Page 22 of A Fate In Moonstone

Why be around me if all he wanted to do was keep his distance?

The answer came instantly and I sighed.

Tor.

He may not have known who I was on that day in these woods, but he knew now. The princess who was practically betrothed to his brother. An untouchable woman.

Despite the draw we both shared, he was right. I needed to stay away. Otherwise, I’d find myself doing something stupid like fighting him or kissing his stupid smirk.

A splash came from the creek, and a pair of yellow eyes watched me from the water.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving.”

The creature blinked and I wasn’t willing to stick around to see how far they could crawl on land for their prey. I left for the palace, this time taking my time to clear all the jumbled thoughts in my head.

There was another ball tonight. My father wanted a do-over since the last was ruined by the attack.

No one blinked at the declaration this afternoon. We frequently held gatherings in the palace as it was a perfect opportunity for business talks, clandestine affairs, and merriment.

The Fae got rowdy after the moon rose. Being sensual was in our nature. The tension usually broke, drunk Fae caused trouble covertly, and you’d find couples, or groups tucked away pleasuring each other.

Mother usually left for her quarters before the wild hours started, but my father thought it proved our kingdom was prosperous to provide safety for such happenings to occur without judgements.

Hopefully Tor and I would leave beforehand.

Although, as I stepped into view of the kingdom again, I wondered if that was the true intentions of trying the ball again. Perhaps my father wanted Tor and I to be surrounded by the sinful energy of others so that we’d give in and move this relationship along faster.

I wish I knew why it mattered so much. If it were about my happiness, you’d think I’d have a say. What did Father know that I didn’t?

Nyx waited for me as I walked into the palace and immediately told me all the gossip I missed while out on my stroll. My thoughts were still on Rune, Tor, and the ball tonight as she talked aimlessly.

“He turned her down,” she babbled on, “which of course he did because he has you. But somehow it was still unexpected.”

“What?” I said, shaking my head to make sense of her words. “Who turned down who?”

“Prince Torin. He turned down Salvia. Such a shameless flirt. She tried claiming you and her were best friends and that you okayed her dancing with him all night at the ball.”

My eyes rolled. I was not friends with that Cat Fae.

“I mean, monogamy is a thing and all but we both know not all royals stick to it. If he said yes, I was ready to kick his ass,” she said and I gave her a sarcastic look.

Nyx was no fighter. The worse she’d do was yell at him. Maybe stick him with a sewing needle or sketch him poorly in her book.

“Okay, well, I’d give him a piece of my mind,” she amended, “and then you could kick his ass. But it doesn’t matter because he said no. That’s pretty great in my opinion.”

We wandered through the stone passages on the bottom floor and walked up the back way to the royal hall.

“You have very low expectations of males and relationships.” I opened the door to my room and flopped onto my bed.

What a day.

“Yes, because males aren’t trustworthy and I’ve yet to see one that stays true.”

“My parents have stayed together a long time,” I countered and regretted it instantly.

“I may not be able to prove it, but your dad goes on a lot of long hunting trips. They barely touch or look at each other like they like each other,” she said with a softer voice, knowing I hated hearing her observations.

She was right, but I didn’t want to think about it.