myself for the return of the feelings I’d assumed had faded with our bond. “Well, we can’t have Jax angry at you.” I took him in one last time. I would destroy the black glass once I returned home, and this would be the final time I set eyes upon him. I could not allow myself to come back to Unseelie, or to take any notice of the goings on here. Not if I wanted to stay sane, because apparently, removing the bond didn’t remove my memories of the man, or my memories of the feelings I’d once had for him.
“It was nice to meet you, Amber.”
“It was nice to—” I almost choked on the words. “—meet you, too, your Highness.”
Before I could step away, Piper was there, falling into Fergus’ arms. Literally. She stumbled on something—probably her ego—right in front of him, and he caught her, laughing as he did. I backed away, dropping my eyes when he swept her up in his arms and led her around the dance floor to a fast beat.
As I sank into the crowd, someone caught my elbow. I could guess who it was.
I looked up to find Jax glaring down at me. “Miss Thornlea, is it?” He spoke between gritted teeth, and I was painfully aware he knew exactly who he was talking to. But he would not call me out right in the middle of all these guests, either.
I nodded.
“Come with me, if you don’t mind.” To anyone listening, it might have sounded like he was giving me a choice, but he wasn’t. He placed my hand in the crook of his elbow. His pace was so fast as we walked away from the dance floor that I was almost running to keep up.
We left the ballroom through a door hidden behind tropical plants and he rushed me down a narrow hallway that I suspected was only used by staff. No pictures adorned the white walls, and the wooden floor was without a carpet runner.
Jax stopped at the first door we found and pushed me through it. He slammed it shut behind him, then strode across the small room. It was an office with just a tidy desk and one chair with little other adornment. Jax peered out the window into the darkness. His shoulders rose and fell as if he’d been running, but I guessed his breathing was rough because he was angry with me. “What in the stars, Bria?”
I dropped into the chair. “You can see through the disguise then?” Just as Father had warned me he would.
He whirled around to face me, his eyes cold. “I understand you’re clueless about many things in Faery, but this should not have been one of those things.”
I glared back. Of course, I hadn’t expected otherwise, but it was good to hear his true thoughts about me. “Clueless?”
“That’s what I said.” He lifted his chin and folded his arms over his chest. “I mean, I assume you are aware that by entering the competition to become Fergus’ wife, you can’t leave until he releases you.”
I screwed up my face. It was supposed to be a smile, but didn’t feel the slightest bit like one. “Okay, Jax. I get it. You don’t want me here. But I’m not stupid enough to believe there is only one way I can exit this competition. You’re Fergus’ second in command. I’m certain you can get me out of here. You just don’t want to.”
He sighed, his voice dropping a level. “Why are you even here? Don’t you realize if you let your glamour slip, the Court of Light will demand Fergus’ life?”
“Of course I realize,” I snapped, jumping to my feet. “Surely you know I wouldn’t have come if I thought there was another way to find the woman who poisoned Fergus.”
Jax blew out a breath and ran a hand down his face, exasperation filling his voice. “That’s what this is about?”
I nodded. “Why did you think I was here?”
He shook his head and moved to sit on the edge of the windowsill. “I’m not sure. A leftover sense of jealousy? You certainly looked comfortable in the prince’s arms on the dance floor.”
How it hurt to hear him speak to me in this detached manner, as if Fergus were only the Crown Prince of Unseelie, not someone who had once been my friend.
I stared at him, trying to work out if he was serious about me being jealous. He seemed to be. “We had the bond removed. I have no sense of jealousy. Only the sense that I don’t want Faery left to people we can’t trust, and if someone poisoned your Crown Prince, then that could very well happen.”
He turned to stare out the window again, leaning his hands against the sill. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “There was no poison, Bria. We tested his mug and could find no trace of anything. And there was nothing in his body.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what or who you were watching. But it wasn’t Fergus.”
I stared at his back, replaying in my mind what I’d seen. Was there a chance I’d mistaken someone else for Fergus? No. Not even a slight chance. I’d seen his face. I’d seen that woman put something in his mug. “I know what I saw.” I spoke equally softly.
He sighed. “Let’s just pretend I believe you.” He didn’t need to say he didn’t. It was clear by the tone of his voice. “Do you have any evidence about who might have done such a thing?”
I thought about all those blonde-haired women competing for Fergus’ attention and sighed. “No. They all look the same. Half of them have colored their hair to hide their individualism.”
He turned and gave a wry smile, which made my shoulders loosen an increment. The smile reminded me of the friendship we’d once had. “Just what Fergus wants. Someone who’s going to act like every other fae in the realm.”
I let out a strangled laugh. “If only they knew.”
“I was serious before, Bria. You can’t go home until Ferg releases you.”
I shrugged. “Well, that will not be a problem. Did you see all the beautiful women competing for his attention?” It wasn’t a big deal. Everleigh had made a fine job of my disguise, but I wasn’t even half as beautiful as the other competitors.
“I saw.” He stared out the window again, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But I also saw him come alive while he was dancing with you in a way he hasn’t since … since you left. I’d wager the Unseelie Castle that he won’t send you home tonight.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t stay here. I had a kingdom to run. “Can’t you have a word to him? Tell him I’m a spy or something?”
This drew another wry smile from Jax. “You look like a human. He’s not going to believe that.”
“So, what happens to me, then?” Panic surged through my veins. I didn’t want to be stuck here. I certainly didn’t want to risk Fergus’ life.
Jax turned around. “You stay. You compete in the next challenge. You do everything you can to lose. And you hope Fergus forgets any connection he might have thought you had and sends you home.”
I nodded. There were three more tests after which Fergus would send girls’ home before making his final decision. What those tests were, I had no idea, but I was certain I could lose the next one. “Can you do one thing for me?”
He pressed his lips together. It was clear he still wished I hadn’t set foot in Unseelie, but to his credit, he nodded.
“Would you get someone to check Fergus’ magic? I came here today because Everleigh and I think it looks lighter. Maybe the poison, or whatever I saw him take, weakened his magic but left no trace.”
Jax’s lips were still pursed.
“Please, Jax. Just get Fergus to check. Or ask someone else who sees magic to do it secretly. Where’s the harm?”
He swallowed. “Very well. I’ll check. But don’t expect us to find anything.”
FIVE
By the time Fergus had danced with each of the forty-one girls, I was about as ready to leave the ballroom as he looked to be. Even removing my shoes and digging my toes into the soft sand didn’t make me want to stay—the ballroom might have looked like Lanwick Island, but it didn’t feel like Lanwick Island. It didn’t feel like home.
Just as I was about to move away from the beach, a yell from behind made me turn. The water had receded back a long way, leaving just the shell covered beach. Then someone yelled again. People were pointing. I followed their gazes and saw a wave of water coming toward us. A wave big enough to knock everyone on the beach off their feet.
“Get off the beach,” I yelled. No one listened. They thought it was part of the show. I was fairly certain it wasn’t. The waves at Lanwick Island never did such a thing.
I searched the dance floor for Fergus. If he was putting on some sort of display of power, surely he’d be watching. But no. He was sweeping Dora around the dancefloor, oblivious to the destruction headed our way.
I grabbed the woman closest to me. “Come on. We have to get off the beach.”
There must have been something in my voice, because she nodded and started running.
The wave smashed down against the sand. People who had gone out to look at the newly beached shells screamed as it pushed them over and dragged them under.
I sprinted up the beach. “Prince Fergus!” I needed him, or whoever had spelled the ballroom to look this way, to get control of their spell.
Water pushed past me, up to my knees, my thighs. It took everything I had to stay on my feet as the current rushed around me.
Then it receded.
I planted my feet, but the woman I’d told to run wasn’t prepared. She swept past me in the water.
I reached out and grabbed her hand, her momentum almost pulling me off my feet. “Put your feet on the ground and brace them!”
She nodded and did as I asked, her eyes filled with panic.
Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the water was gone.
Fergus stood on the top of the steps, magic dripping from his hands.
I turned to look down the beach. People lay on the sand coughing. But all of them were at least moving. Some of them even laughed, still thinking Fergus had planned this.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed the show. If you’d all come up off the beach, you’ll find your outfits will be as good as new.”
I did as he asked. The second I reached the top step, the water disappeared from my body and dress, and I was, as Fergus said, as good as new. For the rest of the evening, people spoke about the wonderful display Fergus had put on with awe in their voices.
Finally, Jax and Fergus made their way to the second to bottom step of the staircase I’d used to enter the ballroom, and Jax called for everyone’s attention. It took only two breaths for the entire room to grow silent and turn toward the prince and his second in command.
Fergus’ gaze was distant, his face drawn, and he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, doing anything else. But Jax nudged him in the ribs and Fergus cleared his throat. “Ladies of the Declaration, could you please step forward?”
With all the other women, I filed forward to stand in a line in front of the s
taircase, my back to Fergus.
“If I call your name, please step backward out of the line and move to your right, where one of my staff will be waiting for you. You will remain here at the castle for another three days under my hospitality before competing again. Should I not call your name, please exit to the left. You will be free to leave. To everyone who was my guest tonight, it has been my pleasure to host you. I hope you enjoyed yourselves.” There was a pause, and with my back to him, I couldn’t see what he was doing, though I imagined him pulling notes from his pocket. Or, more likely, a list of the names he was about to read out. He cleared his throat. “Piper Ashfox.”
I almost groaned. Not that anyone would have heard it above Piper’s excited squeals. I had no clue what he saw in that girl. But I had no time to ponder it further, as Fergus called the next name.
“Amber Thornlea.”
From farther along the line, Dora clapped, meeting my eyes as I turned, and giving me a huge grin. I didn’t know whether to smile or cry. It wasn’t a surprise. Not after Jax had warned me I was likely to have to stay tonight. I wanted to return to Seelie. I had so much work to do there. But on the other hand, I was certain while I was here I could look out for Fergus, at least for the next few days. No matter what Jax said, I still believed Fergus was in trouble.
Banging on the door of my rooms woke me. I’d slept so well and so deeply, it took a moment to recall where I was.
I rubbed my hands down my face, looking around the sun-filled room that I hadn’t bothered to take in last night before climbing out of my dress and falling into the enormous bed. The room was on a corner, windows looking north and east across Unseelie. Three holes remained gauged in the walls, a remnant of the last time I was here. Jax Sunfall had a sick sense of humor, because he’d given me the very room King Aengus had imprisoned me in for three months.
Checking to make sure the pin that concealed my identity remained secured to the slip I’d worn as a nightdress, I took the dressing gown that lay over the back of a chair and wrapped it around myself before padding over to my door.
Kingdom of Future's Hope (Royals of Faery Book 4) Page 6