Page 62 of War of Her Heart

Eira’s eyes widened. “It would do him well to understand the power he could gain by wedding a future Sovereign,” Eirasaid as she crossed her arms.

“Sebastian isn’t lacking in power. It would take more than that to catch his eye, Eira.”

Bronwen looked her up and down before turning away and walking off. She pulled me along with her.

It was like she didn’t see what I saw when I looked at Eira. Everything about her would catch the eye of a male.

Bronwen was everything I wanted to be. She had confidence and didn’t care if she offended anyone. I guess that was a privilege of being the most-trusted council of the scariest Sovereign in Alentara.

A few hours passed while Bronwen continued to pull me around the room. She seemed to know everyone in attendance, but the few that she didn’t, she made sure to introduce herself and get their entire life story.

I listened to the fae talk about themselves, but they were so boring they barely held my attention. There was something much more interesting in the room: him.

Sebastian never changed position and only shifted his eyes every so often to look at the female standing before him.

And when he gave them only a glance, it seemed to crush their spirits every time.

He caught me staring one time to which I quickly looked away. A few moments later, I glanced back to see he was still looking at me. Even though his face didn’t give any sort of emotion, I could see the smile in his eyes.

I saw Calum and Nathara a few times throughout the night. Once when they were getting food and the rest of the time they were dancing. He either never saw me, or he was doing a good job at avoiding looking at me because he seemed completely focused on her.

My father was dressed for the ball, and he seemed a little less on guard than he had been. It was probably because there were several guards standing at the exits due to the volume of foreign guests. I even saw him smile once while he was talking to Adar and a few ladies that must have already been rejected by Sebastian.

It made me happy to see him like that. He hadn’t been like that since Calum’s father died, and he deserved happiness, even if it was only for a night.

The drums slowed their pace, and the loud conversations turned into whispers as everyone turned to Sebastian.

The night was coming to an end, and it was time for him to choose his favorite.

He stood up from his throne and walked down the steps to the middle of the floor where everyone backed away, forming a circle around him.

Bronwen grabbed my hand and pulled me with her as she pushed her way through the crowding fae so she could get a better view. We made it to the front of the circle where she looped her arm in mine and pulled my body close to hers.

“My favorite part of the night,” she leaned in and whispered.

Dread formed in my stomach as I looked at the ladies and tried to figure out which one he would pick. He scanned the room, slowly looking at each lady that had pushed their way intothe front of the circle. Their faces lit up before turning to utter disappointment as he moved on to the next.

I watched as Sebastian crushed the hopes and dreams of several female fae around the room, each giving me a little relief.

When his eyes met mine and a sinister grin formed on his face, I realized what he was planning to do. The look of consideration he gave the ladies was just for show.

Please, no. I shook my head and pleaded with my eyes.

But that only made his smile grow as he walked towards me. I saw looks of disgust and shock on the ladies’ faces around me.

I knew exactly what they were thinking because I was thinking the same thing: how could he overlook them and choose someone like me?

My grip was tight on Bronwen’s arm, but as Sebastian stopped in front of me and reached out his hand, I knew I had no other choice.

This was the last thing I expected tonight. The attention I got from him was always when we are alone, and he always managed to disappear before anyone could see.

But this . . . this was different. No hiding. No secrecy.

And he smiled when he picked me—something I didn’t think he did in front of others too often.

I placed my hand in his and his cool touch sent flutters through my stomach. After following him to the center of the floor, he put his other hand on the lower part of my back and pulled me in close, never taking his eyes away from mine. I gently laid my other hand on his chest and between feeling the muscle beneath and the look in his eyes, my chest tightened.

We danced for a while, and I did everything I could to focus on the sound of the music instead of the whispers in the crowd.

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