Prince Azaren approached us then, and he stopped casually between Darian and Locke. I hated the fae prince as much as I hated the fucking rest of them, but there was something about him that didn’t make me want to tear him apart like I did the others. His shoulders dropped, his muscles relaxing in a way that was at odds with his rigid posture when he spoke to any of the fae.
“I hope you’re ready, Prince Azaren,” Locke said quietly to the fae, and Prince Azaren regarded him.
“As ready as one can be,” he responded cryptically with a sigh, and I glowered at him. The sooner he told us about the curse, the sooner we could leave this fucking place.
~ Raine ~
A gorgeous fae female stalked over to our group, her hair hanging in dozens of small, long braids around her face and falling to either side of her pointed ears. Gemstones glittered on her green velvet dress that brushed along the floor, and her smile was polite like she’d practiced it in the mirror a thousand times. None of the other fae had approached us despite the fact we were the supposed rescuers of their prince, and I had to wonder why she was different.
Not sparing the rest of us a second glance, she fixed her attention on Prince Azaren. “My beloved, there are more guests you should speak with,” she said, her voice high and lilting. “They’ve dearly missed their war general and their prince.”
Beloved?My brows rose in surprise.Is the prince…betrothed?
Prince Azaren deflated, exhaustion sapping the vibrancy from his face, but he nodded dutifully. “Yes, I suppose they would have.”
The female’s gaze slid subtly to the side, and I frowned when I realized the king was staring back at her. The cold and calculating look he gave her made me think the pair had some kind of agreement, and I was reminded that we really had no idea what we’d stepped into in the fae realm.
When Prince Azaren took a reluctant step forward, I moved to block him. “Prince Azaren,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster. “You promised you’d honor me with a dance. You know, after saving your life and all.”
He stilled and blinked at me in surprise. “You wish to dance the Fazea?”
A group of fae were dancing to a lively tune in the middle of the ballroom, their odd, jerky movements and shaking bodies completely different from any dance I’d ever seen, and I could only guess he was referring to whatever it was they were doing. I suddenly regretted my decision to lend a helping hand and tried not to show just how badly I didnotwant to join them.
The fae female narrowed her eyes at me like she was daring me to say yes. Well, now Idefinitelyhad to.
“The prince has been absent for a number of days and almost died,” she said indignantly. “It’s important that he show strength in this time of—”
“Yes,” Prince Azaren blurted, his emerald eyes sparkling as he smiled at me. “I did promise you a dance, didn’t I?” He turned back to the fae female who still had her mouth open like she couldn’t believe he’d just interrupted her. “One dance, Alessa, and then I’ll resume my duties as the prince. It’s the least I can do for the ones who saved me.”
The fae female, Alessa, promptly shut her mouth. If you could kill someone with a glare, I’m pretty sure Alessa would have killed me right then. Honestly, she looked like she wanted to gouge my eyes out, which seemed like an overreaction, but what did I know? Without uttering another word, she huffed and spun around, stalking back into the crowd around us.
Prince Azaren lifted his arm, an invitation for me to link my arm with his, but Kade stepped between us. “Raine,” Kade growled in warning. “We’re not leaving you alone with him.”
“I’m going to dance,” I replied in exasperation, stepping around Kade and taking Prince Azaren’s arm. “You’re welcome to join us if you like.”
Darian gave a friendly smile to a pixie who gawked as she flew past him. Distracted, she flew into the back of a larger fae and went tumbling to the ground. Darian took a step forward to help her, but the pixie shot back into the air and was out of sight before he could offer his assistance. Grimacing, he turned to us again. “It’s not an entirely bad idea. It would look better if we acted as though we were trying to fit in with the fae. This is supposedly going to be our new home, after all.”
Asher grinned and slapped Kade on the back. “Dancing it is, brother.”
Kade looked like he wanted to tackle Asher to the ground, his muscles wound so tightly it seemed almost painful, but he clenched his jaw as Prince Azaren led us closer to the dance floor.
As we walked, Prince Azaren glanced at me from the side, and his lips quirked into a knowing smile. “You don’t need to save me from Alessa,” he said quietly. “I’m well aware of the duties I must perform.”
I tried not to think about how all the fae were staring at me like I was some kind of alien. I mean, Katakin was bad enough. Couldn’t a girl get a break? “Save you? How do you know I don’t just want to dance?” I asked, shrugging it off.
He studied me like I was as fascinating as one of the books he’d desperately wanted to reclaim from Katakin. “Well, it seems I owe you yet again. These parties can be a little…”
“Soul suckin’?” Asher supplied with a bored expression, and I tried to smother my grin.
Prince Azaren eyed him. “I was going to say ‘draining.’”
We’d reached the other dancing fae then, and if I hadn’t regretted my decision to suggest the activity before, I definitely would have now. I couldn’t even explain why I’d wanted to help the fae prince escape his duties for a while. Maybe I still felt guilty for watching Kade and Locke render him unconscious all those times. In any case, I was committed now.
Kade, Locke, Darian, and Asher formed a half circle around me, and Prince Azaren positioned himself across from us. I took solace in the fact that at least the fae behind me wouldn’t see my crazy moves because my monsters were blocking me from view.
Prince Azaren abruptly started shooting his arms and legs out like he’d lost his mind, and laughter burst out of me before I could clamp a hand over my mouth. A few nearby fae glared daggers at me, and I coughed, clearing my throat.
“What, not to your taste?” Prince Azaren asked with a grin.
