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"Does it snow here?" I asked.
"Yes, it does. Actually, it snows more here than anywhere else in the Fae realm, but not all year round. That would be tedious. Not to mention cold. Although, we could snuggle more often, so there would be advantages." He pulled me closer to him. His hands resumed wandering over my body.
I had a million more questions to ask, but they were all forgotten for now.
16
Khala
Ispent the next few days exploring. No one told me I didn't have free reign of the palace, so I started at the top and gradually worked my way down. I caught the occasional glance of curiosity, disapproval, or even disgust from passing Fae, but for the most part they seemed disinterested. That was fine with me. I didn't want to be treated like an attraction from a travelling fair.
I spent most of my nights with Tavian, in his nest or the one that appeared in my room after that first night. To say the man was insatiable was an understatement. Some nights we barely slept. He knew his way around a woman's body already, but he quickly figured out exactly what I liked and lavished it on me.
Ryze made a point of eating at least one meal a day with me, and patiently answering my multitude of questions. Those he had the answers for. He knew no more about my parents than I did, apart from agreeing with Tavian's guesses.
I hardly saw Zared or Vayne at all. Apparently, they were busy training.
I felt their absence acutely. Zared in particular. I missed joking around with him like we used to, and sneaking out at night when we shouldn’t. I was also worried he was angry with me for letting him follow me here, irrational as that might be.
Finding both men wasn’t difficult once I started trying. I'd seen the training yard out of the window. From there, it was a matter of figuring out which staircase and which corridor led out there. The palace was somewhat of a labyrinth.
I finally found the way out via the kitchen, snagging a freshly baked fruit bun on the way past. I broke it open and inhaled the warm smell of cinnamon and orange zest.
The food here was also worth stepping through the portal for. I hadn't had a single bowl of lukewarm stew, or a piece of cold, lumpy bread. Everything here was fresh and tasted incredible.
In spite of what I was told growing up, the Fae were not savages. Far from it.
I slipped out the door and walked across the yard to the training area. The morning was already warm. The stiff breeze off the ocean kept Lysarial from getting too hot, while also infusing the city with the fresh smell of salt air. Everything here left me feeling like I’d lived in darkness most of my life.
I followed the sound of grunts and the clash of heavy wood on heavy wood.
Zared and Vayne sparred in a small, dirt yard, staffs taller than either of them gripped in both hands. They'd stripped to the waist, upper bodies glistening with sweat that trickled down defined muscle.
Zared wasn't as tall as Vayne, but he was broader, his shoulders wider, biceps thicker. He was holding his own against the Fae, who seemed comfortable with the weapon of choice.
I joined a group of mostly female Fae who stood leaning against the fence, watching avidly. They all appeared to be around my age, which probably made them a couple of hundred years old.
A woman with dark red hair and eyes like chips of emerald turned to look at me with interest. For a moment, I thought she might tell me to go away, but instead she smiled and moved aside to give me a place at the fence.
"I'm guessing you're Khala," she said, her voice a soft lilt. "I'm Illaria. I've never seen a human male before, but if he's any indication, I should venture east more often." She sighed in Zared's direction.
Her words made me bristle inwardly. Whatever Zared and I were, I wasn't ready to let another woman into that tapestry.
"He's one of the better examples," I said, my voice tighter than intended.
She glanced back at me. "He's taken, I see. Don't worry, I don't hunt in another woman's territory." She offered me a warm smile.
After a moment, I gave one back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be prickly. It's complicated between him and I." We should work it out once and for all so he could move on with his life. He deserved better than to be left dangling on the line. Especially if women as beautiful as Illaria had their eye on him.
"Where men are involved, it's always complicated," she said with a laugh. "Sometimes I think they all get together to work out ways to make things more difficult for women. The funny thing is, they undoubtedly say the same about us." She grinned.
I laughed. "That sounds accurate." Men and women were more different from each other than humans and Fae.
Zared ducked under the staff Vayne swept towards his head. He jabbed his at the Fae man's legs, pushing them out from underneath him.
Vayne landed in the dirt with a thud.
The small audience cheered.
