“I’m here to fulfill your wishes, and if my services aid Prince Adanorin in any way, I am honored.”
Kalyll bowed slightly, the embodiment of charm. “I am grateful, Abin Manael.”
Larina’s cheeks turned violet, and I figured that was how a blue-skin person looked when they blushed. The pixie fluttered into the room, and as I stepped into the hall and closed the door behind me, I sensed I was leaving Valeriana in good hands.
The prince led me to a large study where Cylea, Kryn, Silver, and Jeondar were seated comfortably around a low table, while Arabis reclined on a chair, feet up on an ottoman, and a hand pressed to her stomach. The space had an open, airy feel thanks to a city-facing balcony similar to the one found in the dining room. The sound of rushing water came in through it, as well as a fresh breeze that smelled of distant rain and sweet flowers.
Arabis put her hands up in the air. “Welcome to the Sub Rosa Circle, Daniella Sunder.”
CHAPTER 18
TheSubRosaCircle?
Sub Rosaas in secret? It had to be. I’d read many old texts in my quest to improve my healing skills. It was something I started doing in high school, something I quite enjoyed, and it was in those texts where I’d encountered the term. In my realm and this one, the rose had an ancient history as a symbol of secrecy and undercover things, which was exactly what this quest appeared to be.
Arabis smirked, and it was obvious that the name was a joke they used amongst themselves. I quickly assessed her from a distance. She was much recovered, a feat of her rapid Fae healing abilities.
“Kalyll said he let you into our little secret.” Cylea patted the seat next to her, and I sat without a word, assaulted by an odd feeling of belonging, as if by stepping into this room I had crossed an invisible line, and I was finally inside the circle with them—not just standing at the fringes.
A minute ago, there had been no going back home because I didn’t know the way and I didn’t want to die. Now, as six pairs of eyes regarded me as one of their own, my reasons for staying did a one-eighty. Everyone’s demeanor was different, even Kryn’s, if only slightly. It was as if the trust Kalyll had offered me by telling me the truth had extended to them. I’d always had something like that with my family, but never with friends. In fact, I had few of those, and I certainly wouldn’t have trusted any of them with a secret like Kalyll’s.
Did their smiles mean I wasn’t only inside their Sub Rosa Circle but also their friendship circle? The thought of it made me strangely emotional. It was at that moment that I understood the depth of their friendship for the first time. If they could trust me by proxy, it meant they trusted each other blindly, maybe even with their lives.
There was only one problem: I only knew part of the truth. There was more. I knew there was, which meant Kalyll’s trust extended only so far. So even though I was inside the circle, I was still far from the center. Either way, I was deep enough that I wouldn’t be able to jump out if I tried. But even as scary as it all felt, the promise of belonging, of friendship, was alluring.
Funny how I never realized I was missing something.
Kryn, sitting to my left, leaned forward, picked up a crystal decanter, poured an amber-colored drink, and offered it to me.
I blinked in surprise.
He inclined his head. “This comes from your realm—one of Kalyll’s finds. I guess it’s not all bad over there.”
I took the drink and looked into his emerald eyes. They weren’t exactly friendly. Yet, there was a level of acceptance in them, even if it seemed reluctant. His gaze flicked toward Kalyll as if askinghappy now?The prince’s only sign of acknowledgment was a slight crinkling of his eyes.
After a sip of my drink, which turned out to be the smoothest Scotch I’d ever tasted, Kalyll sat on the arm of the sofa across from me, where Jeondar and Silver were also sipping from glasses similar to mine.
“Glenfiddich single malt. 1937 rare collection,” Kalyll said.
“So this is why it’s too expensive for the likes of me to afford a fine drink,” I said, “what with hoity-toity Fae princes paying whatever price from their endless coffers and taking it across the veil.”
Kryn chuckled, almost despite himself.
“Hoity-toity?” Silver echoed.
“It means supercilious,” Kryn explained.
I gave the redhead a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged. “I’ve spent some time in your realm.”
That came to me as a surprise.
Kalyll sat quietly, enduring the talk about him with barely a roll of his eyes. He seemed used to being the butt of the joke and took no offense.
“Dani—can I call you Dani now?” Silver went on without waiting to see if I agreed. “Dani seems to agree with you about Kalyll, Kryn.”
“Well, it’s not hard to see that his coffers are deep and, indeed, keep his ass spoiled,” Kryn responded, unwilling to admit he and I had anything in common.