Page 73 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

Instead of a long banquet table that would have been set up for a special occasion in Emeraldia, smaller tables were scattered around the outer edges of the room, leaving an open space in the center for dancing. As I pulled Adrian in that direction, the few already dancing couples moved out of the way to accommodate our first dance as husband and wife.

Husband and wife. I drew up short at the thought. Thankfully, Adrian took the lead, placing his hand on my waist and lifting our already joined hands for a dance. As we started moving, my skirts suddenly felt lighter, and when I looked down and behind me, the endless train was gone.

“Did you remove my train?” I looked at Adrian.

“No, Thea did.” He nodded to the right, and I followed his gaze to the girl, who smiled and waved, standing with her sister, Cora.

I gave her an appreciative nod before refocusing on Adrian. “Tarn only said what he said to get a rise out of you.” I kept my voice low since we were surrounded by creatures with extraordinary hearing abilities.

“Well, he succeeded,” he replied equally low.

“He shouldn’t have. I would never do something like that.”

Adrian’s gaze softened. “I trust you.”

“I wish I could trust you,” I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them.

“I wish for the same thing. I will work on earning your trust for as long as it takes.”

I stared at him for a few seconds before letting my gaze wander off. It landed on Luna dancing with Tarn, and I grimaced as my heart sank. Even though I didn’t know him, I didn’t believe that the prince had a single decent bone in his body. Luna was playing with fire. I made a mental note to warn her about him as I dragged my gaze away from them. It snagged on another familiar face—Adrian’s mate. I still didn’t know her name because she hadn’t come up to the dais to pay her respects. If I had thought her beautiful before, in her Fae form, she was truly stunning. Her long, dark-brown locks fell around her slim figure in perfect waves, shimmering and glossy. Her doe eyes were framed by the fullest black lashes, and her pillowy lips were the richest red hue. I could never compete with that.

“Ask me,” Adrian whispered.

“What?” I looked back at him.

“Ask me if I still have feelings for her,” he challenged as he had two weeks prior.

“It doesn’t matter. I want to get some air.” I stopped dancing and pulled my hand away from his. “Alone,” I added when he stepped to follow after me.

He scowled but stayed put as I walked out of the Banquet Hall through the open double doors. They led into a garden, which looked enchanting under the silvery moonlight. I strolled away from the castle, enjoying the balmy breeze. The weather in Aubrielle was warm, while winter still reigned in Emeraldia. I hoped to change that soon, though I wasn’t sure how long it would take to bring the kingdoms fully into balance.

Lost in thought, I walked for a while until the sound of running water drew my gaze up from the path under my feet. A stately fountain sat to my left, with sparkling water cascading down the three-tier centerpiece into a large round basin. I must have put a considerable distance between me and the castle because the roar of the celebration had become a muted hum. Deciding to rest before heading back, I walked to the fountain and perched on the stone ledge of the pool. The water inside it was glowing, illuminated by the small fish that radiated a silver light. Mesmerized, I watched their unhurried undulating movements, until suddenly one of the fish jumped out of the water. Another one followed, then another, and soon, they had created a circle, jumping right after the other. A soft gasp of wonder left me as the corners of my lips curved up.

“You have a gorgeous smile. Unfortunate it never made an appearance during the ceremony,” a smooth, velvet voice drifted toward me. I turned away from the jumping fish and followed the sound to the tall, lithe Fae man who had stepped out of the shadowy part of the garden.

“Thank you, um…” The faerie was a member of the court, but I couldn’t recall his name.

“Lord Finnian, but you can call me Finn, Your Majesty.” He bowed with the grace of a dancer. When he looked up, I was instantly captivated by his eyes, which were golden like mine.

“Your eyes. They are similar to mine,” I observed, angling my head.

“They are.” He smiled as he straightened from the bow and stepped closer. “And the color of my province is almost identical to Emeraldia.” He pinched a small section of the dress shirt covering his chest to draw my attention to the forest-green hue.

“What a coincidence.”

“Maybe it’s not a coincidence,” he drawled as he sat beside me on the edge of the fountain. In closer proximity, his eyes were more amber than gold, reminding me of whiskey or warm honey. That didn’t take away from their striking effect.

“Maybe I’m your mate,” the man purred, running his ringed thumb and pointer finger under his full bottom lip.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” I chuckled.

“Ouch!” He touched his chest as if my words wounded him.

“That’s not what I mean.” I chuckled again. “I am not Fae, so I don’t think I can have a Fae mate.” My smile faded as I thought about Adrian and his mate.

“Until two weeks ago, we thought that our kingdom was doomed, but then you found a way to siphon Silberium from our prince. Is having a Fae mate truly that out of the realm of possibility?” Finn challenged with a genial smile.

“No, I suppose not, but what a cruel fate—to have a mate but be married to another.” I frowned as I once again thought about Adrian.