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“You said dragon’s breath was if the cards matched!” I shouted, shoving my hands forward to look underneath his firm grip at the cards we’d been stacking.
“You’re questioning your prince?” He yanked the cards up and held them above his head. “How dare you, Coraline Fray.”
Noah was teaching me a game that was sort of a mash-up of Slapjack and Go Fish, though I was having trouble following it.
The prince, however, was quite enjoying himself.
“Oh, I am questioning you. The teacher has won every hand, I hardly think this is being played correctly.”
I lunged forward and Noah twisted on my bed, pushing my shoulder back. I laughed and struggled to get back up, but he easily pinned me down, one hand on my shoulder and the other holding the top cards I wanted to get a peek at.
“Okay, okay,” I sighed. “I concede.”
Noah paused, holding his hand in place as he narrowed his eyes searching for my trick.
“I concede!” I said again, holding my hands in the air defensively.
The minute he released me I lunged at his arm and grabbed the cards.
I screamed as Noah grabbed me from behind.
“Two aces!” I shouted. “Why bother fighting letting me see, if you had a pair fair and square!”
Noah let go of me and fell back on the bed laughing. He was so relaxed these evenings we played cards and talked. So free. Like he hadn’t a care in the world.
“You get so angry and it’s too fun riling you up.”
I scrunched up my nose and threw his cards over my shoulder. “I’m not picking those up either.”
He howled louder and I stepped forward, bringing my finger to my mouth. “Noah, if you keep carrying on, they’ll know we’re not feeding.”
I shook my head as Noah tried to stifle his laughter.
“Honestly, who is teaching you these games? They need to be more careful what they get you into,” I said, smiling at the prince as I picked up a soft blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders.
Noah’s laughter ceased almost instantly, and I stared, wondering what had gotten into him. He gathered some cards, rising to grab the aces I’d tossed aside last. “Another fae taught me. Vanessa. She’s quite lovely, I think you’d like her.”
“Vanessa? Does she live here at the palace? I don’t remember meeting anyone with that name, but I can pay more attention.”
I crossed my legs, waiting for Noah to shuffle and deal. “One more, and then I have to go,” he said with a nod. “And Vanessa doesn’t live at the palace. She’s a fae I’ve been seeing and spending time with lately. My mother loves her, won’t stop gushing really. It’s grating on my nerves, but since she’s been fun to spend time with, I’ll let it go.”
Icy tendrils of fear flooded my veins. And I hated it. The feeling taking over my entire being like I was being dragged into a pit.
This was why there was no further mention of our kiss. Less tension and more fun and talking, enjoying time rather than questioning it.
Noah hadn’t been moving forward with me, he’d been veering me into a different space as someone else moved into his life romantically.
Someone besides me.
Someone fae.
The queen would love her then. Noah would be paired with someone he should be, a fae, his equal, while his human feeder learned her place again.
The sound was sucked out of the room and I saw Noah’s lips moving but didn’t hear a word he was saying as I sat mulling over every negative thought that came to mind.
That was the space I was used to after all, pre-Faerie. Agreeing with the bad to accept it faster and move on.
“Cora?”
