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“Understood. But maybe I could go with you?” he offers, surprising me.
Before I can respond, my spine straightens, and I turn. A man parts the dance floor like a stalking beast. And, unfortunately for me, I know he’s approaching me because his bright green eyes are locked on me.
My pulse betrays me as he approaches. Even as I tell myself to get moving, I can’t tear my eyes away from him. The man is striking, with long auburn hair and a scar through his eyes that adds to the strange air of dangerousness that surrounds him. He’s big, burlier than any of the other men here, and radiates the kind of energy of someone who could pick up a deer and rip it in two with his bare hands.
Sweat gathering at my palms, I turn to go and smash into the icy man behind me. “S-sorry,” I offer, then try to shift around him when I hear a voice behind me.
“Who is this ravishing lady in gold?” I turn to make up some excuse, when he takes my hand and twirls me around.
Fuck.Any other time in my life I might not mind a sea of hot men throwing themselves at me, but time is ticking away, and Prince Sulien is waiting. These men can offer me a few minutes of flirtation, or a night of fucking, but none of them are offering my family a way out of poverty.
“No one,” I sputter out, then try to think of an excuse to be rid of them.
But the winter fae speaks before I can. “This lady in gold just called us assholes and has no desire to meet any of us.” The men exchange a look.
“Us?” I ask, sensing I just humiliated myself in front of the guests of honor.I wouldn’t be Cassia if I didn’t make a fool of myself at least once a day.
Although I’ve actually done it multiple times today.
“Yes,us. I’m Zane Frost, Prince of the Winter Court. This bastard here is Forrest Wilder, Prince of the Fall Court.” He slides his cold hand down my arm, raising goosebumps on my flesh. “No harm done. Something we assholes have in common is our admiration for a beautiful woman.”
My face heats up, and I lower my eyes. I just called three of the most powerful fae in the land assholes to their faces. This isn’t going the way I thought it would. No one is supposed to even notice I’m here, and now three of the four princes have approached me.
And none of the three are the one I want to see.
“Dance with me. Give me a chance to prove to you that I’m not what you think.” Prince Forrest doesn’t wait for my answer. Instead, he takes my hand and leads me to the middle of the dance floor.
I want to resist, on principle, but my body, again, goes against my mind and leans into his. He’s quiet and unassuming, and his hands stay where they’re supposed to, which is already an attractive trait in a man. He smells like pine, and I want to lean in closer, but I’m suddenly ripped out of his arms.
“Whoa!” Prince Forrest yells, his brows furrowed, making his scar dance.
Prince Sulien glares at the other man, and I feel like I want to shrink into the floor.
“Is she yours then?” He asks, then chuckles, holding his hands in the air in innocence.
“She’s done with your dance,” Prince Sulien says, his voice controlled even though his eyes are filled with rage.
Prince Sulien’s anger doesn’t make sense to me, at least it’s directed at him and not me. Aren’t these princes all here to find a mate? Don’t they dance with all the women before the end of the night? I mean, I know they’re acting like I’m something special, but isn’t that just their thing? Their fun before finding their mate?
Prince Forrest’s gaze slides back to me. “I can see why you’d want to keep her for yourself, but you know the magic will decide for us all.”
“And the magic won’t lead you to her,” Prince Sulien says, his tone clipped.
He pulls me away from the Fall Fae and into his arms, like he wants to dance with me next. It’s confusing, but I lift my hand and place it on his shoulder as his arms slip around my waist. My head spins a little from the contact, and from the abrupt change. Instead of searching, I’ve now found where I’m supposed to be.
The prince is who I’ve been looking for all evening. We’re supposed to be touching, I think, to make the spell work, and yet this feels more intimate than when I was watching him undress.
“You came,” he whispers in my ear, the anger fading from his voice.
His warm breath makes my skin tingle, and I suck in a breath. This feeling is wrong. We have an arrangement. An agreement for my family. I can’t let the fact that he makes me weak in the knees forget that.
Hell, the man made it clear he has no intention of fucking me.
“Of course I came,” I say, keeping my voice low.
We’ve never been this close before. I can feel his hesitation as he pulls me in closer. His fingertips press into me, heating my skin with his touch. But it’s different than with the other princes. This desire feels like it only exists in my mind. Like he’s playing a role, and I’m imagining there’s more between us than there is.
It almost makes me miss the other princes. But not quite. I’m supposed to be in Prince Sulien’s arms. How else is the potion supposed to work?
