He leaned in so close our heads touched, and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. “It will be crowded here, and we can spend some time getting to know each other better. I would love to hear more about your life before you came to Faerie.”
I laughed. “You’d be better off taking a trip to my world and seeing it for yourself.”
“Is this not your world now?”
“I haven’t been here long enough for it to feel like home,” I replied honestly.
“Then we shall have to make you feel at home here,” he persisted, clearly not getting the message.
I picked up my glass and took a sip, scanning the room for an escape. I caught Faris’s eye, and the look he gave me said he wanted to help but couldn’t. My gaze slid down the table to the spot I’d been avoiding for the last half hour, and my pulse jumped when I found Lukas staring in my direction. His eyes and jaw were hard, and my breath caught before I realized his glower was not directed at me.
Joreth pulled away from me as if I’d burned him. I didn’t need to look at his face to guess he had also seen Lukas.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to say hello to some friends of mine,” he said, already half out of his chair.
“I don’t mind at all.” I waited until he left to return my gaze to Lukas, who looked slightly appeased. I smiled and gave him a tiny shrug, and his answering smile sent a delicious shiver through me. Even with a room and a hundred people between us, I could feel his presence as if he was beside me.
His mother said something to him, and he looked at her, breaking the spell between us. I stood and walked to the rail, wondering what the proper etiquette was for these dinners. How long was I expected to stay here? Was it rude to leave before the king did?
I became aware of the whispers nearby just as a voice said, “Jesse James, I hoped I would have an opportunity to talk to you during our visit.”
I turned to face Prince Rhys, who stood a few feet away with Bayard and another of his personal guards. The prince was smiling, but his two guards looked none too happy to be there.
“Prince Rhys… how nice to see you,” I stammered.
“I thought you agreed to call me Rhys,” he said in a teasing voice.
I smiled. “Rhys, how are you enjoying your visit to Unseelie?”
“It’s been rather dull until now,” he confessed.
I gave him a disbelieving look. “I spent an hour in the first meeting, and it was anything but dull.”
His mouth turned down. “It is when you sit in them for three days and are not permitted to participate. My mother believes I am too young and inexperienced to contribute.”
His frankness was unexpected. “Why did she bring you if you can’t take part in the discussions?”
He leaned in conspiratorially. “Appearances. It’s a show of strength. Where one crown prince goes, so does the other.”
Bayard made a disapproving sound, but as usual, Rhys ignored him. I sensed something was off between Rhys and the queen. When he’d talked about her the day we went to lunch, his tone was affectionate. Tonight, there was a note of aggravation in his voice.
They were blocking my view of Queen Anwyn, but I knew she would not be happy to see the prince talking to me of all people. I was safe from her in Unseelie, but that fact did not stop a chill from slithering down my spine.
“What do you think of Faerie so far?” he asked me. “I see you have mastered the language already.”
“I’m a quick study. What I’ve seen of Faerie so far is beautiful, although it’s definitely an adjustment after living in New York my whole life.”
“Yes, it’s nothing like the human cities. I have not been home long, and I miss that world already.” He stared thoughtfully at the darkened valley. “I have realized during this visit that there is so much of Faerie I have not seen. The Unseelie court is very different from ours. This mountain is quite large, but I cannot imagine living in close quarters with so many others.”
“You call this close quarters? You’ve never been inside my apartment in Brooklyn.”
Rhys laughed. “In Seelie, only the royal family and their guards live in the palace. We have servants as well, but everyone else lives in nearby estates or in the town.”
I tried to imagine what it must have been like for him living in a palace with only his parents and guards for company. It sounded like a very sad and lonely way to grow up.
Bayard stepped closer to the prince. “Rhys, the queen is signaling for you to rejoin her.”
“I am surprised she waited this long.” Rhys released an inaudible sigh. “It was good to see you again, Jesse.”
“It was great to see you, too,” I said and realized I meant it. Despite being raised by Queen Anwyn, he was a genuinely nice person. As he walked away, I wondered what it would have been like if we’d grown up together as brother and sister. I felt a pang of sorrow for what we’d lost.
I glanced around the room, ignoring the people still staring at me after my encounter with the Seelie prince. The diners, except for most of those on the dais, were walking around the room and engaged in conversations. It was as good a time as any to slip out without anyone noticing my departure.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when I caught sight of Rashari and Delphine headed in my direction. Their intentions were written all over their faces. They couldn’t rip into Dariyah while she was with Lukas, so they thought they could take out their spite on me.
I groaned inwardly. Aedhna, you’re testing me, aren’t you? You couldn’t let me make my getaway?
A flash lit up the sky. I looked out, expecting to see the king’s light display, but I was greeted by the sight of purple lightning streaking through the sky toward the mountain. A deafening boom sounded directly overhead, and my ears hurt from the sudden change in air pressure.
Then the mountain shook.
I stumbled back from the rail as a basketball-sized rock struck the floor a foot away. I looked up in time to see more rocks break off from the side of the mountain and tumble toward us.
People screamed and pushed at each other to get away from the open section of the terrace. I whirled to run to the nearest wall and spotted Delphine frozen like a deer in headlights. Rashari was nowhere to be seen.
Changing direction, I raced to Delphine, dodging the smaller rocks coming down around me. I plowed into her and shoved her forward with all my strength. Seconds later, something big crashed into the floor behind me.
I pushed at Delphine’s back, yelling for her to keep moving. But when I tried to follow, I couldn’t. I looked back at the boulder pinning my train to the floor and gulped at how close it had come to flattening me. Gripping the material, I yanked hard, and it tore free.
Pain lanced through my skull. I staggered as something warm ran down my temple, and the room dimmed. My knees gave out, and I heard someone shout my name before the noise faded to a dull buzz. Then everything went black.
Chapter 16
“Jesse, Jesse, talk to me,” Lukas begged in a voice edged with fear. “Please, mi’calaech, open your eyes.”
Faolin’s steely voice rang out, making me flinch. “I said stand back. Do not make me say it again.”
Warm hands cupped my face. “That’s it, Jesse.”