Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)(10)
Warren breaks me out of my inner turmoil and whispers, “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’re about to hyperventilate. Your eyes popped out of your head when you saw the princess walk in.” He nods his head toward the princess as he speaks and tries very hard to hide his smile.
I follow his nod and take a good, long look at the shining beauty that has my blood boiling. Her hair is down, but in a complicated heap of curls that flow down her back with flowers arranged throughout it. In that dress her body is amazing and has the right amount of curves in all the right places. I can imagine touching and exploring every inch of her body.
“I don’t know, Warren, there’s something about her. It’s like I’m connected to her somehow,” I say.
At my words, it’s like a dark cloud settles over him and his eyes become dark and menacing.
He turns to me hissing, “You can’t have her. She doesn’t belong to you.”
Wide-eyed I stare at my friend and wonder what the hell has just happened. One minute he’s fine and the next it’s like a demon has possessed him.
Clenching my teeth, I say “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t say anything about wanting her, and if I did, you sure as hell couldn’t stop me.”
In all honesty I do want her, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. I’m fuming and I look at him waiting for a reply, but he just sits there vacant, like he’s not even in there. A few seconds later he comes to and begins acting normal again. There is something seriously wrong with him. I’m going to have Heyflred take a look at him when we get back to the Winter Court.
I look over to Kalen and raise my eyebrows in question.
He shrugs his shoulders and whispers, “Ryder, I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but we need to figure it out soon.”
Warren seems calm so I ask him, “Are you OK?”
He looks at me confused and says slowly, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be OK?”
I sit back in my chair, befuddled.
I respond, “Nothing, I just thought I would ask.” He seems so normal, but that uneasy feeling of dread has made its way back into my stomach.
King Oberon finally stands to make his announcement about the ritual and the fighting that will take place. It’ll be interesting to see how these warriors fight compared to my army. I train our army along with my brothers, Kalen and Brayden, and our fighting skills are immaculate. If I had a guess, I would say my army could kick these pansy asses any day of the week. I wonder if the warrior who couldn’t keep his eyes off of the princess will win. He looks like a love-sick puppy when he stares at her. I guess we will see how determined he is to win his place by Princess Calista’s side. The king finishes his speech and now the fight has begun.
Chapter 6
Calista
The fighting has started and the clanging sounds of the swords echo throughout the Great Room, but that’s not what piques my interest. I take a quick look at the handsome guest with the piercing eyes and he seems to be arguing with his friend. He has two males with him, both have black hair. The one on his right looks kind of evil with all of his dark attributes. The one on his left looks playful and cute in a boyish kind of way. He resembles the handsome stranger so I would take a bet that they’re brothers. I wonder what they are arguing about.
I decide to think about that later and concentrate on the fight. Merrick is the strongest warrior out there. He’s amazing with his swift moves in sword combat. The other warriors competing are Conall, Gideon, Evan, Finn, and Ashur. They are all wonderful warriors and I had enjoyed talking to them and watching them train. Merrick and Conall are battling it out. They are best friends so I know it must be hard on them having to fight each other. Conall is strong, but Merrick is fast. Merrick raises his sword and slices through Conall’s thigh. With a look of defeat he drops to the ground. He swiftly gets up and is tended to by one of our healers. Xylia is not going to be happy about it.
My father leans over to say, “How are you enjoying the fight? I honestly think it’ll be between Merrick and Ashur in the end.”
I turn to him and whisper, “I think this is just a show of testosterone, if you ask me. Whoever came up with this must have had some serious issues with his manhood. It would be much easier if I could just choose my own guardian and not put them all through this.”
He sighs and grabs my hand.
“Sunshine, you know this is tradition and we have to uphold the traditions. I wish there was another way, but there’s not. Plus, the warriors need to prove they can take care of you.”
He glances at Merrick then looks back to me and says, “I think Merrick has his heart set on you, my dear, and I also noticed you staring at the young man over there.” He nods in the stranger’s direction and slowly begins to smile. He’s definitely curious to know why I was staring at the stranger. Hopefully, he didn’t pick up on the lustful vibes I was giving off earlier.
“First of all, I was not staring, and second, why does everyone keep saying those things about Merrick? He hasn’t said one word to me about his feelings or anything like that, so am I just blind on the matter?” I pause and bite my cheek. Should I just ask and get it over with? Yes.
I turn my gaze away from my father and ask in a dispassionate voice, “By the way, who is the young man sitting over there?” I hold my breath waiting for him to answer.