Page 14 of A Blaze of Fire
She nodded. “There are other elements, but they’re more rare and obscure. Their leaders live on the outskirts of the castle grounds. You won’t be meeting them today, though. Just the main four.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“But you’ve already met the leader of the fire elementals. That’s Kazimir.” She fluffed my hair, blissfully unaware of the bombshell she’d just dropped.
My eyes widened. “Kazimiris the leader of fire?” I nearly shouted.
“Yup. Why? Is there a problem?”
I shook my head quickly. “No. None at all.” I didn’t know how much Alec had told her, but I was pretty sure telling her Kazimir was my sperm donor wasn’t on the top of his list.
Rosemary asked me to twirl around so she could inspect her handiwork. Her eyes lit appreciatively. “You look great!”
At my skeptical look, she hustled me toward the full-length mirror. The dress I wore had thin spaghetti straps and dipped seductively low. But that wasn’t the part I was concerned about. The dress was completely see-through except for two strategically placed patches; one covered my nipples and the other covered my pubic area. It was the furthest thing from modest or comfortable and I was insanely self-conscious.
“I feel … exposed.” I grimaced and crossed my arms over my breasts, then tugged on the dress to make sure my lower region was obscured.
“Oh, stop it!” Rosemary playfully slapped my hands away. “That’s your human side talking. If you’re going to be successful, you must fully embrace your fae side.”
“Rosemary, I’m practically naked!” I yelled.
She frowned. “All your bits are covered. This was the most modest dress I could find.”
My mouth fell open in shock.Modest? This? What planet have I been dropped in?
I started to protest when a knock sounded on the door. Rook poked his head inside and chastised, “Lady Violet, you’re going to be late.”
I groaned. It was too late to change now. With no other choice, I strode out of my bedroom with Rosemary and Rook in tow as they escorted me to the throne room where the elemental leaders were waiting to meet the halfling.
When Rook pushed through the double doors, I entered slowly with Rosemary shuffling behind me. The King was seated on his throne, looking imposing and regal. To the left of the raised dais stood four Unseelie, two males and two females. Since I already knew Kazimir was the fire leader, I assumed the others were the leaders of air, water, and earth.
I stopped before the King and bowed slightly, greeting him.
“Ah, how lovely of you to join us,” he mused. “I wanted to introduce you to the Unseelie elemental leaders. You will begin training with them in the coming weeks.”
I nodded.
“You’ve already met my right hand, Kazimir,” the King said. “He is the leader of fire.”
Kazimir didn’t smile or move to show we’d met. Hell, I didn’t know if he was even breathing. His cold, calculating gaze never wavered from the space in front of him.
“Beside him we have Rhys. He is the leader of water.” The Unseelie bowed toward me and gave a slight smile. The head of the water elementals emitted a warm aura. His tan skin set off the golden flecks in his eyes, and his long, honey brown hair cascaded across his shoulders and down his back. Some of the darker strands were plaited with gold beads strung throughout. He looked noble and imposing, as most fae seemed to be.
The King turned his attention to the woman standing beside Rhys. “Flora is the leader of earth.” The woman nodded to me, but where Rhys emitted a soothing vibe, her stance was rigid and anxious. Her mossy green eyes were wild as they darted back and forth.
“And last, but certainly not least, we have the leader of air, Calypso.” The King ended the introductions by motioning toward the last female fae. She was exquisitely beautiful, with porcelain skin and long white hair that fell in a glossy curtain down her back. She smiled politely but didn’t move. From what I’d gathered, the King was an air elemental, which meant she must hold a slight edge over him in ability.
I bowed slightly toward where they stood, maintaining an equally formal and pleasant demeanor and trying not to fidget. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“They will be in charge of your training in the coming weeks since your magic has been … dormant for quite some time,” the King declared diplomatically. “I hope you’ll put great effort into waking it up.”
I inclined my head respectfully and fought the urge to look down to make sure my nipples were still covered. “Of course, Your Highness.”
“Excellent!” he chirped and clapped his hands. His eyes moved behind me. “Ah, you’re here.”
I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know who had entered the room. I listened to the cadence of footsteps and knew exactly who it was—Alec.
“Pardon my tardiness, Your Highness,” he said smoothly as he came to stand beside me.
