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A bell chimed once, twice, thrice, and the audience fell quiet as another fae actor entered the stage. He was wire thin, sporting pale wings with gold tips and a silver mask, the same color as his hair. He stayed near the side of the stage and bowed to the false prince sitting at the table and then to his audience.
“Gentle fae of our city, thank you for joining us in celebrations of The Solstice Queen.” The host’s voice projected widely across the plaza, carried by magic and echoing off the buildings behind them.
The audience clapped, and laughter rippled through the crowd. The actor’s voice was deep and pleasant, but nothing could lift the sinking feeling in Nava’s stomach.
Arkimedes’s breath caught in his throat as a woman in a canary-yellow dress stepped out from behind the curtains. The crowd howled.
Fuck. They’d even gotten her dress right. It looked so close to the monstrosity they’d forced her to wear that night.
“It looks like you two got caught,” Devon said with a chuckle. His black eyes twinkled when they landed on her. “This should be interesting.”
The narrator cleared his throat and silence fell once more. “Many of you saw a bright beauty on the night of the solstice, and no one could ignore how she captivated our prince.” The female fae prowled across the stage, flirting with several of the dancers before crooking her finger at the prince.
What? Nava had never done that. She hadn’t flirted with anyone. And Arkimedes had come to her on his own.
“My prince, would you care to have some wine?” the woman purred and traced a finger over her large bosom with one dainty, gloved hand. The fake prince followed her moves with false interest.
Something hot and feral flared in Nava’s stomach as she watched them. How dare they make a mockery out of that moment—out of her and Arkimedes.
“We should leave before someone finds us here.” Arkimedes’s breath hit the exposed skin of her neck and raised gooseflesh wherever it touched. “We don’t need to see this.”
“I disagree. This is quite entertaining,” Devon said. “I don’t remember Nava being that…sultry, but I might be remembering it wrong.”
Arkimedes glared at Devon and reached for her hand. He lowered his face to hers, and when their eyes met, the crowd disappeared behind them. “We know what truly happened that night. This is just going to upset us.”
“But what if they overheard our conversation?” she breathed in a panic, right before his lips met hers. The gentle kiss wasn’t enough to douse the sudden heat that swept through her. It was almost as if they were back to that night, when her skin had burned and desire for her mate had become too much to ignore.
Her chest tingled as Ark traced his tongue over her bottom lip, and the sensation traveled down to her core, leaving her wanting more. But he pulled away from the kiss before it caught fire. His pupils swallowed his irises, leaving behind only a trace of green.
“I don’t want to lose my temper and hurt them. It will be worse if I give away who we are in the middle of the city. We have to blend in tonight to get the artifact.”
The artifact—right. Nava nodded and kept her eyes glued to him, allowing Arkimedes to be her anchor. It was wise to escape from here. There was no point in getting overwhelmed by her need for him in the middle of a crowd.
“Devon?” Arkimedes studiously avoided looking at the play, although his gaze had turned more serious. Even Nava could see a flick of his power emanating from his skin.
Devon shook his head and pointed at the stage. “I’m staying to mingle with the good fae of this town… Perhaps I’ll take a stroll around the piers later.”
Arkimedes frowned, and he reached for his brother, draping an arm over his shoulder. “You’re feeling fine to do that on your own?”
“Indeed.”
“What do you mean by mingle?” she asked.
“He’s going to find the location we need for tonight. It’s easier if only he looks for it,” Arkimedes whispered into her ear. His voice was so soft she could barely hear him through the loud clapping around them.
Then he led her away from the crowd and toward a large building near the edge of the town square. The Lost Chariot read the sign above the inn’s door.
Arkimedes had already informed her that they’d be staying here tonight. Close enough to the docks but far away from the unsavory merchants. Nava’s natural curiosity had replaced the fear she’d felt for most of the morning. The more she kept hearing about the pirates, the more she wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
“At least now we know how they found out about me,” she said. It also explained the pamphlet Leela had brought with her when she went to the potion store a week ago.
The waves of laughter called her attention to the stage. More and more spectators were gathering to witness a moment in their lives that was supposed to stay private. “Do you think your father knows?”
“Let’s hope for the safety of these fools—and for the sake of our plan—that he hasn’t learned of this play yet.” His brows scrunched in the middle as he glanced to where his brother stood. “But the distraction will serve as a good cover for what Devon has to do.”
25
NAVA
