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The music stopped, and an eerie hush fell across the packed ballroom.
Heart pounding, I stared into the depths of the fae’s eyes. I should have expected something like this, especially after Fenella’s initial reaction to me. She was close to Kalen and followed his lead, despite how she might feel, and she’d still made it known that she did not trust me. Of course others would feel the same, and they might not hold back like she had.
Of course they would want to see me dead.
“You’re right,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I made a mistake. And I am sorry.”
My voice carried through the silent hall.
Fenella charged up to us, fury written in the furrowed lines on her face. I flinched back, worried she’d come to join him, but that only made the fae man grip me tighter.
“Let her go, Asher,” Fenella barked.
And then there he was. Mist swirled toward me, caressing my cheek. Power rippled through room, and the scent of snow filled my head until it drowned out everything else. The fae cut his eyes to the side as Kalen strode toward us with his sword unsheathed. His eyes sparked with fury, and a snarl curled his lips.
“Asher. Remove your dagger from her throat.” Even though he spoke the words in a quiet voice, they still boomed like a cracked whip snapping through the tense moment. Fenella gritted her teeth and pointed her own dagger at Asher’s back.
Asher frowned, and he did not let me go. “You can’t allow this, Your Grace. She tried to kill you. This mortal should face a public execution. The world needs to see thatno onecan threaten the life of our king, especially not someone who matters so little. And if you won’t do it,Iwill.”
Kalen whipped his blade through the air. The sword sliced into Asher’s face, from the top of his forehead down to the base of his neck. Blood spurted onto my cheeks and dress as the fae’s body tumbled to the ground. The top half of his sliced head fell with a thunk by my feet.
My entire body shook, and I stumbled back into Nellie and Val, who gripped my arms to hold me steady. Gasps peppered the air. Several of the humans screamed and fled from the room, but all I could do was stand there in shock.
Kalen wiped his blade and sheathed it on his back before turning to the crowd. “Tessa is under my protection. Anyone who threatens her life will be viewed as threatening mine, and they will be dealt with accordingly.”
Silence hammered the room. Several of the fae bowed their heads, and the rest of the Mist Guard began drifting toward us, each one eyeing the crowd as if they expected a revolt to break out at any moment.
Kalen turned to me and swept his gaze across my neck, where blood dripped from the small wound Asher had inflicted. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I managed to say. “But Kalen, he—”
“I will not letanyoneput his blade against your throat.” But then his eyes softened, and he brushed away a speck of blood on my cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry. This is not how I wanted this evening to go.”
The fion sat like a heavy stone in my stomach now, and the pastries held no appeal. Neither did the dancing, or the music that had once again begun to play in eerie tones. The entire crowd still watched us, or they stared at the dead fae by my feet. Many of the Teine humans started gathering together and headed toward the open doors. My mother was among them.
The music stopped once more.
Someone in the cluster of fae cleared his throat. A somber cloud hung heavily over them all. Gone was the laughter and the cheer.
The ball was ruined.
Kalen glanced at Fenella’s grim face. “Perhaps I was too ambitious to think our two very separate worlds were ready for an event like this.”
“I’m sorry, Kal,” she said. “I didn’t think things would escalate like this.”
Niamh, Toryn, Alastair, and Gaven reached us as the rest of the fae started drifting—silently—out of the Great Hall. I started to turn away, certain the Mist Guard would be angry with me for causing yetanotherproblem, but Toryn offered me a gentle smile.
“Don’t blame yourself,” he said. “Asher has been itching for a fight since we arrived.”
Alastair gently patted my shoulder. “I hope you’re all right.”
“I’m fine,” I said with a tight smile.
Niamh sighed and knelt beside the dead fae’s body. “I can’t believe he was bold enough to attack Tessa in front of the entire court.”
Gaven frowned. “He’s not the only Endirian fae who feels hatred toward the mortals who have taken over their castle, and it seems word has spread about your little…incident with the fake Mortal Blade. I worry others might retaliate.”
My hands tightened. “I don’t want to cause any issues. Maybe I…” I hated the thought of it, but what else could I do? “Maybe I should leave.”
