The lift stopped on the top level, and we were met by six guards. A male in court livery directed us where to go, and we walked down a long hallway until we came to an open archway guarded by two more guards. Passing through it, we entered a large terrace. Half the terrace was enclosed by walls and a ceiling, and the other half was open to the night sky. The entire space was laid out like a formal dining room.
At the back of the terrace, tables were arranged in a semicircle on a low dais. Smaller four-person tables were placed around the room to allow every occupant a view of the main table. The overhead lights had been dimmed, and on every elegantly set table was a small dish of laevik crystals that gave off a soft warm light.
A female in livery took us to our table on the other side of the terrace near the rail. We were as far from the dais as you could get; however, the location offered us an unobstructed view of everyone entering the room. Joreth looked a little put out by our seating arrangement, but I was content to sip the juice brought to me and watch the other guests arrive.
It was like watching the red-carpet event at the Oscars as elegantly-dressed couples entered and were shown to their seats. Rashari and Delphine were among them, and I felt a surge of relief that neither of them was Lukas’s date. It was going to be hard enough to see him with someone else without it being one of those two.
Before long, the smaller tables were full, and another couple named Fayette and Cleon had joined us at our table. Joreth made introductions, but our table companions were more interested in watching the room than talking to us.
A murmur went through the room, and I looked up as King Oseron entered with Queen Anwyn, and they walked to the dais together. Before I could wonder where their consorts were, Lukas’s mother entered on the arm of Queen Anwyn’s consort. All eyes were on the Unseelie king and the Seelie queen as they sat in the two large chairs at the center of the dais with their consorts on either side of them.
Queen Anwyn was resplendent in an ice blue dress and a crown that was bigger than the one she’d worn to the meeting. When she smiled at something the king said, it was almost hard to believe that a cold, vile heart beat inside such a delicate, beautiful person.
“I am not surprised Dariyah is on his arm tonight,” said Fayette, who was seated across from me. “Her father is one of the king’s advisors after all.”
I followed Fayette’s gaze to the entrance, and my gut hardened when I saw Lukas with Dariyah at his side. She was radiant in a white form-fitting dress, and her haughty smile told every female in the room that Lukas was hers. We’d see about that.
My gaze moved to Lukas, who paid no attention to his date as he scanned the terrace. When his eyes locked with mine, he smiled. For a few seconds, no one else in the room existed. With one look, he said it was me he wanted by his side, and he didn’t care if the whole room saw it.
He shifted his stare to Joreth, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Warmth burst in my chest, and I had to bite back a stupid grin. Lukas was jealous of my date.
Dariyah tugged on his arm, and he turned his head to look at her as they continued to their table. I wondered if she had seen our silent exchange, and I got my answer when they took their seats at the head table beside his mother. Dariyah’s smile was a lot less smug, but the glare she shot me promised I hadn’t won, not by a long shot.
I smiled at her. Bring it.
Someone took the seat on Dariyah’s other side. I slid my gaze to them and saw Roswen with a dark-haired male, who, based on the resemblance, had to be her brother Kellen. A few seats down from them, I was surprised to see Faolin and Faris. I knew they were princes in their own right, but I’d had no idea their blood was blue enough to place them at the head table.
I looked around for Conlan, Iian, and Kerr and found them at tables near the dais. They were dressed formally and had dates, but they were also close enough to Lukas to protect him should the need arise.
“So, it is true that you and Prince Vaerik are close friends,” Joreth said in my ear, startling me by his nearness. “He rarely befriends anyone outside his close circle.”
At first, I thought he was insinuating something sordid between Lukas and me, but there was nothing sly or suggestive in his expression.
“We are.” I noticed Fayette and Cleon listening to us and didn’t elaborate.
Joreth took my reply as an invitation to delve further. “Before your conversion you were one of those hunters I’ve heard about? You hunted down faeries who broke the law in your world?”
“Yes.” Unless they were above the law. I looked to where Queen Anwyn was speaking to King Oseron. She and her personal guard would never pay for the terrible crimes they had committed.
“Fascinating.” Joreth slid his chair a little closer. “Is that how you met the prince?”
“You could say that. I was looking for someone, and he offered to help me find them.”
“Did you find them?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Then you returned the ke’tain to us,” Joreth said in wonder. “And to reward you, the crown prince made you Fae.”
I stared at him at a temporary loss for words. Good God, was that what people here thought? If so, I needed to set the record straight.
“It wasn’t a reward. I nearly died, and he did the conversion to save my life.”
“And here you are now, a guest at the king’s party,” Joreth replied cheerfully, oblivious to the edge of annoyance in my voice. “I am fortunate enough to be your escort. I hope that by the time this night is done, you and I will be friends, too.” He gave me a secretive smile and lowered his voice. “Or maybe more.”
I had no response to that, so I took a sip from my glass instead. Thankfully, servers chose that moment to arrive with our first course, and I was saved from having to reply.
Talk was sparse and light through the five-course meal. Even Fayette and Cleon joined in at times, mostly to talk about who was seated with whom and what they were wearing. The conversation was so shallow I was bored nearly to tears by the time dessert arrived.
I tried not to stare at Lukas and Dariyah, but I couldn’t help myself. I wished I hadn’t whenever I saw her smile and lean in close to say something to him. It killed me to admit it, but she looked like she belonged there with the royal family. And she knew it.
At one point, she had looked straight at me as if she’d known I would be watching. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile, and she’d laid a hand on Lukas’s shoulder in a way that suggested they were more intimate than dinner dates. Lukas had been talking to his mother and hadn’t reacted to her touch, but it bothered me all the same.
I wasn’t the only one unhappy with Dariyah’s display. The few times I glanced at Rashari and Delphine, the pair looked like they were plotting her demise. Dariyah seemed to revel in her competition’s jealousy, which only riled them up more. If I were her, I wouldn’t be taking strolls down any dark hallways after this.
Servers came to clear away the last of the meal, and people at the small tables began to leave their seats to mingle around the room. As soon as Fayette and Cleon left us, Joreth placed a hand over mine on the table. “I hear there is going to be a special light display after dinner. Why don’t we take to the gardens and watch it together?”
I had to stop myself from jerking my hand away when his thumb stroked it. Smiling, I eased it from under his and rested it in my lap. “I think the view would be so much better up here. Don’t you agree?”