Page 51 of Fate of the Sun King

Nadir is my fucking mate.

“I’ve kept you long enough,” I say. “I think Nadir should be back any minute.”

“You don’t have to leave,” she says, and I get the sense that today, she needed me as much as I needed her.

“I’ll be back tomorrow if that’s okay? This has been a lot of information, and I think I just need some air. A moment to clear my head.”

“Of course. I’d love it if you came back. I’ll try to think of some more stories. I want to hear more about your siblings too. I know we’ve never met, but Serce and I were so close that you all feel like my own grandchildren. We’re family.”

“Thank you for all of this,” I say. “Truly. You have no idea how much it means to me. And I’ll bring Tristan—he should be here soon.”

“Wonderful,” she says with a soft smile, and I turn to leave, heading back the way I came.

The tea shop is closed for the evening, though many of the same Fae I saw upstairs linger at one of the tables, a pot of tea sitting between them. Instinctively, I search for the woman Nadir was flirting with, and when I see she isn’t amongst them, my stomach twists.

Zerra. What am I going to do about any of this?

They all stop talking as I enter the room, and I can’t help feeling like I’m a specimen on display.

“Hi,” I say. I can sense they want to ask me a thousand questions, but after what I just learned, I need to be anywhere but confined to this stuffy room. “See you later.”

I look down at my feet and then rush across the room, shoving open the door and taking a deep inhale of the cool night air. For several moments, I stand with my eyes closed and my face tipped up, trying to calm the thundering rush of my pulse. When I open them, I’m greeted with the breathtaking sights of a blanket of stars and a silver moon high in the sky.

I look around. The street is quieter than earlier, with just a few people nodding to me as they pass. Snow is gently starting to fall, dusting everything in a coating of icy sparkles. The temperature has dropped, and I rub my hands, peering down the street, both ready to call it a night but also anticipating the sight of Nadir.

What am I going to do when I see him? What do I say? We need to talk about this. Does he know? What does this mean? But what if I’m wrong? I can’t stop the same unproductive thoughts from churning in pointless loops. This is not how I imagined this day would end.

I stamp my feet as the chill settles in my limbs, and now I’m getting annoyed. Where is he? I think of that small room and that tiny bed that we’re supposed to share, and knots of desire and rage flare in my stomach.

Zerra. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to sleep next to him again and pretend it’s innocent. My mate. I wonder if I’m having a panic attack as I struggle to breathe, my skin flushing and my temple throbbing.

Where the fuck is he?

He’s with that woman. That’s the only explanation. I check the watch in my pocket and then grimace. He isn’t late. He still has fifteen minutes left.

I blow out a sigh and will myself to get my shit together. Calm down, Lor.

How am I going to look him in the eye ever again?

Pacing in front of the shop, I stew in my thoughts, when a sound catches my attention. Someone’s crying—it sounds like a child. I notice a small boy standing at the corner with fat tears running down his face. He’s sniffling loudly, his narrow chest heaving. I haven’t spent much time around children, and it’s hard to guess his age, but he looks small. And frightened.

I approach him cautiously, trying not to scare him. When I’m a few feet away, I crouch down on a knee.

“Are you okay?” I ask, and he looks over, hiccuping through his tears. He wipes his face with his hand, pulling out a string of snot. “I lost my mum,” he says. “We were in the market, and I turned around, and she was gone.”

I look around, hoping to find a harried woman already careening our way, but there’s no one in sight. I can’t just leave him like this.

“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll help you find her,” I say.

The little boy frowns. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

I nod. Smart kid. “Right. You’re absolutely right. Can I just sit next to you until she returns then? Was the market close by?”

The boy’s shoulders relax as I sink down on my heel.

“Not really,” he says. “I was chasing a feather, and it was a long time, I think. When I looked up, everything was different.”

Okay then. Well, still, he can’t have gone that far.