Page 22 of Fae Games

He slipped an arm around my waist and rested his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go,” he murmured into my ear. “I can’t wait to see you try on those gowns.”

The next store we passed had live mannequins in the window display, dressed in sheer gowns that skimmed their svelte bodies. Their dragonfly wings were adorned with diamanté, making me wonder what kind of accessories they sold.

“Otherworld Outfitters has the best seamstresses.” Prince Caulden inclined his head at the doorman, who let us inside.

I expected to see rows of garments, just like the stores patronized by every single Real Housewife. Instead, there was only a single velvet sofa with a male sitting in the middle and reaching for his champagne flute.

Prince Rory raised his head and grinned. “You took your time. Hurry along, Unity, the garment mistress is waiting to get you out of that uniform.”

Chapter 6

Prince Caulden and I stopped in the middle of the clothes store and shared confused glances. From his wide, gray eyes and slack features, it was clear that the winter prince didn’t know his brother would be here, but I had to ask.

“Was Prince Rory behind the black swans?”

“And the crows, and the jackdaws.” Prince Rory raised a fluted glass containing sparkling liquid. It was too dark to be champagne and looked like flower nectar that had enchanted with bubbles.

“What are you doing here?” Prince Caulden dropped the hand on my back and stormed across the empty store.

I took stock of my surroundings. Marble adorned its floors and ceiling, while each wall was either mirrored or contained the window display.

The mannequins with dragonfly wings twisted around to get a better look at the two princes, who squared off to each other like rutting stags I’d once seen in a nature DVD. All they needed were a pair of antlers, and they were ready to battle.

“You said I could have Unity,” Prince Rory snarled. “Why are you trying to poach her for yourself?”

Prince Caulden’s shoulders broadened, and the temperature in the store plummeted. “The better question is why you left her in the Mound and failed to secure a mating bond.”

Frost formed on the surface of the mirrors and froze the floor. The live mannequins wrapped their arms around their svelte bodies and shivered.

“Hey.” I raised my hand. Didn’t anyone ever tell these two not to argue in public?

The Autumn Court prince bared his teeth. “What kind of gentleman forms a mating bond with a lady in the upstairs room of a tavern?”

“The same who would take advantage of her in said institution.”

My cheeks burned, and I dipped my head and stared down at the carpet of frost forming under my feet. This was just verbal sparring. Two siblings fighting over something they both wanted. It wouldn’t result in an all-out war.

Prince Caulden continued to disparage his brother’s unseemly conduct, making me squirm. Words like ‘take advantage of’ and ‘vulnerable’ reminded me too much of how Sicily had described my relationship with Elijah.

Eventually, the words stopped, and a warm breeze blew around the room, melting all the ice. The boys glowered and growled at each other like feral beasts, making me wonder if they were related in any way to the ogre with the enormous bat wings from the stone garden.

They were both of the same height with muscular builds that looked like they’d been carved by a master craftsman. The breeches of their uniforms skimmed muscular buttocks that I longed to squeeze.

“Your Highnesses?” I said for want of a better way to address them in public.

Neither of them turned around. They were both too engrossed in hate-staring at each other to notice me.

I sighed and rubbed my fingertips over my temples, which now pounded. It was great having two powerful males vying to mate with me, but it also made me cringe to come between two brothers. If only there was a way I could have them both.

One of the mirrors on the back creaked open, and the most colorless faerie I’d ever seen peered out. A mop of powder-white curls sat piled on the top of her head with curls that framed her slender face.

She glanced from me to the bickering princes, her pale mouth forming a perfect ‘o’.

I beckoned her forward, and she stepped into the central part of the store, clad in a shimmering white dress. Behind her flapped dragonfly wings, their transparent membranes dusted with white sparkles.

“Forgive my interruption, Your Highnesses.” She bobbed into a curtsey. “But Her Majesty will arrive in two hours.”

Both princes stepped apart, sporting near-identical grimaces. The wind died down to the barest of breezes, and the temperature of the room rose back to normal.