“Conlan,” I said as he left my room. “I’m glad I have friends like you who care about my welfare.”
He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. “Does this mean I’m still your favorite?”
I snorted a laugh. “Yes, but don’t tell the others.”
“Oh, they already know.” He grinned and disappeared from sight.
* * *
I tossed aside the book I was trying to read, startling Kaia, who lay on the other end of my couch. Getting up from the couch, I walked to my balcony with the lamal on my heels. It had become our ritual of the last few hours as we waited for Lukas to return from Seelie. He’d told me they would be back before the evening meal, but that hour was fast approaching.
It was possible they had already arrived and his father had him tied up with something. I hadn’t seen the king since Lukas had made it known to the whole court that we were dating, but I couldn’t forget his words to Lukas about me the morning after the royal dinner. King Oseron would never think I was a suitable mate for his heir, and he didn’t strike me as someone who gave up easily.
“Enough of this.” I slapped the stone railing and turned to look at Kaia. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She ran inside and went straight for the door where she waited for me to pull on my shoes. I let us out, and we walked to the lift, returning the greetings from people we passed. Ever since it had become common knowledge that Lukas and I were together, I’d become a lot more popular at court.
There were some who didn’t hide their resentment of my relationship with Lukas, and chief among them were Dariyah and Rashari. They were all smiles whenever he was around, but they didn’t spare me their looks of loathing when I was without him. I ignored them. They would get over it eventually…or they wouldn’t.
It was a beautiful day for a long walk, but I decided to keep to the grounds this time. Not in the mood to stop and chat with everyone, I choose the relative privacy of the gardens over a walk to the lake. I followed one of the many white stone paths through the extensive gardens where the trees, thick flowering shrubs, burbling fountains, and animal noises blocked out the sounds of the other people around me.
Kaia and I had been walking for a few minutes when one of the liveried elf servants making their rounds in the garden offered me a drink from the tray he carried. I sipped the cold fruit nectar as I continued to stroll and wonder how things had gone at the meetings with Seelie.
No doubt Queen Anwyn had continued her push to seal the barrier. I needed King Oseron to hold out against her long enough for me to finish the task of restoring the ke’tain’s power. If they closed the barrier before that happened, no one would ever believe their solution wasn’t the reason the storms had ended. And with the barrier sealed on one side, the damage to my world would be irreversible.
Weighed down by my thoughts, I suddenly felt tired despite sleeping until noon. I entered one of the many secluded alcoves, which had been designed for a romantic interlude judging by the oversized chaise. I set my drink on the small table and reclined on the chaise to rest a bit while Kaia wandered off to do her own thing.
It wasn’t long before the comfortable chaise and the soothing sounds and scents of the garden lulled me into a light sleep. I could still hear the birds and people’s voices, but it was as if someone had turned down the volume around me. I floated in a warm, blissful haze and dreamed of kissing Lukas among the calaech flowers by the river.
I came half-awake as a hard body lay beside me on the chaise and an arm wrapped around my waist to tug me closer. “Lukas,” I murmured drowsily as warm lips pressed to mine.
I frowned. Something didn’t feel right. I turned my face away from his kiss as my fuzzy brain tried to understand what was wrong.
“What is this?” demanded a harsh male voice.
My eyes flew open to find Lukas standing six feet away, staring at me with a mix of anger and confusion that pierced the fog in my head. “Lukas?” I turned my head to look at the dark-haired male lying beside me, one who I didn’t remember ever seeing before.
“Get off me!” I shoved him away from me and came unsteadily to my feet. My stomach lurched at the memory of the stranger’s mouth on mine, and I felt violated. I had been violated.
I rounded on the male who hadn’t moved from the chaise. “How dare you?”
He smiled lazily. “Are we playing another one of your little games, mi’dhu?”
Mi’dhu, my sweet.
“Jesse.” The dangerous edge in Lukas’s tone had me turning back to him. That was when I saw he wasn’t alone. Conlan and Kerr stood on Lukas’s right, and standing on his left was Dariyah wearing an expression of smug satisfaction she didn’t bother to hide from me.
“What is going on here, Jesse?” Lukas bit out. “Who is this male?”
I met his furious gaze. “I have no idea. I woke up and thought it was you beside me.”
The male in question sat up. “Come now, mi’dhu,” he wheedled.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, taking a step back. I turned to Lukas and saw a small crowd of onlookers gathering outside the alcove.
Dariyah scoffed. “You want us to believe you mistook him for Vaerik?”
“I don’t care what you believe.” I looked at Lukas, and pain pricked my chest at the uncertainty in his eyes.
The crowd moved in. Conlan and Kerr immediately stepped between them and Lukas, while Dariyah used the opportunity to get closer to Lukas. I narrowed my eyes on her in time to catch the conspiratorial look she shot at the male behind me. Just like that the pieces fell into place. The drink, the sudden need to lie down, the brain fog. I had been drugged. I glanced at the table only to find my glass conveniently missing.
“You!” I took a step toward Dariyah as anger boiled inside me. I was over these court games and manipulations. “You did this.”
She pressed herself to Lukas’s side. “I had nothing to do with your infidelity. Do not try to blame me to cover your lies.”
The male on the chaise, whose name I still didn’t know, stood and reached for me. Lukas moved toward him, but I was faster. My fist plowed into the male’s smiling face. His eyes widened in shock before they rolled back into his head, and he dropped like a rock. I shook my head in disgust. Court faeries might be stronger in the human realm, but here, most of them were lazy and weak.
I caught the glint of pride in Lukas’s eyes as I spun and stalked toward Dariyah, who was no longer smirking. Real fear filled her eyes as she cowered behind Lukas. I pointed a finger at her. “I told you once not to come at me again. This is your final warning.”
“Jesse.” Lukas laid a hand on my arm, and I shook it off.
I turned accusing eyes on him. “I never would have doubted you. Not for one second.”
Moving past him, I found my exit blocked by our captive audience. When I looked for another way out, I found Dariyah clinging to Lukas’s arm like a damsel in distress. The fact that he did not look happy about it didn’t matter. For the first time in my life, I knew what it meant to see red.
I closed the distance between us, and before either of them could react, I slugged her right in her lying, spiteful mouth. The satisfaction that filled me as she went down did nothing to ease my anger, but damn, it felt good.