Page 24 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

One day, I want us to fly away and find a small island for only the two of us to stay on for a few days.He smiled crookedly, reminding me of the boy I’d once known.We canswim, make love, and even bask in the sun if that would make you happy.

Now that sounds like a plan.I kissed him again, fighting the urge to devour him.

He groaned, taking my hand and pushing away from the wall. He then opened the door, causing Nightbane to leave the mattress once more and hurry to follow us.

The three of us walked in silence, and soon, we entered the dining hall, where a long rectangular table seated sixteen. Five places had been set at the end near the windows overlooking the kingdom, and two servants flanked the window, waiting to serve.

My skin pebbled as I remembered the previous time I’d come here. I’d been a prisoner, and Tavish still believed that he would kill me.

Mother and Father sat on one side of the table with Caelan across from them. Mom and Dad stood by the window between the servants, looking at the kingdom outside as well as scanning for threats within these walls.

Tavish led me to where Caelan sat and pulled out the seat next to him, directly across from my mother, for me, then sat on my other side.

Mother wrinkled her nose as she played with the fish on her plate, though she had only a few bites left of the mushroom. Father had managed to eat about half of each, and I couldn’t help but notice that he’d shoved several sizable pieces of fish to the side like he didn’t plan on eating them.

Fae didn’t enjoy meat but could tolerate fish.

The older servant bowed and went to the kitchen.

“We’ve just been informed about what transpired this morning.” Caelan took a bite of his fish. “We expected you two to be down before now, so we assumed you weren’t coming.”

“We usually don’t wait on each other for the first meal of the day.” Tavish slid into his seat. “Why would that change now?”

“In Seelie, we eat all meals together.” Father lifted his glass of water and took a large gulp.

Tavish’s jaw clenched.

Not wanting him to challenge Father, I leaned back in my seat. “You aren’t in your kingdom anymore, or did you forget?” He needed to be reminded that this wasn’t his kingdom… even if Seelie were currently guarding it.

Warmth filled Tavish’s and my bond as Father stilled.

I braced for an unpleasant response, but he remained silent and ran a hand through his brown beard. “You’re right. This isn’t our kingdom, so our expectations and rules shouldn’t apply here.”

Mother smiled but raised a hand to hide it.

“I can imagine it’s hard to come to another kingdom and remember that you aren’t the ruler in charge.” Tavish rolled his shoulders, trying to relax. His words were a little stiff, but they lacked anger. Both men were trying to get along for me.

Not wanting to waste the goodwill between them, I pivoted the conversation to what had happened in the prison cells then let Tavish take over. Father needed to see that Tavish was a worthy ruler, the same as him.

The older servant returned with Tavish’s and my food. Someone had taken a bite from each piece of fish and mushroom on our plates. I swallowed, not enjoying the thought of eating the items.

Since we’re unsure who is ally or foe, Sine has been taste-testing the food to ensure it’s not poisoned.Tavish placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed.The food is fine, or she wouldn’t have served it.

How do you know we can trust her?I wasn’t thrilled about eating after someone, but I knew that was the Earth-raised side of me coming out. The fae didn’t care, especially if it served a purpose.

Sine has worked for the royal family her entire life. I trust her, and you know I would never risk your life.He arched a brow and took a bite of his food, proving his point.

If he was wrong, then we’d both be in the same situation. I followed his lead, hating the stringy texture of the fish. I’d gotten spoiled by all the breads, jams, honey, and sweets back in Seelie. There was nothing like that here. Yet more things the Unseelie didn’t have due to their forced relocation.

The others continued the conversation around the mishap this morning and the capture of Eiric, and I worked on eating. If I wanted to heal Finnian and Lorne, I needed to be at full strength, even if I didn’t feel hungry.

When Tavish informed the table about Eldrin’s stipulation for revealing how to free me from the agreement with the dragons, Caelan growled, “Blighted abyss. Do we even believe that he knows something that would help?”

“He was clear that he does, in fact, know of a way to release Lira from the contract.” Tavish finished his last bite of mushroom. “And he knows that I won’t risk losing her.”

“Nor do I want to hand my daughter over to those dragons after the stunt he pulled in Gleann Solas.” Father rubbed his temples. “I knew better than to ally with the dragons, but our entire realm had been blanketed in darkness.”

“Your Majesty, you did what you felt was right at the time.” Dad lifted both hands.

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