House of Lies and Sorrow (Fae of Rewyth #1)(16)

I left them all at the table, Adeline yelling after me, as I stormed onto the dance floor to find my wife.

Jade stared at me with wide eyes as I approached.

“Do you mind?” I asked Adonis. He had always been the most mature of my brothers, and there had been times when I really wanted to trust him. I really wanted to believe he was different from the others.

But loyalty was expensive. And it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take tonight.

Adonis gave a respectful nod and passed Jade’s hand to mine. Unlike Lucien, Adonis would never disrespect me in front of everyone. In private, maybe, but not here.

Whatever walls Jade had dropped when she was dancing with Adonis were up again. Her face was blank and her posture was stiff, no doubt tracking each one of my movements as I took her small hand and led her slowly through the crowd of dancers.

“You seem to be getting along with my brothers,” I said. She missed a small step, stumbling over my foot and nearly falling. I caught her around the waist as she fell into my chest. “And it also seems you were not lying about your dancing skills.”

Jade huffed as she straightened. “No, prince, I was not lying. And your brothers have been…entertaining.”

There was more to that, but I didn’t push.

Although my curiosity was at an all-time high. Perhaps she needed more of a warning. Did she think I warned her from my brothers out of my own jealousy?

“Lucien is a hot head,” I admitted. “He’s relentless with women, and he’ll pretty much say anything to get whatever he wants from you.”

“And you think I’m the type to be easily manipulated by a few funny jokes or superficial compliments?”

Her jaw was sharp, matching her perfectly sculpted cheekbones. With her face this close to me, I could see every flash of emotion in her eyes. Even as she held a straight face.

Those eyes were daggers. Her sharpest weapon.

“I don’t know,” I said back. “I don’t really know anything about you.”

“Really? Stalking me in the forest didn’t show you everything you needed to know?”

“Careful, princess,” I whispered, very aware of the wandering ears around us. I tugged her closer to me, just an inch, and leaned down to her ear. “You don’t want to give away all my secrets, do you?”

She tensed, but didn’t back away. I continued talking.

“Adonis has always been my favorite brother. He’s smart. He’s respectful. But his loyalties are questionable.”

“And what about you?” she asked. “Where do your loyalties lie?”

“My loyalties lie with myself, my future kingdom, and my wife,” I said. The words came out harsh, but they were truthful. Jade had to know that. There were hundreds of rumors circling the human lands about me, I wasn’t naive. But Jade had to know that she could trust me. She had to believe that I would do anything to protect her, and she had to believe that everything I did was for the future of my kingdom.

Everything.

Whoever was responsible for killing my wives wasn’t going to get away with it again.

If the guards weren’t going to catch whoever tried, I would do it myself.

“Your brothers don’t seem to like you very much,” she said. Her voice had softened, and she stepped close enough that her chest nearly touched my own as another song stopped and started again. Her hand moved from my shoulder to the base of my neck, taunting me.

Was she doing that on purpose?

I rolled my eyes. “You’re very observant.”

“You practically ignored them at the table, it was hardly an observation. Not to mention the fact that I never heard the end of Lucien’s story.”

“I am the heir to the throne. I’m my mother’s only son. I’ve been put in situations they could never understand. I’ve been asked to take on things they could never take on. They’ve done nothing but take what royalty has to offer them. I quit being their brother years ago.”

She studied me closely, as if she was looking for a lie in my words.

“Adeline seems nice. Is that all fake, too?” she asked.

I smiled. It felt like the first time all day. “No, it’s not fake. You can trust Adeline. She just might hate this just as much as I do.”

“Hate what?”

“The parties. The royalty. The facade. It’s all just a game to these people. They never step foot into the real world. They live here in this bubble and don’t care about what happens to the others.”

“And you’re so different?”

I clicked my tongue. “You’re very inquisitive, princess.”

“It seems I have a lot to learn, prince, and if history tells us anything, I may not have much time to learn it all.”

“You’re also stubborn.”

“I’ve been told.”

When the song was over, Jade stepped away. “You should get back to your party. I’m going to find something to eat,” she said.

Shit. I had totally forgotten about the food I was supposed to find for her. “Do you want me to find something for you?”

“No,” she answered sharply. “I can handle myself, thank you.”

I nodded and watched her walk away, back into the sea of vipers.