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Cobar is the life of the party, even when there isn’t one happening. He lives and breathes for fun. I’ll never understand how he manages it, but he is who he is, and he honestly has always helped my mood. Opposites attract. Isn’t that what they say?
One of the ways the courts keep peace is by trying to have royal children around the same time, and by having them spend their time traveling between each other’s courts to help their bonds. So, over time, Cobar has become one of my closest friends, even if we're complete opposites. He’s simply… hard to dislike. Impossible, really.
“Did you hear me, old man?” he questions, grinning, because he and I are the same age.
I sigh deeply and shake my head.No one tickles my fancy. This whole display serves no purpose. It’s self-indulgent and extravagant for no reason at all.“All of this is a waste of my time.”
He gives me a big-eyed look of shock. “How can you say that in the face of so much beauty?” Then he points. “There’s a gorgeous green-eyed brunette over there who would give me beautiful babies. I may take her to a side closet and have a practice round.” But Cobar doesn’t linger on her, he scans the room, smiling and winking at every woman he sees.
I chuckle and shake my head at him. He’s like a child indulging in sweets. One should be enough, but he wants them all just because they’re available. I watch him work the room with his eyes. The women all respond to him with smiles and waves.
My friend is a playboy, but the women don’t seem to mind.
“So, you don’t think your queen is here tonight?” He asks, seeming truly curious.
I don’t think my mate exists, but I don’t tell him that. “I don’t.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we have the Winter Solstice next, maybe yours will be there.” He makes eyes with a leggy redhead and gives her a little nod. She blushes and waves at him. “Whether mine is here tonight or not will be fate. Either it’s my time to settle down, or I still have a little more time for fun.”
Is that how he sees this? Marriage as the thing to settle him down, and not finding his mate meaning he can continue having his fun?I know Cobar would never cheat on his partner, but over the years that I’ve known him, I’ve always suspected he was looking forward to marriage. To having a partner and someone to love. But, perhaps, he sees it as a bit of an obligation too?
“I need a wife to rule as king. That’s all any of this is about for me.” I tell him honestly, glancing around the room, still not finding Cassia.
“We aren’t our fathers.”
I stiffen and look at him.
Cobar’s blue eyes are glued on mine. He’s being serious, for once. “We’re different men, and we will have different relationships with our queens.”
I shrug, hating the ache in my chest. “I’m here because it’s required. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“All this beauty does nothing for you?” he asks, waving a hand over the room again as if by doing so I’ll see what he sees. “Come on, I knowlittleSulien enjoys his ladies.” The seriousness didn’t last. But then, it never does with him.
“There’s nothinglittleabout any part of me,” I tell him right back, smiling. “These women, coated in glamors, willing to do anything to be queen, are simply not my type. I mean, do you really think any of them truly care about us?”
He sighs dramatically. “You’re such a spoilsport, literally the dullest person I’ve ever met. Loosen up, and maybe let something other than your fist pleasurelittleSulien tonight.”
The redhead moves in our direction, and Cobar strides up to her, immediately wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and pulling her into his arms for a dance. There’s no resistance. She leans into him, and they move with the ease and smoothness of longtime lovers dancing to their favorite song. Although I know for Cobar, if she’s not his mate, the best she can hope for from him is a night together. Cobar doesn’t keep his ladies around for long.
I grab another drink from a table, the first one having had no effect on me or my mood. A headache rises, and I grit my teeth and let more power out to the barriers surrounding our lands. This is the role of the princes, to always keep the barriers reinforced with our magic, but the role isn’t an easy one. Even tonight.
Zane Zane, Prince of the Winter Court, approaches the table close by without looking at me. His head is held high, as always, and his long, white hair spills down his back and chest. His harsh features are as cold as his lands as he snags a drink from the table and looks out at the room. Anyone would think he was miserable to be here, but the truth is, he always looks this way.
Only Cobar and I would know that beneath his surface… heistruly miserable here.
Zane sticks his finger in his drink, presumably making it colder. He finds no comfort in the heat of the Summer Court. His silent suffering whenever he visits my court is almost palpable to anyone who knows him.
I feel sorry for his future wife, if she’s from here, because the misery that is the Winter Court will weigh on her. They live very differently out there, spending their days skating on ice, drinking warm drinks, and playing in snow. A summer fae in the winter court would be a sad sight indeed.
When Zane glances up and spots me, he slides closer. “Cobar is in his element tonight, isn’t he?”
“That he is,” I respond, lifting my glass to him.
We stare at Cobar as he runs his hands down the red-head’s back and grabs a handful of her ass. She looks happy as can be, while the jealousy of the women around him practically oozes. Cobar is the kind of prince these women need. One who is eager for their attention, and to find his mate.
Where the hell is Cassia?I check the time again, feeling a mix of irritation and nervousness.
“Do you think we’ll find our mates tonight?” Zane takes a sip from his drink, and a look of relief comes and goes across his face in an instant. No doubt finding it satisfactorily cold, he downs the whole thing in one gulp, then turns to watch the dance floor once more. Unlike me, I suspect that Zane wishes he was out on that floor, but he’s never felt particularly at ease with women or celebrations. Hell, outside of Cobar and me, he’s never found it particularly easy to make friends.
