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And occasionally, our mayor agreed to let a fae servant or messenger enter our town and share news from Silverfrost andoffer to take the boldest and most foolhardy among us to their royalty to bargain for their greatest wishes.
But if a fae stranger had been invited to our town ball, the gossip would have spread like wildfire.
As far as I knew, this man was an intruder. A dangerous one.
The music resumed and couples started to dance. The stranger circled the ballroom, making his way toward me on sure, lengthy strides. No one else gave him more than a passing glance as he moved along the edges of the dance, his eyes never leaving mine. Perhaps he hadn’t glamoured his appearance, but had instead glamoured every guest in the ballroom to leave him alone—and had glamouredmeto remain still. For, as much as my terrified mind screamed at me to run, I couldn’t move. Could hardly breathe.
As he drew nearer, candlelight flashed in his eyes, revealing them to be an unnatural shade of gold—and sparkling with a predatory gleam. Ice skittered down my back, but I was still rooted in place.
He paused a mere yard away, and rather than offer an elegant bow, he smirked and dipped his head in greeting. “Miss Florentia Cantwell?”
I frowned. “I’m afraid we have not been introduced.” My eyes scanned the ballroom for a familiar face, anyone who might know this man and give us a proper introduction. It seemed foolish to cling to etiquette in this moment, yet I was desperate for any excuse to get away, to find someone else so I wasn’t alone with this fae man.
“Your mortal customs are charming, but unnecessary.” The stranger held out a hand, and I noticed callouses and faded scars tracing his palm and fingers. “Dance with me.”
“Who are you?” I asked, my composure slipping. I wondered if he could read the fear on my face, if he could already scent it onme. It was rumored the fae had far superior senses, everything from stronger smell to better hearing.
He didn’t pull his hand back. Dark amusement traced his full lips. “Garrick Darkgrove. And now that you know my name, and I’ve already learned yours thanks to your numerous town gossips, we have been introduced. Come dance, and I’ll answer your questions.”
One more time, I glanced about the ballroom, but no one seemed to sense anything out of the ordinary. There was no fear on anyone’s faces, no suspicion. “Do they even see you?”
Mr. Darkgrove listed his head. “They see what they expect to see. One of the young men you grew up with, being polite and offering you a dance. Later, they won’t remember who you danced with, but it won’t be of any importance to them.”
The comment burned. Had he already noticed how little anyone in this town cared for me? Perhaps it was the bite of rejection that granted me the courage to set my hand in his and dare to dance with the only man here who seemed to find me interesting.
A lump lodged in my throat as a new song began and Mr. Darkgrove steered me toward the dance floor. I cast another furtive glance around, but no one noticed us. The music swelled, and the fae released my hand to stand across from me.
I met his eyes despite my fear, determined to exercise the propriety that had been instilled in me since I was a girl. The fae danced to our human music like he’d spent his life in the mortal world, his every step exuding as much grace as any gentleman present. Perhaps that was due to the predatory litheness all fae possessed, an elegance that was as entrancing as their otherworldly beauty.
“Mr. Darkgrove,” I said, swallowing, hoping my voice didn’t tremble. I pretended instead that he was like any of the other men present tonight, and that it was my responsibility as a ladyof good upbringing to make pleasant conversation. “You said you would answer my questions. What brings you to Altidvale?”
The man huffed a laugh, his smile surprisingly genuine. A flash of white teeth proved that he did not, thankfully, possess any fangs or wickedly curved canines like some of the fae I’d seen on solstice nights. “Call me Garrick, please. And I wandered near your town on business.”
I frowned. “What sort of business?”
“I’m a hunter. Though tonight, I confess, I was drawn to your town ball in the hope of some warmth and entertainment. The mountains’ solitude can grow lonely.”
I stepped away, circling the room as part of the dance, but continuously casting sideways looks Garrick’s way, trying to see how the other dancers responded to him. Garrick grinned and dipped his head, all pleasantness, and ladies and gentlemen merely smiled in return.
As I wound my way back toward Garrick, I repressed a shudder. Though all children in Altidvale were taught that fae couldn’t lie, we were warned that they could twist their words and bend the truth. I couldn’t help but suspect that Garrick was doing that now, for would a fae truly sneak into a human ball only for entertainment and companionship? Their revels were far rowdier than our mortal parties.
And why was I the only one who could see what he truly was?
Maybe Garrick wanted me to see he was fae, and he hadn’t glamoured me. Though I wasn’t sure why that would be the case. Why had he chosen to speak withme?
Charles was right,I thought wildly.Impossibly, I have fae blood after all, blood that lets me see through glamour, and now they’ve come to claim me.
I tried to shove my fear down as Garrick and I twirled around one another and then apart. When we stepped together again,his eyes flicked to my hair. “Have you always seen through glamour?” he asked.
“What?” I stumbled and righted myself, a flush creeping across my cheeks. But no one else had seen my embarrassing misstep. I was as invisible as ever, and never had I been more grateful for that.
“You knew immediately what I was.”
I inhaled sharply, the dance all but forgotten. I was vaguely aware of music twining through the air, subtle and lovely, but turning discordant as it mixed with the thundering beat of my pulse in my ears. “I—I don’t know what games you’re playing at, sir,” I stammered. “But you aren’t supposed to enter our town without permission.”
Garrick leaned in, dropping his voice lower. “Why would I need permission for doing something no one will ever know about? I’m only dancing. I don’t plan on harming anyone.”
I wanted to flee to the other side of the ballroom, but, as if reading my thoughts, Garrick grasped my wrist. His hold was gentle, yet it made me feel trapped, and my heart stuttered. “There are rules we honor, and that you must honor as well.”
