Page 61 of A Beastly Court

His hands clenched, the veins and tendons in his forearms surging upwards in sharp relief. The fae king fought for a measure of calm, remembering his promise to me, and said stiffly, “If you would be patient a moment, I will see about acquiring more flowers.”

“I’d like to come inside for a minute. Get a drink?”

“As you will,” he nearly snapped, sucking in another sharp breath before turning on his heel and, without waiting for me, stormed out of the courtyard.

“I suppose that’s progress,” I muttered, closing the door behind me and hurrying for the atrium where I hoped to find not only the drink I actually wanted, but my friends. It would be better if I sent Flora out for more plants instead of Ossian.

As it just so happened, Alec strode into the atrium the same moment I did, a ham the size of his thigh clutched in his one fist. It was an effort to swallow my revulsion, but I managed to greet him in a clear voice.

He diverted from turning down the passageway that led to the great hall, his icy blue eyes equally curious and indignant at my audacity to call out to him.

“Only Cernunnos commands me, not you,” he practically spat at me. “You do not tell me to ‘stop a moment’ or any—”

“Oh shut up, Alec.” I thrust my left hand in front of his face. “You see this? It’s impossible to miss, what with the ruby being the size of a quail egg. This is an engagement ring, Alec, which means I’m to be your future queen. So you’ll listen to me, apparently whether I ask you politely or not.”

The man fumed, the bluish-green markings on his skin seeming to vibrate with his anger.

“I need you to take Flora back to her plant nursery with all due haste to get me more plants. Anything that will fit in that wagon,” I added, thinking back on Ossian’s ire. “Jam packed, actually.”

Alec snorted. “Are you serious? I’m a Brother of the—”

“Do it, Alec. Right. Now. Or maybe I’ll convince your dear Cernunnos that maybe you aren’t fit to rule in his stead like he thinks you are.”

He visibly started, quickly mastering himself. “Don’t mess with me, Meadow. Did Cernunnos really say—”

“Prove to me you can follow my simple requests,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, “as well as take care of your future subjects, and I won’t say a word against you when the time comes.”

Alex wet his lips, his icy blue eyes darting over my face looking for any sign that I was lying. “Fine, milady. It shall be done at once, after I feed the bear. We’ll be back within the hour.”

“Thank you.”

He grunted, but at least he didn’t roll his eyes. The man broke off into a sprint, and I picked up an abandoned water glass on the table, feeling rather pleased with myself. Maybe I was suited to being a queen. That thought wavered at the sound of the grizzly bear’s roar echoing down into the atrium.

I found myself reaching for Sawyer through the hole in the foraging bag, and stopped.

Ruling in the Court of Beasts would be impossible if I couldn’t master one thing: my fear of the bear. There were far more dangerous things than bears in Elfame, Ossian had told me, and I wasn’t going to be a weak and trembling queen. And I couldn’t always rely on my cat.

I set the water glass down and popped the cork off the barrel Charlie had delivered. Apple brandy. It burned going down even while it was sweet on the tongue, but it warmed up my insides and strengthened my resolve.

With the barrel in hand, I headed off to the great hall to test my mettle against our greatest enemy.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“Meadow, are you sure about this?” Sawyer asked. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“I got this,” I muttered, draining the last of the brandy barrel and tossing it aside. It clattered loudly against the stone floor, making me wince.

“You’re being very brave,” the cat told me proudly, ignoring the barrel. “And who knows? Maybe this thing between you and the bear is just one big misunderstanding. You could set him free! Maybe it’s a princess-frog thing where you gotta kiss him.”

“What? I’m not going in there to set him free. I’m going in there to pick a fight.”

Sawyer’s ears flattened as he gasped, “Meadow! Don’t—”

Squaring my shoulders, I shoved open the side door to the great hall and marched inside.

It was gloomy here, the windows only facing the waterfall ravine to the east and not capturing much of the afternoon sunlight. The blue flames of the massive fireplace were low, just licking over the logs, and providing the bear no relief from the draft created by the windows.

I’d only taken one step into the great hall when the grizzly rose, growling from deep in his chest. At least it wasn’t an ear-shattering roar.