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I wanted to move closer to him and touch his sexy, tousled hair and muscular body, but survival skills kicked in. Thank goodness.
I had one disturbing thought, though, that I couldn’t ignore anymore.
Ember would never do anything cruel to me. This wasn’t her style. An innocent joke was one thing, but this situation had turned toxic.
“Is there anything else we need to decide?” Orla asked, snagging my arm and yanking me toward her. Though her face was smooth, she held herself stiffly. She was furious.
Worse, I somehow knew that about her. How was that possible when we’d never met before today?
“That’s more than enough decisions at one time,” Kaley said. “It’s time for us to adjourn. We need to inform our people of the news. Otherwise, they’ll assume we were withholding information.” She stepped away from the table and headed toward a door at the back of the dining room.
Her concern meant they’d withheld information before. From the limited knowledge I’d picked up from a girl who loved to read and talk about books in the group home, fae couldn’t lie, but they were master manipulators. That had led to one of the dumbass boys snorting and putting his own spin on it. He’d thought he was cute each time he corrected her, saying fae were expert masturbators. He and his equally dumbass friends had laughed about it until tears had run down their faces. Boys.
“For once, I can agree with a Summer Fae.” Leanna waved a hand in front of her face. “It is time to go. It’s way too warm here, and I’m certain I’m not far from melting.”
“Ah. That would be a damn shame.” I batted my eyes, trying to look innocent, but come on, these assholes had agreed to throw me into a tournament, hoping I’d die.
Dallas chuckled.
Quinley sighed. “There goes the last bit of lingering doubt I had that she’s Alina. She may be clueless, but that was something Alina would say and exactly that way. I suspect her memories are returning.” She tsked. “Such a shame.”
That was it. High Court member or not, the bitch was going down. Punching her just once would make being here under more scrutiny worthwhile before I could slip away and get back home.
I’d told Stan that coming to Vegas was a horrible idea. And here I was, proving my past self right.
Orla’s firm grip on my arm held me in place. I tried to yank out of her grasp, but her hand, despite its softness, was incredibly strong.
A cruel smirk flitted across King Kieran’s face, but his forehead creased as if he, too, was concerned. I wanted to know what he was thinking, to remove the mystery around him that intrigued me. He’d been both protective of and seemingly disgusted by me at various times, and I wanted to know why.
I couldn’t get free, and my body stiffened. I’d been trained, and I was strong, yet I was in her clutches, and the walls were closing in. Worse, the Winter King had noticed how weak I was; I didn’t want the others to realize I couldn’t get away from Orla, especially when all she was doing was holding my arm.
“The High Court members and I should head back to Rioghail Tower so we can get the message out and return home.” King Kieran strolled toward me.
My heart raced, and my stomach churned. As he stepped toward me, I yearned to meet him halfway, just so it wouldn’t take as long. Still, my head screamed at me to get farther away.
He stopped in front of me and leaned close as if bowing. For a moment, I thought his lips would touch my earlobe, but he stopped a breath away. He whispered, “I’m watching you, Princess Alina. We all are, but especially me. Don’t underestimate me. I’ll discover your secret.”
His minty breath was as cold as a winter breeze, and a shiver ran down my spine. I wasn’t certain if it was from his words, the sensation of his breath, or the weird feelings he brought out in me.
I looked at him, our faces inches apart. His blue eyes darkened a shade as if shrouded in desire. My body wanted to respond, but I shut it down. I wouldn’t be attracted to someone who treated me like this.
Furthermore, I refused to cower. I wouldn’t be anyone’s punching bag. “When you discover what it is, please inform me. I’d like to know as well.”
When I moved to place a hand on his chest and push him away, he recoiled, straightening and taking several steps back in a blur. He glowered as he rubbed the section of his suit that I’d almost touched. Loathing slid back into his expression.
He turned on his heel and marched toward the door. The other remaining High Court members followed him, and Kaley watched me as she held open the door.
“We’ll make sure the announcements are handled accordingly, My Queen.” Kaley curtseyed and smiled at me. “It’ll be interesting to have you back, Princess Alina.”
“Ivy.” I hated them calling me Alina. I wasn’t her. “That’s my name.”
Eamon rubbed his temples. “I hope she gets her memories back quickly.” He placed a hand on Kaley’s back and guided her out the door.
When the door shut, Orla snarled. “What in frozen winter were you thinking?” Her face turned a faint pink while her hands glimmered red again.
I’d heard the expression red as a tomato, but this was more extreme. The vibrant red reminded me of fire. “What part? Not wanting to be thrown into a tournament to the death, wanting to go home, or asking them to call me Ivy?” I was sure I’d done more stuff she wasn’t happy with, but those were the first three points to pop into my mind.
“This is your home, Alina.” She stomped her foot. “Besides, you can’t return to the Earth realm. The veil is closed.”
