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Lord Cirrus, the very man himself, comes pushing through the crowd. He stands close enough to Lady Takara to protect her, but not so close as to let everyone in the room know that he’s screwing her. He’s big, brawny and seems like he’s not sure exactly what side he’s on. Not that I blame him. You’d have to be an idiot, like Lady Takara, to risk pissing off all the royals.
Finally, Lord Cirrus speaks, “The elders simply need to be consulted.”
Suddenly, Prince Cobar is laughing. “Do you think anyone is going to tell us who our mate is?” He looks incredulous, like he’s watching a bunch of people act like idiots. Like the very idea that someone is questioning me as their mate is a joke.
Prince Zane stands beside him, his expression cold and angry. “Even the elders wouldn’t be that foolish,” his voice is as cold as his face, and he gives me a look. One that makes me shiver.
Prince Forrest squeezes between Zane and Cobar, but his gaze is fixed on me. “It’s like some fae are looking for a fight tonight.”
I take a step backward, toward the door. Tension sings through the room, and I get the feeling that things are about to go very south. But maybe I can still run for it during the fight?No, shit, they know who I am. There’s no running now.
Prince Forrest cracks his knuckles in a very deliberate way. “You boys need to get warmed up?”
Fuck.
I turn to Prince Sulien and glare. It’s only then that I realize he’s staring at me. The strangest look of vulnerability on his face. It’s like he’s forgotten that he’s in a room full of people and he feels… I don’t know, but when his gaze catches mine, his expression goes back to one of indifference.
“Prince Sulien?” Prince Forrest says, standing up straighter. “You want to help us with these idiots?”
The quiet man continues regarding me for a second and then says, “Everyone, go back to the Solstice.”
It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop when someone comes pushing through the crowd. I stiffen when I see the elder in his long auburn gown. He’s an elder of the summer court, one who had stepped around me while I cleaned more than a few times. A fae so old that he actuallylookedold, which easily made him a few hundred years, I guessed. And someone must have called him to the Solstice because of me.
He approaches Prince Sulien and bows. “Your highness. I heard I was needed.”
Prince Sulien glances at Lady Takara in disgust and says, “You heard wrong.”
The elder draws himself up taller. “Surely you can see that this needs to be sorted out, and we have the wisdom to do that.” He gestures to the top of the stairs where three other elders stand. I imagined they’d look more serene and stoic based on past stories of them stepping in to advise the royalty in desperate times. Instead, their faces are etched with unease. Like Prince Sulien is someonetheydon’t even want to mess with, but they’re going to, and it’s not going to be fun.
I glance at Prince Sulien.He has to stop this. If they get involved, no doubt they’ll see me for the fraud I am.
But Prince Sulien simply gives a little nod and says, “If you will.”
If you will? Is he kidding me? Isn’t he the prince? Can’t he tell them what to do?
Damn it.
TEN
Cassia
Princes Zane, Sulien, and Forrest start off ahead of us, whispering between themselves. I feel the warmth of a hand on the small of my back and I’m gently pushed toward the door of the ballroom. I glance back to see Prince Forrest when only moments before he was in front of me.Damn royals and their ability to teleport.What’s worse is that his large hand feels nice on my back, and has my dirty thoughts wondering what else islargeabout Prince Forret.
Not that I’ll let him show what he’s doing to me. “Do we need to do this?”
Prince Forrest’s voice is warm in my ear. “It’ll be over quickly, and then you’ll be all ours.”
Butterflies dance in my stomach, but I force myself to try to sound normal when I say, “So,nowyou want to let me out of this room? I was more than happy to leave before!”
Prince Forrest laughs, and the sound is deep and rich. “Well, now you’re leavingwithme, so it’s different.”
“Different my ass,” I mutter, remembering being hunted down like an injured squirrel.
“Speaking of your ass, I approve,” he purrs into my ear, sending every hair on my body standing on end.
“Have you ever met an ass you didn’t approve of?” Prince Cobar asks, suddenly at his side.
I glance at the other man, and he winks at me. It’s like he wants to make sure Prince Forrest isn’t the only one who gets to flirt with me. But, I guess, that’s normal, since he thinks I’m his mate. This whole thing is a fucking disaster, and Prince Sulien better have a plan to get us out of it.
