Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(24)

Interesting. I supposed that was the TV bit.

“The first contest will be a race, to identify those of you who are strongest and fastest. To gauge wit, intelligence, charm, and poise, I will host parties, and we will spend time together, one on one.

Those who make the final cut will compete in a fencing tournament.”

“Your Highness?” The princess with white hair and porcelain skin raised her hands. “How will you determine who is the most witty and charming?”

“That,” King Torin said with a smile, “will be up to me.”





10

A VA

A fter Torin’s speech, a servant appeared at our table with plates of salmon, rice, and a wildflower salad.

If I had been hungry, this meal would have been delectable. The salmon was perfectly cooked, with a light glaze. I took a tiny bite. As I ate, someone filled my glass with a zesty white wine. Sauvignon blanc, maybe?

Gods, this was amazing. Had the cooks enchanted the food?

King Torin moved through the room, taking time to speak with each of the princesses and some of the common fae. He approached our table just as I finished the last bit of salmon.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes, it was delicious.” With a shock, I realized I’d managed to eat the whole plate. That never usually happened when I was heartbroken. “I didn’t have any dinner last night, and I guess I was starving.”

Torin leaned in and whispered, “Yes, as I recall, most of your dinner was on your shirt.”

And with that little comment, he was already moving on to Princess Alice’s table.

My empty plate was replaced with a fresh blueberry tart topped with whipped cream. The footmen filled delicate porcelain cups with tea and coffee.

As I was putting the last forkful of tart into my mouth, Aeron leaned closer to speak to us. “The king has retired for the night. I’m supposed to take you two lasses to your rooms. No idea where I’m supposed to put you, though. Torin never quite mentioned that.”

“We don’t have a room, Aeron?” Shalini’s eyes were wide.

His dark blond hair hung before his eyes. “I’ll need to speak to the king. Give me a moment, please.”

He hurried off, and I stared as his broad form disappeared through the doorway.

Shalini leaned in, whispering, “Maybe Aeron will let us stay with him.”

I took a sip of my coffee and watched as the other women filed out of the room. A number of them stared at me as they passed, and I caught hints of their whispers. Drunk…insane…ranting lunatic.

Moria cut me a sharp look as she passed, saying loudly enough for everyone to hear, “How lucky for you that the king was willing to entertain a sluttish tavern wench.”

Her friends burst out laughing, and they crossed out of the hall.

Maybe that explained the sense of unwelcomeness that seemed to hang over this whole castle like a dark miasma.

But those women hadn’t paid a bit of attention to me before. Perhaps Torin’s whisper in my ear had raised their hackles. A sign of favoritism.

I held the coffee cup to my lips and slid my gaze to Shalini. “Awkward.”

“Ignore them,” she murmured. “They know you’re competition. And there’s nothing wrong with being a sluttish tavern wench, anyway. Some of my best friends are tavern wenches.”

I snorted.

At last, we were alone in the ballroom, and the lights dimmed.

Shalini looked to me. “So, we just wait here?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what else to do.” A dark thought slid through my mind, making my muscles tense. “Do you think Andrew watched that viral video of me? God, do you think his parents saw it?”

“I don’t think about Andrew at all, and neither should you.”

Aeron returned to the dining room once more, carrying a lantern and looking pleased with himself.

“Guess who sorted something out for you two, then?”

Shalini sipped her wine. “Was it you, Aeron?”

I rose from the table. “Thank you for looking after us.”

”My pleasure,” he said, his amber eyes on Shalini as he spoke.

He led us through the doors and into a gloomy hall. Dark forms seemed to loom in the shadows. I slowed to survey the taxidermied heads of animals—a stag with great horns, a giant bear’s head, and an enormous reptile with sharp teeth, which caught my eye. “What is that?”

Aeron paused, squinting into the darkness. “Oh, that?” His tone was nonchalant. “Just a dragon.

They’re extinct now.”

I gaped at it. Just a dragon.

Aeron’s lantern cast warm light over the green scales. A plaque under the beast read, FOREST

DRAGON, SLAUGHTERED BY KING SEOIRSE.

The light danced over more trophies, a massive boar and a creature that resembled a lion. Shalini gasped, and I turned to see her standing by what appeared to be a grotesque human head.

“Watch it, there. Back up a bit.” Aeron grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her away.

“I didn’t touch it,” she said hurriedly.

I moved closer, my lip curling with distaste. The head was wrinkly and gray, his hair long and white. But most disturbing of all, his eyes had been sewn shut.

A shiver danced up my spine.