Page 26 of Veil of Shadows

I snapped my spine straighter, and Alec slipped his arm around my waist again. “The ride can be cold with the wind, and being so close to the ocean. The sea’s breeze can be quite chilled,” he offered by way of explanation. “I’ll help keep you warm.”

I sighed but didn’t bother replying. At least, I managed one last glance at the palace before the carpet careened around the curved drive.

Tall black stone palace walls soared several stories above street level of the king’s residence. Flags in Stonewild colors flapped on the top of every tower, and glimmering onyx shingles soaked up the sunlight. But even as we flew toward the city center, the palace remained visible given its impressive height. It looked exactly as I’d been told it would—dark, oppressive, and entirely intimidating with its powerful aura.

It was so different from Faewood’s palace. Black instead of white. Imposing instead of serene. Cold instead of warm. I couldn’t help but wonder which Stonewild king had commissioned its design.

“Have you not seen the palace before?” Alec’s quiet question snapped my attention back to him. “You look as though you’re seeing it for the first time.”

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Well, it is actually. When I first arrived, I wasn’t allowed to...” I stopped myself, realizing we were in public, and I had to watch what I said. “I mean, I never really got a good look at it before.”

The prince glanced over his shoulder at me, and for the briefest moment, our gazes collided.

But whatever I thought I would see in his expression—camaraderie, a subtle knowing, even a conspiratorial smirk—somethingto indicate that he too remembered all that we’d shared...it wasn’t there. His face remained blank, any emotion he felt impossible to read.

My chest locked, as though my breaths refused to release. I didn’t understand how the prince could be so aloof after the way he’d held me in the wee hours of the morning. He’d embraced me. Consoled me. Cared for me. His hands had traveled up and down my back, so soothing and gentle.

But his behavior now . . .

A stinging sensation filled my chest, but I tried to brush it off.He has a lot on his mind. His brother’s missing after all. Maybe that’s the reason for his sudden distance.

I angled myself away from the prince and firmly focused on the passing streets. Wind blew over my cheeks as we flew onward, which whipped strands of hair around my face despite the braid I’d woven. I continually pushed my hair back, but I didn’t mind, even though Alec was right that the breeze was chilled.

But being cold with my hair flying everywhere was so much better than being locked in the palace or paraded around Faewood at Guardian Alleron’s side. Everything about this was better.

Alec leaned closer to me. “That shop is known for its custom jewelry.” He pointed toward a large two-story building. The store’s glass display was filled with gems and sparkling stones. “And that one”—his finger shifted toward a bakery on the corner—“makes the best honeybuns this side of the continent.”

Doughy scents carried on the breeze, and I couldn’t help but recall the honeybuns Lars had warmed for us in the Ustilly Mountains. I wondered if that bakery was where he’d gotten them.

Alec pointed out a few more landmarks, divulging details of each’s history and purpose. Every time he did, he leaned closeto me, brushing against my side and effectively wrapping me in his ocean-breeze scent. I could have been imagining it, but each time we touched, the crown prince appeared to grow tenser and more rigid.

I cleared my throat and asked Alec, “Have you lived in Jaggedston your entire life?”

Alec nodded. “Indeed. As a member of House Graniteer, it’s required, although we do have a few country homes in other parts of the kingdom, the northern section being one of them.”

“Was that where the Lochen raid recently occurred?”

“It was. Our House watches over that city. Because of that, my family spends most of the summer up north. Despite the cold northern climate, it’s truly beautiful, and summers are quite pleasant.” Grinning, he added, “Perhaps I’ll get to show it to you one day.”

I couldn’t help my smirk. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a shameless flirt?”

Behind us, Trivan laughed, and Phillen brought a hand to his mouth to cough. Even Lars appeared to be holding back a smile.

But the prince didn’t move a muscle.

Alec’s grin strengthened. “I might have been told that a time or two.”

The noble once again brushed his chest against my side, then he returned to explaining what all of the buildings and shops were that we passed. Oftentimes, he leaned directly into my space to do so, filling my head with his scent and completely distracting me since I couldn’t remember any male ever touching me so freely.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Alec was a shameless flirt, obviously. But I didn’t think he meant any disrespect. Half the time, he didn’t even seem aware of his close proximity.

But he was still a male who’d taken many liberties with me today, and I had a feeling if I wasn’t so starved for a closeconnection with other fae, I might have been annoyed by it. But since he was the first siltenite I’d ever met who seemed to genuinely enjoy my company and enjoy being affectionate with me, I decided that I rather liked it. Something about his easy, coquettish nature warmed me.

The carpet moved quickly, so Alec couldn’t tell me more than a sentence or two about each location that we passed. I didn’t learn much history, but I still soaked up every detail.

Just as we reached a busy intersection, in which dozens of new shops lined the streets, the prince glanced over his shoulder. “Brace yourself. We’re going to climb.”

The carpet abruptly lifted upward, climbing at a sharp angle until we soared over the buildings and shops. We didn’t level out until we reached an altitude high above everything.

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