But then I remembered—he’d been there, on my twenty-first birthday. The big black moth that had landed on my phone while I sat outside in the garden. Of course he knew.
When I stepped into the bathroom with a smile, I realised I could smell a familiar scent wafting from the gleaming surface of the steaming water. A big, ornate glass bottle was resting on the floor at the edge of the sunken bath, with a stem of rosemary suspended inside the oil.
My smile widened. “Did you get me rosemary oil?”
“Yes,” Lonan called from the bedroom. I could hear him moving around in there. “I had it made for you. I’m just going to get our breakfast.”
I heard the door open and close as I slipped into the tub, sighing as the hot water enveloped me. I still missed my cramped copper tub from the cottage, but being able to stretch out completely—and take baths with Lonan—was much more appealing.
We had settled into this new life well over the last couple of weeks since my coronation. I hadn’t opened up the court to the Folk yet, because I was still learning everything about how the Brid had controlled the seelie, how she had run this land, what my duties would be as king.
Nua had repeated what Lonan said the first day we got here—that I didn’t have to do much at all if I didn’t want to. I could just enjoy living in this big palace, with Lonan and my brother at my side—and Gillie, of course—and let things continue as they had been.
But I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make the Folk’s lives better, if I could. I wanted to prove that I was nothing like the Brid.
After washing my hair and scrubbing myself down, I lay back in the tub for a while, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn’t believe it had only been a year since my life changed so completely. I still couldn’t quite believe that in that time, I had become a fucking king. It didn’t feel real.
But it was. Very real. As I climbed out and padded back into the bedroom while I dried off, my eyes caught on my crown resting on the big chest of drawers. I should probably put it on a special little pillow or something instead of just chucking it there every night—except when Lonan made me wear it to bed. Which he did. Often.
I was towel-drying my hair when I heard him come back in. He had carved delicate charms all around the doorframe a while ago, so only we could come in and out freely. We let Jora in to clean up sometimes and change the sheets, but I had to give her permission first.
It helped me feel safer here, even though now that the Brid was gone, I felt safe everywhere on seelie land. We hadn’t explored all of it yet, but Nua and I had toured the town and been inundated with shop owners trying to give us things for free, which we’d refused. The Brid’s coffers were obscene. Nua had spoken to the royal treasurer, who had nervously asked if we could perhaps discuss tax rates in the near future. I was dreading that meeting. Maths and economics had never been my strong points.
I heard Lonan set down the tray before he approached. A cool hand slid round my hip, long fingers dancing over the swell of my ass. I grinned into the towel before pulling it off my head.
“Are you trying to tempt me, seelie?” Lonan asked, his voice husky, before he leaned forward and kissed my neck.
“No.” I laughed. Even though I hadn’t been, I slyly asked, “Is it working?”
“Always.” He squeezed my ass before pulling back. “But you need to eat. Get dressed.”
“Bossy,” I grumbled under my breath as I pulled out some clothes. It was getting warmer here, so I chose a pair of tan leather trousers and a white shirt rather than darker clothes. Lonan was still wearing all black, as he always did.
Not bothering with socks or boots yet, I padded over to the two armchairs in front of the unlit fireplace. A wide grin stretched my mouth when I noticed a pile of gifts wrapped in light gold fabric resting on the rug.
“Who are they for?” I asked demurely as I sat down in the armchair.
Lonan huffed and shot me a dry look as he lifted the cloche from the tray. The rich scent of coffee greeted me first, making my mouth water. Alongside the carafe was a teapot, two bowls of fruit salad, scrambled eggs on toast, a silver platter of thinly sliced smoked salmon dotted with dill, and two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice.
I picked up the juice first as Lonan poured my coffee, then his tea.
“Food or presents first?” he asked as he handed me my coffee.
I eyed the presents longingly—especially that big ornately carved wooden box—but my belly growled, and I knew Lonan would be hungry too. “Food first.”
We ate in peaceful quiet. Lonan added honey to his tea, which I’d never seen him do before. Normally I talked throughout breakfast, while Lonan usually just nodded and listened, interjecting every now and then, but today I was content to just have him near me. His presence soothed some of the lingering sadness at the thought of my parents. At least the Solstice celebrations later would take my mind off it.
Once we’d finished eating, Lonan slid to his knees on the rug and reached for the presents. I followed him down, crossing my legs and grinning when he grabbed the big rectangular wooden box first and dragged it over.
It was dark wood, polished and gleaming. Serpents and cattle and boars had been carved into it, interspersed with creeping vines and heavy, drooping trees. I flicked back the two burnished-gold clasps and lifted the lid, freezing when I saw the bow inside.
It had been polished to an even higher shine than the box, the limbs made of the same dark wood and carved even more intricately with all kinds of animals winding together. The grip was made of a lighter wood, and the shape of the bow was different. This was a recurve bow, more powerful, whereas the basic one Nua and Gillie had bought me to learn was a longbow.
It was beautiful. On the thickest part of the limbs, either side of the grip, I could see a snarling wolf and a dark, slinking cat. My mouth curved up as I ran my fingers over them.
I looked up at Lonan, my eyes prickling. “You had this made for me?”
“Well, I had to ask Nua for...” He didn’t look at me as he said it, and I paused when I realised that he was trying to keep his tone even. “So I’m sorry, but these were all bought with your own money.”