“Have you seen him?” Greer tics an eyebrow as the crowd parts.
His dark shirt hugs his muscular arms. The ties at his collar are open, showing off a patch of bare chest. He’s obscenely attractive. Dark runes cover his skin, with the faintest hint of a shimmer at their edges, like his magic can’t be contained within him. His golden eyes glow, and when his jaw tightens, it draws out the strength in his features.
I clear my throat. “What about him?”
Greer smirks, reading me easily. But I refuse to entertain how handsome Wilder is when all he wants is to destroy the kingdom. No matter how his face lights when he laughs at something someone says.
A female approaches Wilder, smiling up at him. Her red hair is in thick curls down her back, and her dress leaves little to the imagination. It shouldn’t matter, and yet, something in my chest revolts at the thought of him being interested in her, so I look away.
“You two are just as bad as all the other females in the room watching him.” Callum chuckles.
Greer’s eyes immediately look anywhere else, and I realize she was staring as intently as I was.
“What are those rune markings Wilder has?” I ask, trying not to imagine the red-haired female running her fingers all over them. “I’ve never seen those on any other Fae.”
“They’re rare.” Greer sinks back, relaxing as I take another sip. “But he’s not the only one with marks from the gods.”
“The actual gods?”
Greer smiles, glancing at Callum, and I wish I hadn’t said that. It’s easy to feel so naive as I navigate this entirely different world. On Alyssium, I was a smart, strong, capable woman. Here, I’m a weak, ignorant human.
“There aren’t many Fae with gods’ marks,” Callum says, nudging my shoulder like he can sense me getting in my head. “They appear at random. Usually, after something terrible happens.”
“How terrible?”
Callum’s gaze moves to Wilder, who is still talking to the beautiful female. Her fingers graze his forearm, and he shifts back ever so slightly.
“Wilder got his during the final battle, right before he was locked in the prison. He was”—Callum pauses, glancing at Greer—“near death when they appeared.”
“Were you there?”
Callum shakes his head. “I was on Alyssium already.”
“I was there,” Greer says, her expression colder now. “They shone gold before they went dark. I always thought it was a rumor that the marks were those of the gods until I saw it myself. Something other than magic went through him. Whatever it was, it saved him. I will say he has more marks than any other Fae I’ve seen or heard of. Usually, gods’ marks are contained to one part of the body. Wilder’s are extensive.”
“What does that mean?”
“Only the gods know.” She shrugs.
I watch Wilder, talking freely. He’s rarely here when KingMalachi isn’t, but it seems most Fae stayed tonight. The room relaxes around us, and maybe they need the break as much as I do. A moment to not feel the pressure of being on display.
Something stirs at the edge of the room, and I spot two males getting rowdy. A guard steps between them as the first throws a punch.
“And you thought you could dress down to get a day off.” Greer chuckles, glancing at Callum.
“My mistake.” He pushes to stand at the same time as Greer. “We’ll be back.”
Callum and Greer cross the room, just as another male gets involved in the brawl. Unlike at the tavern back home, no one watches and stares. It’s almost as if they expect this and are simply waiting for it to contain itself.
I take a sip of wine, smiling as Greer snatches a male’s wrist and twists his arm around, pinning him against the wall. After being surrounded by male guards my entire life, it’s refreshing to see a female keeping them in line.
Callum and Greer wrangle the males and escort them from the room, and I continue sipping wine. When it’s empty, a pretty female circles and fills it back up. I’m slower with this glass, as my head is already swimming. Halfway through, I realize Callum and Greer still haven’t returned.
The lights are dimmer now, like the sun is setting and it’s just dipped below the horizon. The music changes to a sorrowful tune.
“Your bodyguards left you all alone.” Wilder drops into the seat beside me when I hadn’t seen him approach. Unlike Callum, he leaves no space between us, pressing his leg right up against my bare thigh.
My thin blue dress is thankfully not sheer tonight, but the slit reaches my hip, hiding little with how I’m sitting.
