As he leaves, I stare after him. He’s so familiar. Butdamnit,I can’t figure out why.
Corren elbows me and looks around the hallway. “This place is nice. What do you think about expanding the soldiers’ quarters once you’re the king?”
Mikal’s eyes light up as he steps toward us and bumps Corren out of the way. “There will be no need for that, Cor. Once Isiah’s in charge, we’ll live the good life inside the castle. We’ll attend the fancy parties and meet the beautiful females and—” Corren whacks him on the back of the head, and Mikal flinches before flipping Corren off.
Corren smirks. “The only fillies you’ll meet are the horses out back.”
“Yes, you’ll both stay in the palace,” Liam says as he steps between them, eyeing them both. “Only it’ll be in the dungeons with the other scoundrels.”
“You will all be coming inside the castle with me once I’m king, but don’t expect that any time soon.”
Mikal grins at me as he rubs the back of his head. “I knew you had some sense. What fun would ruling be without having us with you?”
I roll my eyes but can’t stop the smile that pulls on my lips because he isn’t wrong. I will keep them close. They can serve as my advisors or personal guards, whatever excuse I need to have my brothers with me.
Thom squeezes his eyes shut and massages his temples. “All right, my ass is tired from riding and sleeping on the ground. I need rest before we pretend to be civilized. This room is mine.” He opens his eyes and stares at Mikal, who does his best to appear innocent. “And if any of you wake me, we’ll have words later.” Thom steps into the room and shuts the door, and the others follow suit.
I head into the last room and find it decorated identically to the rest of the castle, with varying shades of purple, all accented with gold. Four armchairs sit in front of an enormous fireplace, and there’s a washroom at the back of the room. At least the bed looks comfortable enough. I sit on the plush mattress to take my boots off and stretch my sore feet. Buying new boots is now top of my list when we get home. Thom was right. Getting rest before the ball is probably a good idea because suffering through the politics and dancing will require patience I don’t have at the moment. The drapes over the large picture window let in an enormous amount of light, far too much to sleep with. Reluctantly, I rise from the mattress that beckons to me and walk over to close the drapes.
The moment my hand touches the curtain, my body stills. The view from the window is nothing of note, an elegant courtyard with beautiful flowers and a fountain. But it’s the female sitting on a bench that draws my attention.
A pulse of energy shoots through my body at the sight of her. Her shoulders stiffen under my stare, and she turns, peering into the courtyard behind. The sun shines at precisely the right angle, making it appear that her hair is on fire, burning from within. Her eyes gleam in the light, and I realize one eye is blue while the other is green. Freckles pepper the bridge of her nose and cheeks as if kissed by the sun itself.
My brow furrows, as I try to make sense of what’s happening
Whatever this is, I can’t take my eyes off her. My hand twitches on the curtain, but it’s the only movement I make.
She stands then, her trim frame tense, her fists clenched by her sides, and looks up at the castle in my direction. Even though I am five stories up, it’s like she sees me, seesthroughme.
Time slows, and every blink and breath lasts an eternity.
She finally breaks the stare and rushes out of the courtyard, vanishing inside the castle. My hand drops from the curtain as if a spell has been broken, and I lean against the wall.
What in the world was that?
Whoever that female was, I need to find her.
Once my brain functions again, I close the drapes and head toward the bed, flopping face-first into the pillow and smile.
For all my complaining, now I can’t wait for the ball. Maybe my father was right. Perhaps I can spy and find myself a princess in one night.
CHAPTER 7
GRACE
I
nearly trip over my feet as I race through the halls toward my room, hands trembling and body humming with energy.
What in the world was that?
It felt as if eyes watched me from inside the castle. The weight of their stare was palpable.
To slow my racing thoughts, I force myself to walk. It’s this place. Fae magic is strange, and maybe I’m not used to it. Or perhaps it’s anxiety over the ball. Tonight I meet the rulers of the five fae kingdoms: Selen, Liethe, Tyrone, Daminae, and Culhan. So it’s no wonder I’m a mess. I barely slept last night, and my grand introduction is in a few hours. Not to mention having spent the morning in Grager with Niethal, which has only added to my energy, though not in a negative way. A smile twists my lips at the memory, and it’s a welcome distraction from everything else.
Once I make it back to my room, my hands stop trembling. As nervous as I may be about the ball, I’m also excited. My eyes dart to the armoire where my dress hangs. The gold lace gown has thick straps and a plunging neckline. It’s fitted through the torso before flaring out at the waist, thick layers of tulle adding volume to the skirt.
The door to the washroom is cracked, and inside, the tub is filled with steaming water. Servants must have come while I was in the courtyard. I strip and toss my clothes in a pile—might as well soak in the bath while I wait for Serafin and Delphina to arrive.