Page 5 of The Iron Fae
I take a deep breath. The sweetest scents of the warm syrup covered pancakes assault my senses, accompanied by the perfectly savory and crispy bacon. There are no mortal girls to poison here. I shouldn’t worry about being poisoned, right?
Kai finally releases a long-held breath as I pick up a piece of bacon and begin absently chewing. My mind still twists and turns around the prospect of who, why, and how the mortal girls were being poisoned. Kai pulls his small vial of petals from his coat, offering one to me. I shake my head. He smiles softly, shaking a few leaves to his tongue before putting the container back into his pocket.
He is never short of his supply. I remember the fleeting moment, so smooth I hardly caught it, when Bellion slipped the prince his addiction.…the best herbologist in the realm...Could Bellion and his blind loyalty be behind it all? No one is more loyal, more catering to the queen’s whim than the tall billowy man.
My chewing slows as I process my own revelation. If that’s true, this food is safe. I pick up the fork and cut a chunk of pancake, shoving it into my mouth.
“You look angry.” Rowan sits forward.
“What?”
“You’ve got your eyes all narrowed.” Kai pitches in, propping himself on the edge of the bed frame.
I’m thankful neither of these men have a view into my mind or the front row seat to any of my thoughts. Instantly, my mind reaches for the tether between me and Lincoln. He’s there, quiet and reserved, his mental fingers no longer reaching into my thoughts so actively.
“Sorry, I’m just lost in thought.”
A drop of syrup drips from the fork, stuffed with yet another bite, and falls to my shirt. I’d slept in the clothes I had arrived in. My necklace, my power as Lincoln called it, still warm in my pocket.
“As my guest, everyone will expect for you to be… appropriately dressed. Humans typically are thrilled to wear gowns and otherwise much more proper attire…”
“I’m not your typical human.”
“No, you are not.” Rowan says.
Kai glances over his shoulder looking down at his brother who only stares back at me. “Be that as it may, I’ve arranged for Violet to take you down to our finest dress shops to pick up an assortment of gowns and whatever else you’d wish.”
Any smile I may have held falters at the idea of spending time with Violet.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tag along so that witchling sister of ours doesn’t eat you alive.” Rowan adds.
“How reassuring.” I look to Kai. “And you?”
“I will be here. Working for the morning.”
I bob my head. Kai pulls himself up from the bed heading for the door. Before he passes his brother, he stoops to whisper something in his ear. Rowan agrees with a halfhearted, “uh-huh” and a roll of his pretty golden eyes.
“I’ll fetch Violet.” Kai purses his lips at the door. “Please, do try to enjoy yourself today, Briar.”
Nothing in the Fae world is rushed or worried or overthought. In my mortal mind it is, though. How do I enjoy myself when I know the shadow queen is after me? She’s surely noticed my absence by now. My cousin is still in her court without a home. And the Fae I’ve relied on to protect me, the one I’ve developed these strangling, unwanted feelings for, is so far away. His mind feeling even more distant than that.
When the silence between us lingers, Kai finally steps out of the room. He pulls the door closed behind him. My eyes fall to my food that I eat to my fill. Rowan watching me without a word as I do.
My hands wrap around the handles of the tray to lift it from my lap so I may stand. Rowan waves a hand, the entire thing disappearing.
“Let me help with that.” He grins.
“Thanks.”
His gaze eats me up. Every inch of my skin is already sick of him watching me, though I know it could be worse. Why am I even boohooing about a handsome Fae man finding me attractive enough to dote on? Attractive enough to want to marry?
“Are you still decidedly set on wooing me?” I say with a calculated languidness. I think back on the blur of the night in the Lavender Lounge of the brief kiss we shared. While the Fae technically spark, us humans look for chemistry. Rowan and I… we have it… but not in the truly shocking, electrical way that Lincoln and I do. Rowan’s kisses don’t satisfy the longing need inside of me.
“I’m here aren’t I?” He shrugs. “I could be off fucking anyone else but instead I’m chasing after you. Seems like I might not be the only one either. But I don’t mind the competition. It’s healthy.”
“And do you see me as a prize?”
“Absolutely.”
