Page 58 of A Blaze of Fire
She smiled. “Ah, yes, we do have quite a fearsome reputation. Alas, not all of us are the same, as you’ll learn once you get to know more Unseelie.” She eyed me carefully before adding, “You’ve been very … secluded. You should branch out more. The castle is not all there is of the Unseelie Court.”
“I know,” I said. “I went with Kazimir and the others to collect taxes in the neighboring towns.”
“Oh, for the love of fae!” she gasped. “That was probably the worst side of us. No, no, you need to see different villages. I’ll ask the King if he’ll allow you to visit the air elemental village. Actually, it might even be a good idea for you to train there.”
“You have your own village?”
She nodded. “We’re not forced to live there; we can live in any of the villages in the Unseelie Court. But we do have our own land if we want to be with our own kind. It’s incredibly peaceful and beautiful there.”
“Oh …”
“I’ll ask the King,” Calypso stated with a firm nod. “It might be good for you to get some distance from the castle.” She peered meaningfully over my shoulder.
I glanced over my shoulder and found Alec waiting for me. If that wasn’t the biggest hint ever, I didn’t know what was.
* * *
“How was training?”Alec asked once we entered the castle and headed toward the dining hall.
I shrugged. “It was fine.”
“That’s it? Nothing happened?”
I shook my head. “No. I just meditated the whole time. It was really chill. I like Calypso. She’s nice.”
Alec nodded. “She’s nice, but she’s also a fierce warrior when threatened. Be careful.”
I scoffed. “Why would I threaten her?”
“Like I said, be careful. You still don’t know our ways,” he warned cryptically.
I sighed. “Fine. Warning received.” I didn’t tell him about Calypso’s offer to take me to the air elemental village because it was pretty obvious she didn’t want Alec tagging along. I didn’t think she wantedanyonetagging along, which could be a problem. A problem for future me, of course.
Before we entered the dining hall, Alec took ahold of my arm and stopped me. The loud voices inside were muffled by the door closing, providing a semblance of privacy outside the bustling room.
“What’s up?” I asked with a quirked brow.
Alec blew out a tense breath as his thumb brushed circles over my arm. He stared at it for quite some time before I cleared my throat, catching his attention. “Right,” he mumbled, releasing me. “The King … he’s set a date for your public showing,” Alec’s mis-matched eyes finally met mine.
My eyes widened. “Really? When?”
“In two days’ time,” he said. “After the scene you and Sage made yesterday, he’s in a rush to get it over and done with.”
I exhaled loudly. “That wasn’t my fault!”
Alec nodded. “I know, but what’s done is done and now we’re left with the consequences.”
“What’s going to happen—”
“I’ll protect you,” he said adamantly. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
I didn’t trust Alec. Ansel made it perfectly clear I shouldn’t. But for some reason, I believed him when he promised to protect me. It was enough to relax my shoulders and slow down my heart rate. My brain clamored that it was all wrong, it was a mistake to trust him, but my heart was a fickle little thing.
It was going to get me into a boat load of trouble.
* * *
I atemy meal in peace and returned to my room without incident, escorted by Rook. He’d been scarce the past few hours because he’d finally taken some time off to rest. He was going to need it now that I would have a target on my back. When everyone found out I wasn’t the dragon reincarnated, they were going to hate me.
