Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(7)

“King Torin,” the humans whispered reverentially. “King Torin.”

Some of them knelt. Threesome Steve pressed his forehead to the beer-stained floor.

“Oh, my God!” Shalini wheezed, gripping my arm so hard I knew she was leaving bruises.

Maybe it was because I was fae, or maybe it was the five beers coursing through my small frame, but I wasn’t about to fall to my knees. Even if I could feel the power of a High Fae sliding thorough my bones, demanding reverence, I’d keep standing if it killed me.

Torin accepted his whiskey from the bartender, his eyes boring into mine. As he started to walk closer, the urge to kneel was overpowering.

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “It is expected for the fae to bow to their king.” His low, velvety voice stroked over my skin.

I smiled as charmingly as I could. “But I’m not really one of you. You all decided that long ago.”

The alcohol was masking the fear I should be feeling. “So I live by human rules now. And humans don’t have to bow.”

Shalini’s sharp, painful squeeze on my arm warned me to be quiet.

I winced and held up my hand. “And I don’t really like men anymore after I found Ashley on top of Andrew.”

Silence filled the room, heavy and thick.

The king’s lip quirked. “Who is Ashley?”

I sighed. “She’s not really the problem, I guess. The problem is, I’m not bowing to a pretty, rich man. I’ve had kinnndaaa a rough day,” I slurred.

He looked me over then, taking in the stains on my cat sweatshirt and the empty glass I was white-knuckling. “I can see that.”

Again, our eyes met. Behind him, the darkness seemed to gather, and the shadows grew closer. A chill swept through my bones, and my teeth started to chatter.

Honor your king. Honor your king. A voice in my head was commanding me to humble myself before him, and fear danced up my spine.

King Torin’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he was surprised by my resistance. But hadn’t he heard me say I wasn’t one of them?

The corner of his mouth twitched. “It’s a good thing I’m not here to invite you to compete for my hand. Your lack of respect would be immediately disqualifying.”

I looked into his arctic eyes. King Torin had just explicitly rejected me from a contest I had absolutely no desire to join.

“Oh, don’t worry, I have no interest in your tournament. I actually think it’s kind of embarrassing.”

King Torin’s eyes widened, and for the first time, an expression resembling actual emotion invaded his perfect features. “Do you know who I am?”

“Oh, yeah, King Torin. I get that you’re royal, from the ancient line of Seelie blah blah…” I was vaguely aware that my slurring took some of the sting out of my rant, but the king was quite simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was going to have to hear it. “I don’t really know a lot about you or the fae since you all thought I wasn’t good enough to be around you. And that’s fine.

Because there are amazing things here in the mortal world. But I know y’all think you’re better than humans. And here’s the thing, King.” I was ignoring Shalini’s fingernails digging into my arm. “All this pageant…pageantry you’re doing, it’s not really any better than the dumbest side of mortal culture. Your bride tournament? I know they’re ancient, and they trace back to the old world when we lived in the forests and wore antlers, and we fucked like animals in the oak groves…”

His jaw tensed, and I felt my cheeks flame red. Where had that come from? And what was I saying?

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to recover my train of thought. “But how is this whole concept different than Hitched and Stitched?” I gestured wildly at the screen. “Your life is basically the nadir of human civilization. Your bride tournament is even televised these days. It’s all fake, isn’t it? And you’re not really any better than Chad, the pilot with absurdly white teeth on Hitched and Stitched. Just pretty, rich douchebags. Anyone who wants to join in this tournament is after two things: fame and power.”

Shalini hissed. “Ava, stop talking.”

Underneath my drunkenness, I was aware that I was doing something horrifying. “Okay, fame, power, and your…you know.” I waved at him. “Your face and abs. Never trust anyone this hot, ladies.

Anyway, I will pass on bowing. Have a good night.”

The beer had unleashed a river of speech in me, and I couldn’t dam it up.

Behind me, the patrons in the Golden Shamrock stared, eyes wide as dinner plates. The shadows swirling around Torin seemed to thicken into something almost solid, confirming what I’d always known about the fae: they were dangerous. Which was probably why I should have just fallen to my knees and kept my mouth shut.

The king’s eyes seemed to grow brighter, and ice filled my veins. I felt frozen and brittle. I couldn’t have moved from my seat if I’d wanted to.

King Torin’s voice was smooth as silk, and a faint glint of amusement flickered in his eyes. “As you wish. Clearly, you have your whole life together beautifully.” His gaze swept down my body again, taking in the grumpy cat sweatshirt. “I wouldn’t want to ruin it.”

Then, before I could say another word, he turned and left the bar.

For a long moment, the patrons remained unmoving. Then the spell lifted, and the bar burst into a cacophony voices.