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I sit directly across from Sulien, and we begin to eat the banquet in front of us. Bacon, sausage, and ham are served alongside delicate eggs, soft breads, and pastries covered in cream and fruits. It’s different from my food back home, but tasty enough to keep me going back for more.
Sulien’s quiet and moody. Big surprise! He’s been like that the whole time I’ve known him. As boys, Cobar preferred to dress in fine clothes, paint, fish, swim, and flirt with the girls. Frost explored, studied, and tended to awkwardly talk with anyone who would talk to him. But Sulien? He’d always had a massive stick up his ass. He’d play with us. Fish, swim, and explore, but there was never a smile on his face. And rarely a moment where he let his guard down.
Did that scare Cassia away? His bad fucking attitude?
It’s hard to wrap my mind around. I’m the one who's bad with women. I’m the one who's spent my time with all men, burping, farting, and trying to stab each other in the asshole with literal knives as a prank. The fact that I don’t just mount women like a fucking animal while making bleating noises and trying to show them my colorful plume is a miracle.
What’s his excuse? Was hetooloved? Did he spend time withtoomany women?
I jab at the food on my plate, eating whatever gets speared by my fork, wondering why no one thought to tell me she really didn’t want us… want me. Or did the rest of them know because they’re like brothers? Is it just this stupid outcast who didn’t know our woman might have run screaming from us? I gristle.
“Did you scare her away?” I keep my voice level, not wanting to provoke Sulien or myself into another fight. I want answers. We can fight any time.
Sulien slams his fork down and glares at me. “No.”
Patience. Every fucking thing is like pulling teeth with Sulien. Play his game.
“Why would she run away then?” I glance around the table.
Cobar raises his eyebrows at me and shrugs, clueless. Zane furrows his brows and stares at Sulien, awaiting his answer. Okay, so I guess I’m not the only one who didn’t know. For some reason, that makes me feel a tiny bit better. And maybe, just maybe, the added pressure from the others will end in some real information.
Sulien pokes at his food. “I don’t know.”
I swear I could have tolerated any answer except that one. “Why the fuck don’t you know?” I ask through my teeth. It’s getting harder to keep my calm.
His free hand grips the edge of the table, but his voice remains level. “Because I don’t know her as well as you all think I do.”
There’s something in his eyes. Pain. Guilt. Worry. Fear. Hope awakens inside of me. I’m cracking the asshole’s outer shell. If I keep up, I’ll have answers soon, if I strike soon enough. Hard enough.
“Maybe you hurt her then. Took her rejection to heart and put your hands on her?” I tighten my jaw, knowing this’ll make him tick.
“I would never lay my hands on her or any woman!” He roars, slamming his hands on the table, making all of the plates and dishes clatter.
“How are we supposed to believe that?” I jab.
“Because even if you don’t like me, you know me,” he seethes.
I try to ignore the fact that I’ve never in my life seen him hurt a woman or even look close to hurting a woman. If anything, until Cassia, I’d never seen him really take an interest in a woman. Like most of us, every female was a hole to slam into and a face to forget.
But I’ve gotten to him, and I need to keep pushing if I want answers. “Come on, Prince Sulien, come clean. What other reason can you think of for a woman who was mated to four fae princes to leave of her own will?”
He makes an angry sound and collapses back into his chair. “Have you given any thought to the fact that she might have been scared?”
“Scared?” I huff. I don’t think Cassia has ever been scared of anything in her life, if her attitude is any indicator. “Of what?”
He looks at me like I’m stupid. “Her lifechangedin the matter of ten minutes on the night of the Solstice.” Sulien makes eye contact with each of us before continuing. “Until she matched with us, she thought she was a human. She’d worked as a maid in this castle until that day. And then, suddenly, she is supposed to marry four fae princes.”
I didn’t consider what a huge change this would be to her life, maybe because it seemed like a good change. Being a fae was far better than being human simply because it elevated the position one could have, and becoming queen was the dream of every woman at the solstice ball. If it wasn’t Cassia’s secret hope, why was she even there?
“I don’t believe that could have scared her,” I scoff.
Again, with the look. “She’s not used to being on the same level as fae royalty. You all just expected her to be able to handle the idea of being with four fae princes?”
“Yeah, being rich and powerful is so awful,” I tell him sarcastically.
Frost turns those pale eyes towards me. “Were you truly never afraid of ruling your court?”
I stiffen, my stomach churning. No part of me wants to remember how much I dreaded turning eighteen and suddenly being in charge of keeping the iron demons out of our kingdom. Or the fear I had of ruling and being as poor a ruler as my father.
