Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(57)

Musicians stood in one corner of the ballroom—all women, dressed in white gowns. Beautiful music floated through the air: a harp, a violin, and ethereal woodwind instruments I didn’t quite recognize. The princesses stood around, sipping from little champagne flutes.

Only one of the faces here seemed friendly—Alice, the kelpie with white hair and iridescent skin, was smiling at me, and she lifted her champagne flute. I lifted mine as well, smiling back, and she approached me with a relieved look on her face.

Her brown eyes were big as she leaned in close. “The Faerie wine is helping me relax. I was so nervous.”

“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. This one won’t get violent, will it?”

She shook her head. “No, but the last time I saw Torin, it was a disaster. I kept blathering on about rancid milk. It really wasn’t romantic.”

I shrugged. “He seemed interested in it, though.” I lifted my glass, staring at the pale pink liquid with little bubbles. “So what exactly is Faerie wine?”

She bit her lip. “It has enchanting properties. It can make you feel amazing. In love, even. Tonight should be interesting.”

My heart fluttered at the thought, and at that moment, I felt a cool, powerful magic fill the room.

The air seemed to thin, and the princesses stopped speaking as they turned to the entrance.

King Torin entered, dressed in a midnight suit of a velvety material. A silver crown rested on his dark hair, and he swept his icy gaze around the room, a faint smile on his lips. I could smell his delicious, earthy magic from here, wrapping around me like a caress.

A servant rushed over to offer him a drink, and he plucked a glass off the tray and took a sip.

Cleena was the first princess to go to him, her movements languid and entrancing. She wore a long, beaded gown of amber silk and a crown of her own made from pale pink roses twined with ferns. Glittery gold makeup shimmered over her high cheekbones, and shimmering amber gems gleamed from her hair. She gave a little wave to the cameras before turning to the king.

Within moments, I saw him throw back his head with laughter, and I felt the tiniest pang of jealousy.

I took another sip of the wine, forcing myself to pull my eyes away from Torin and Cleena. What I really didn’t need right after my horrific breakup was another round of jealousy, so I’d simply refuse to care about another beautiful heartbreaker.

Alice glanced up at me. “How do you always seem so confident?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I mean, you weren’t afraid to tell the king exactly what you thought. And you seemed so calm and natural on your date.”

Because I already know the outcome. Torin and I have no chance of actually falling in love.

I shrugged. “It’s just something you learn in the human world.” That was absolutely not true, but at least I wasn’t raised with all the insecurities about my rank in the rigid fae class hierarchy. “I think you should just relax, Alice. You’re gorgeous and sweet, and whether it’s Torin or someone else, you’ll find the right person for you.”

She smiled at me with relief.

I stole another quick look at the king, only to find him dancing with the raven-haired Redcap, who’d dressed all in black with a crimson flower crown. I didn’t recognize this dance—it was something entirely from the fae world. They were hardly touching, sort of circling each other with only their hands making contact, until they spun and switched directions. Torin’s movements reminded me of his feline agility and grace when sparring, and frankly, it was hard to keep my eyes off him. I stared as one of his hands lowered around her waist.

“What’s the human world like?” asked Alice.

I was relieved to have a distraction. “Well, it’s not quite as luxurious as all this, and we don’t have magic. But some of the people can be very warm.” I felt a twinge of guilt about Alice. She seemed sweet, and she had no idea that none of this was real.

I stared as Moria prowled across the ballroom floor, cutting in on Torin’s dance with the Redcap.

Moria was dressed in a strapless white gown, her long claret hair falling over her bare shoulders. A crown of poison hemlock with delicate white flowers was on her head.

She danced close to him, resting her head on his shoulder, her dark eyes sliding to me as she clasped him. Flashing me a smug smile, she pulled her gaze from me and whispered something in his ear. Her hand slid slowly up his back to the nape of his neck…

My stomach twisted. This was a job. Just a job.

They looked a perfect couple, two regal fae beauties. Clearly, Torin was afraid of falling in love.

Was Moria the one who scared him the most?





26

A VA

I took another glass of Faerie wine from the tray of a passing servant and roamed the edges of the ballroom. One of these princesses probably sent that assassin for me, right? People seemed to sense I was the frontrunner, and they’d do anything to win.

Moria was my first suspect, but that was probably just because she was an absolute twat. As I sipped my wine, the musicians started playing a new song. Not a tango, but one with the same meter, and the seductive song floated through the air.

I glanced at Torin, and this time found his pale eyes locked on me, his mouth quirking to the side in a mischievous smile. From the center of the ballroom, he held out his hand to me.