Page 5 of Destined for the Fae King

She cringes. “Probably not.”

“Maybe I’ll just…” I look for somewhere to dispose of the glass.

I spy a cluster of empty glasses on a tray and add mine to it. With something that delicious in my hand, I’d be tempted to sip it again. Even now, I feel a little pang of loss having given it up, but it’s probably for the best. I have my burst of liquid courage, and it will have to be enough.

Selena and I wander through the crowd, scoping out the competition, as it were. The potential candidates are easy enough to pick out in their elaborate gowns, fanciful updos, and flawless makeup. They’ve clearly put in the effort to be prepared. Unlike me. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as I eye a stunning brunette whose neck is totally going to be sore by the end of the night from turning up her nose at everyone around her. Her stance is no doubt planned, letting the high slit on one side of her dress expose her leg and show off her red-bottomed designer heels.

I nearly roll my eyes at that extravagance. I may not have a lot of experience with the fae, but I’m pretty sure they don’t care about human brands. After all, they’re giving us each our own fae wardrobe, which Aunt Dalia implied was because human clothes aren’t up to fae standards.

If the king has any sense, he’ll see right past the woman’s pretty looks and see the arrogant attitude already hanging about her like a cloud.

But then, that’s never a guarantee when men are concerned, and she has no trouble getting their attention, if the swarm of fae around her are any indication.

“Cora.” Selena bites out the name. “Just ignore her.”

When preparing for The Choosing, my uncle theorized on who my competition may be and may have used his connections to find out some of them early too. So even though I haven’t met the other women who will be my competitors, I recognize a few faces as we wander the crowd.

Alexis, a stunning Black woman with rich brown skin, stands out in a gown of gold that looks like flowing metal. Her black hair is shaved on one side, the other longer and all smoothed to one side. With her tall, athletic build, she can pull off the look with style and might be an early favorite, if not for the subtle frown on her face and crossed arms.

“Maybe she’s saving her smiles for the king?” I suggest.

“Or maybe her family chose a different competitor after all?” Selena muses.

Though how anyone could compete with her, I’m not sure. If the king favors an athlete, she’d win for sure…and I’d be out of luck.

Her stance loosens a little bit as a curvy, petite blond with pale skin and a smile as bright as her ruby gown comes to stand beside her. Familiarity tingles at the back of my mind, but I can’t place her name. Neither can Selena when I ask her.

Commotion rises behind us, like a swell of sound gently rising from the crowd until the wave catches us in its thrall and has turning toward it.

“Is it him?” a finely dressed woman nearby squeals.

My blood runs hot and cold at once. “The king?”

Breath catches in my throat as I glance at the dais and the man who hadn’t been there a few moments ago. Though I guess he’s not a man exactly.

I step in his direction, stretching on my toes to see around the people in front of me. And what I find is stunning. Warm goldenskin, dark auburn hair falling past his ears to brush against his shoulders, and a jaw that’s strong but soft all at once. It might be some trick of the light, but I’d swear a soft glow radiates from his eyes. It’s hard to tell from so far away. What I can make out of his attire is just as refined as the regal angles of his face—a fitted crimson coat stitched with gold that glimmers as bright as the circlet woven through his hair.

He scans the crowd, managing to look both bored and intent all at once. His gaze passes right over me. But then he doubles back, and I’d swear our eyes catch and he stares at me. Thoughstaresmight be an understatement. It’s like he reaches across the room and demands all my focus on him.

A hot flush spreads through my chest and races up the back of my neck. This is the Court of Fire, and suddenly I’m sweltering, though I don’t think any fae magic is to blame.

“Whoa.” Selena steps into my line of sight before turning me away. “Is that a little drool I spy on your lip?”

I blink rapidly, sucking in a breath as a small shiver flows over my skin. Right, this is a game of sorts, and while catching the attention of a royal is the goal, there’s just one little problem.

That wasn’t the king on the dais but his younger half-brother, Lysandir.

Uncle Matias had given me copies of portraits of the royal family and key advisors to study. After all, my competition would know them and might even have relationships with some of them, depending on their family’s influence and their time spent in Faery. I’m already way behind, and the less I can let that show, the better.

When I’d held Lysandir’s portrait, something had spoken to me. Maybe it was that, unlike Vasilius, the king, Lysandir didn’t have as much of that cocksure arrogance to him. He seemed…approachable.I liked that and immediately thought that maybe he could be an ally in my quest to win his brother’s hand.

After all, a guy’s brother probably knows him as well as anyone, and he might be more inclined to take his advice than, say, some stuffy advisor or his stepmother. But that’s just a hunch. I’ll have to get to know them all to figure out my strategy, and goodness knows I’m going to need one. Uncle Mathias’s suggestion of playing up being the shiny new human in Faery will only get me so far. Yes, I’ll likely be a curiosity since I haven’t been at court, but that alone won’t win me the crown.

“Whew, yeah, I’m blaming the wine for that one.” I turn and head toward the edge of the room and the balcony beyond, suddenly desperate for some fresh air.

“The wine, huh?” Selena waggles her eyebrows as she catches up with me.

I manage a shrug as I keep walking. “Nothing wrong with looking.”

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