AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s right,” the fae said smoothly, his eyes drifting over to Nua.
“Well, sorry, but you can’t stay here.”
He froze. They all did.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not living here.” Ash sipped his water after handing glasses to Nua and Gillie. “I don’t need or want courtiers. I’ll help you find somewhere else to live in the town, but you can’t stay here.”
“But…” His eyes darted frantically to the other courtiers, as if looking for support. “But we are noble fae, my king. We can’t… live among the Folk.”
“What makes you noble?”
The fae stared at him in stunned silence for a moment. “We… we come from higher stock.”
Ash snorted. “Okay. Sure. Well, let’s hope there are homes in the town befitting yourstation, then.”
Gillie tried to muffle his snort of laughter behind his glass, and the fae’s eyes narrowed as they darted to him.
“Of course,” he said, his voice tight with suppressed anger as green eyes swept over all of us. “Will you introduce us to your… acquaintances, my king?”
“You know Prince Nua already, surely.”
The fae’s eyes fixed on Nua.
“Of course,” he said again, nodding his head in a tiny bow. “It has been many years since we have seen you, Prince Nua.”
“Well, you’ll see a lot of him now,” Ash said airily, gesturing at Gillie. “This is Gillie. Nua’s partner.”
He turned his head towards me with a smile, setting down his water to thread our fingers back together. “And this is the unseelie prince Lonan. I’m sure you know of him already too.”
The noble Folk all stared at me hard. I made sure my cold mask was in place, sweeping flat eyes over them all. Several cringed and looked away.
“Indeed. Highly unusual.” The fae let out a little laugh. “And you are… together?”
“Yes.” Ash stared at him hard. “We are.”
The fae’s eyes drifted back to me. I stared back at him impassively.
“I imagine the Carlin had something to say about that.”
“The Carlin can go fuck herself.” Ash ignored their shocked faces, turning towards the doors behind us. “Are we doing this, or what?”
Jora hurried forward from where she’d been fidgeting at the side. “I’ll go and check to see if the Folk have arrived, my king.”
She heaved open one of the doors and slipped outside. Ash glanced over his shoulder at the noble Folk still standing there in silence.
“You should probably go out there,” he commented. “I’ll address everyone at once.”
The fae’s jaw clenched, but he gave a stiff nod. “Of course.”
They all gave jerky bows and moved reluctantly towards the doors. The moment they were gone, Nua snorted out a little laugh.
“You’ll be a good king.”
Ash glanced at him, letting the nerves bleed into his face now that they were gone. “Will I? Because I have no fucking idea what I’m doing. I just know I don’t want those pompous douchebags swanning around here.”
My brows twitched as I wondered what adouchebagwas, but I didn’t ask.
