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He laughed at my blunt answer, looking over at Jora, who was scraping her plate clean.
“Eat as much as you want, Jora.” He smiled at her. “We’re going to go now.”
She nodded with her mouth full, jumping up from the table and smoothing down her dress. “I appreciate the food very much, King Ash.”
He picked up her cup and handed it to her. “Finish your wine too.”
She flushed and took a sip. “Should I… Shall I bring your breakfast to your room in the morning? Or will you be eating in the dining room?”
Ash smirked at me. “Don’t worry about it—sleep in. We’ll find food when we’re hungry.”
Her flush deepened as she looked between us, but she gave Ash a smile. As we stood up from the table, Fioda swept over with Mol clopping behind her.
“You lasted longer than I thought you would,” she said with a sly smile, flicking her gaze over to me as she clasped Ash’s hand. “Congratulations again. Come and visit me whenever you want to talk.”
“Oh. I will.” Ash smiled hesitantly at her. “Um… where do you live?”
She laughed. “You’ll find me if you want me.”
He shot me a quick look but nodded, leaning down to accept the kiss she placed on his cheek. The Folk finally seemed to notice that Ash was leaving, because a huge cheer went up—this one far louder and more raucous than the one from his coronation.
Ash flushed and raised a hand, which made them cheer louder, as he stepped away from the table.
I went to join him, but Fioda placed a gentle hand on my arm and gazed up at me with bright gold eyes that had no pupils.
“You will struggle here,” she murmured, her voice inaudible to everyone else over the roaring of the Folk. “It won’t become easier. The opposite, in fact. He is more now. Too much for you, as is this place. Don’t wait too long to take your crown, Holly King.”
I stared at her, wondering for a second if Ash had told her anything. But I knew he wouldn’t have.
How did she know?
“He won’t think you’re weak,” she continued, her eyes flicking over to Ash. “Don’t hide it from him.”
What? I didn’t understand what she meant, but foreboding made my stomach tighten. I gave her a clipped nod, and she released my arm and stepped back with a smile.
I hesitated for a second before walking over to join Ash, forcing myself not to glance back at her.
“You okay?” he asked, threading his fingers through mine.
I nodded and let him pull me away, the sounds of the Folk growing dimmer as we walked across the meadow towards the palace. It grew dark the moment we were away from the lanterns surrounding the tables. I forced myself to push Fioda’s confusing words from my mind, not wanting to ruin Ash’s day in any way.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering something,” he said as we started making our way up the living steps of the palace.
“Mm?” I glanced over at him, my gaze snagging on the crown of oak leaves in his curls. My gut tightened with lust.
“Do you think… What do you think will happen to your leg when you shift?”
The lust fled, instantly replaced by a hard ball of fear that settled in the pit of my stomach. I swallowed.
“I don’t know,” I said, then licked my lips before admitting, “I’m scared to try.”
“You don’t have to try,” he said quickly.
I shook my head. “I do. I can’t put it off forever. The thought of never shifting again is… I need to do it.”
“We could ask Nua and Gillie,” he said hesitantly. “They should know if there are any… limits to the leg.”
I pursed my lips into a grim line. I liked Nua and Gillie, and I knew Ash trusted them implicitly, but it went against my nature to show any weakness. To anyone—anyone but Ash, and I even struggled with that sometimes. I didn’t like the thought of them knowing I felt uncertain in this. I had dealt with everything on my own for my entire life. To change that now would be… difficult.
