Page 74 of Destined for the Fae King

A letter sealed with wax is held in her outstretched hand.

It summons me like a beacon, and I nearly rip the thing out of her hands. I’ve snapped the seal and unfolded a moment later. But as soon as I take in the handwriting, my heart drops. It’s far too messy to be Lysandir’s flowing and precise script. Actually, it lacks all the smooth and artistic rhythm of the fae handwriting I’ve seen, which makes perfect sense when I spy the signature at the bottom.

“Wren.”

“Yes.” Fia’s crisp reply gives away her annoyance. “I take it you were expecting a message from her?” She wanders over to my desk and dressing table, reordering the array of things she undoubted already organized earlier in the day.

“I wasn’t actually.”

“Oh?” She looks over one shoulder. “It seemed like you were.”

“I thought it might have been from someone else.”

She blinks at me expectant and curious.

“My cousin or one of my family.” The lie comes easily.

Dear Mira,

I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to catch up earlier today. I know yesterday was probably a shock, but you seem to have taken it well. I hope you won’t hold it against him. Sometimes love makes people foolish. Take my friend Galen, for example. He loved a woman so much he did something truly stupid—kidnap me actually—to try to get back to her.

Don’t worry. I made it home safely, and he made it back to her too. And yes, I forgave him because, while what he did was dumb, he did it out of love. He also thought I’d be completely safe, but I digress.

The point is, I hope you forgive a certain someone for keeping secrets. Hopefully we can spend more time together soon.

P.S. Selena is awesome, and I’ll be sending her so much stuff for her database.

From Wren

I fold the letter back up and tuck it into my palm. Wren was carefully vague in her letter, probably in case anyone else read it. I appreciate that she thought to send it, even if the advice wasn’t necessary.

I know why Lysandir kept things a secret. Do I wish I’d know sooner? Yes. But I’m surprisingly not aggrieved about it. I know now. We’ll figure out a way forward, somehow.

“What did it say?” Fia asks.

“Just some advice,” I reply.

An almost feral gleam sparks in her eyes. “Advice on how to win aking?”

“Uh… Something like that.”

“Winning over the queen of another court.” She gives a wistful sigh. “And this after earning the prince’s favor too.”

“The what?” I ask far too quickly. The letter suddenly feels damning, though it was still sealed and I have a good feeling she didn’t read it.

“He hasn’t visited anyone else or paid them much attention either. But don’t worry. I’ve kept that to myself.” She makes a sign like zipping her lips. “If the king doesn’t pick you, hopefully the prince will.” A wide grin stretches across her face.

“Uh…” I grasp for words, not finding them. “I suppose we’ll see how The Choosing turns out first.”

“Never hurts to have a plan B.” She winks.

If only I had her optimism.

Chapter 29

I’ve spent the pasttwo days looking over my shoulder—and everywhere else—hoping for a glimpse of Lysandir. It’s impossible not to worry that he might be ignoring me and that the revelation about being his fated mate was some kind of fever dream brought on by too much faery wine. Doubts eat at me, hammering away at every corner of my self-esteem.

In all my imaginings, I really thought I’d have seen him by now, but nothing. I know he was busy with the other courts, which is the same reason we haven’t seen the king since the ball, but still.

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