Page 50 of A Bargain with the Fae King

I reach to help, but she waves me off with a click of her tongue.

“Many members of the guard have already been dispatched to search for your sister.” Sylvie reads me like a book. “We’ve been busier than we’ve been in years planning, moving supplies, relocating horses.” She shakes her head. “Preparing to work with another court is…new.”

Breathe, Lia. They’re trying.I nod to her, acknowledging the words meant to comfort and soothe. Wasn’t her fault they didn’t help much.

The stables are well kept and large, with space enough for many horses under the pointed wooden roofs. Open, grassy fields for the horses to run in surround the buildings outside the castle proper.

We find Galen brushing down a horse. His words to the mare are a language I don’t recognize. He slips her a treat. The barest hint of a smile tries to stretch my lips. Guard and stable master or just an animal lover?

Sylvie offers our help with the horses. My eyes widen as Galen leads Stella over for us to brush.

“How’d she get back so soon?” A thread of panic rushes through me. I swear, if I missed a whole day somewhere—

“Ambrose ordered the best shifters to bring them back here late last night,” Sylvie responds. “It takes significant effort, moving something so large, but it saved much time.” As if on cue, she yawns, hiding the involuntary action and twist of a half-smile with her hand.

“Will she be coming with us to…” I trail off, searching for the name.

“Arbrean,” Galen finishes for me. “No, she’ll stay here. They have their own stables, and we’ll use those horses first before we consider moving our own there. It’s far and would take more magic than we can spare right now.”

“Ah, and you both just like horses?” I raise my eyebrows.

He shifts from foot to foot and looks away. Sylvie stifles a giggle, shifting behind Stella’s head as Galen looks back in our direction.

“One of our responsibilities as Riven’s elite guard is seeing to our own horses.” It’s impossible to miss the hint of pride in his words. “We look after Riven’s as well, and now yours.”

Mine. My cheeks heat. As if I’m someone important. Though after what Riven said last night, I suppose maybe I am.

Stella flicks her tail merrily as I slide the brush down her side.

“And I might just like the horses,” Galen adds.

Sylvie mimics his words just out of his sight. It’s impossible to miss the happy smile on her face as she mouths them, one she’s donned since the stables came into view.

“Do you like being members of Riven’s guard?” Riven’s face flashes through my mind, not the arrogant Forest King from the throne room, but the soft male I’d known long before I came here.

“Oh yes, it’s a huge honor, especially since we’ve made it into his elite guard now,” Sylvie interjects before walking around to Stella’s other side.

Galen follows her with his eyes, his lips quirking up in one corner.

As we work, Sylvie’s gaze periodically slides over to Galen when he isn’t looking. A secret truth lingers unspoken in the air that I likely wasn’t meant to notice—a hint of shared longing that they both pretend to be oblivious to.

The sun hangs high in the sky when Sylvie and I walk back toward the palace city of Virideria, Galen in tow. Warm air wraps around us, a balm to the chilly ache still hollowing me out inside.

“We can eat in the main hall if you’d like,” Galen says. “It’s usually busy at this hour, but there’s a lot of space, so we should be able to find a table.”

His words call to mind the night I arrived, only two nights ago, but it could have been a month for all that had happened. My entrance into the swarm of fae was uncomfortable at the very best. Even now, quizzical glances aim my way by any fae we pass.

“Or,” Galen starts again, maybe sensing the weight of my silence, “there’s a nice courtyard not too far from the kitchens. It’s usually quiet.”

“The courtyard sounds great.” Whatever being Riven’s consort entails, other than the obvious, I’m not ready to face it today.

Sylvie takes me to wash up while Galen gathers lunch for all of us. The courtyard is as quiet and serene as Galen described. Distant noise from the nearby rooms and halls drifts in the background, but it’s so much better than the constant din of activity and conversation inside.

The space itself holds a riot of plant life, interwoven with stone pathways, little benches, and sitting areas. A few fountains gurgle. The whole area reminds me of a botanical garden. In a castle literally teeming with life, this place still impresses.

For a moment, I can almost forget where I am.

Almost.

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