I cannot believe what I’m about to say. “Grace, the arrow. Was it through your left shoulder?” I release our joined hands and tap where mine had hurt the morning I awoke from that strange dream.
The blood drains from her face, and she pulls back. “Yes, how did you know?”
“And the second male to step out of the woods was Reagan, correct?”
She flinches and looks around before meeting my eyes. “Isiah, how do you know this? Did you speak with Niethal?” It’s like she is begging for that to be true. I don’t even know how to explain it.
We dance again, but my movements are mechanical, my muscles acting purely on memory from years of forced practice under my mother’s watchful eye.
“Nothing is too farfetched, right?” I try to keep my voice steady, but it cracks. “Well, I had a strange dream last week about being shot by two fae males in the woods, and when I woke up, it felt like the arrow was still in my shoulder. And once I met Reagan today, I could haveswornthere was something familiar about him.” The next words stick in my throat because saying them aloud makes them real. “I thought it was a dream, but I may have been there with you.”
CHAPTER 11
GRACE
“W
hat do youmeanyou were there with me? I was alone!” I gape and lean away from him. He opens his mouth as if to say something but closes it instead. A moment passes, and his silence is maddening.
As if today couldn’t be any more shocking, cue the strange mind connection. Could it be possible the bath I took this afternoon, washing what felt like a male’s body, was seeing him through my dream?
Tiny beads of sweat form on my brow as my magic writhes inside, searching for release, but there’s nowhere to go. We’re in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the kings and their courts. I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself as my skin tingles.
Isiah squeezes my hand, his voice lowering to a soothing tone. “It’s all right. We can figure this out.”
My eyes close, and I shake my head. Nothing in my life makes sense anymore. I’m half-fae, half-human, heir to a lost kingdom, and now magically tied to a fae prince I’ve only just met.
I’m scared and angry at my lost life, so when I open my eyes and finally speak, I snap, “Figurewhatout, Isiah? That we somehow see each other through dreams?”
A small flame licks up my arm, disappearing as fast as it came, but Isiah, having seen it too, tenses. “You’re right, Grace. I don’t know what this is between us. I’ve experienced nothing like it in all the years I’ve lived. But I know this: I’m not scared of your magic, the connection between us, or the dreaming. I just want the chance to know you.”
A vulnerability colors his words, as if I could break him if I refuse, and for some reason, I don’t want to.
Stepping out of his embrace, I fold my arms over my stomach and rub my biceps. “I just… need a minute. This is a lot. This entiredayis a lot.”
I need a moment to breathe, to process what’s happened. The dance floor suddenly feels too crowded. There are too many strangers looking at me, expecting things. “Can we go somewhere to talk? I don’t feel like dancing anymore, and I’m afraid I might set a noble lady’s dress on fire.”
“Of course.” He stands aside for me to lead, but I have no idea where to go.
I head back toward the wall of mirrors for privacy, but before we get halfway across the room, Niethal steps in front of us. “Going somewhere?” He raises an eyebrow and gives a glassy stare.
Isiah goes rigid next to me.
“I hoped to get some fresh air. All the dancing has me needing to catch my breath.” It’s not a complete lie. It just doesn’t include my desire to throw a fireball into the sky and scream out my frustration.
“I would be more than happy to accompany you to the balcony,” Niethal says with a slight bow before turning to acknowledge Isiah. “I can take it from here. Go enjoy the ball, prince.”
Niethal lifts his arm, offering me his elbow, and I accept his invitation, but before we leave, I look at Isiah. His face is blank, but when his eyes meet mine, a shade of sadness fills them, and it’s enough to make me hesitate. There’s more I need to say to him. To tell him I’m not saying no. I just need time to sort things out.
Niethal tugs on my arm, and Isiah’s nostrils flare, but instead of saying anything, he turns and strides toward the gathering, fists clenched at his sides.
As he leaves, the faintest of shadows trails behind him.
Niethal leads us to a pair of glass doors at the back of the room, and as they open, a gust of fresh air blows the hair from my face, instantly cooling me. The nighttime summer breeze feels marvelous on my skin. Stepping past him onto the patio, I place my hands on the railing overlooking the courtyard and city beyond.
After a few deep breaths, I’m calm enough to notice Niethal has said nothing since we came out here. I turn and find him staring at me, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the doorframe.After a few more beats of standing in silence, I can’t take it anymore. “Is something wrong?”
“Well, since you ask, yes, I could name a few things.” He pushes off the doorframe to stand, a pinched expression on his face. “One is I can’t stand the prince’s scent on you. And two, I think you may enjoy it.”