Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)(17)

“It didn’t seem like anything and I really don’t like the way he looks at you.”

I can see that he’s clenching his teeth and I follow his gaze to where Ryder and Xylia are dancing. I lift my hand to his face and move it so he has to look at me. His expression is serious, so I give him my goofy grin to cheer him up.

I reply, “You worry too much, Merrick. Are we going to train in the morning before the council meeting?”

He finally gives me a cocky grin.

“Well, of course. You know I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to get my ass kicked by a girl.”

I laugh and smack his arm.

“After I talk to Elvena in the morning I will be more than ready to kick your ass.”

He holds me close, but not too close, while we dance in silence for the next song. I’m lost in thought when Avery, the head of our council, asks Merrick if he can cut in. Merrick gives me a pitying look then hands me over to him. I silently groan and hate the fact that I have to dance with him. I really do not like Avery.

“How are you enjoying your evening, Princess?” Avery asks.

I put on a fake smile and respond dryly, “Very well, Avery, how about you? I haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“I’ve been around, taking care of some business,” he says.

I wonder what kind of business it is because he shouldn’t have had to deal with anything tonight because of the ceremony. I still can’t get over the strange vibe I get when he’s around. I can sense something is not right with him. I dance with Avery for the duration of a whole song and I know I look miserable the entire time until finally my rescuer comes.

“Do you mind if I take over?” Ryder asks Avery.

Avery looks over at Ryder and narrows his eyes at him. I can tell he’s clenching his teeth when he gives Ryder a forced smile. Avery reluctantly hands me over and says, “Of course, Your Highness, you may take her.”

Ryder has a concerned look on his face as he takes my hand. It’s like my fire to his ice. He must either be feeling the bad vibes, too, or he’s thinking about the vision. It would be great if I wasn’t the only one worried. He leads me away from Avery and pulls me close so we can begin our dance.

“I could tell you needed someone to rescue you. You looked miserable dancing with him,” Ryder states.

I nod in agreement.

“Thank you, and yes I was miserable. I don’t really like Avery, but he’s my father’s counselor, and a good friend of my parents. It’s strange, but I get bad vibes when he’s around, and he always looks at me weird. I seem to be the only one who can sense it,” I confess.

He shakes his head and responds, “No, I can tell something is off about him. I saw him talking to my friend Warren earlier. I don’t know what it was all about, but I’m going to find out.”

We dance in silence and our bodies are swaying together in a sensual rhythm. It doesn’t make any sense at all, but I feel like I belong in his arms, like we were made for each other. I breathe in his scent, which smells like a winter snow, clean and pure, with a slight hint of pine. We all carry the unique scent of our own court.

Ryder breaks the silence and says humorously, “You know, your friend Xylia told me a bunch of things about you. She’s quite the talkative type. She happened to tell me of your magical affinities, favorite hobby, your favorite food, which is my favorite as well, and the wonderful things you do in secret every morning before sunrise.”

He chuckles at my look of astonishment. His laugh is sexy and deep. His hand caresses my back and it makes me want to feel his hands on other parts of my body. I will really need to take a cold shower after this. The connection I feel with him is so strong and I instinctively move closer to him so my body is flush with his.

“What the f*ck?”

I glance across the room quickly and see Merrick watching us. His expression is one of pure anger and hate. Shit, I forgot to shield my thoughts. How am I ever going to get out of this one? I take a deep breath and pretend nothing is wrong when I turn back to Ryder. I’ll just have to deal with Merrick later.

I move back from Ryder’s body so I can look at his face when I speak.

“One thing about Xylia is that she doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. I love her though, and we’ve been best friends since birth. I spend most of my time in my library because I love to read. Spaghetti is my favorite food, and I’m shocked it’s yours as well. The cooks here won’t fix it, so Xylia and I have to travel to the mortal realm to be able to eat it. There’s this little restaurant in Italy that makes the best spaghetti.”

I look around the room to find her and I see that she is dancing with Ashur. She looks a little disappointed because I know she wanted to dance with Conall tonight, but the cut on his thigh is really bad. I hope she can forgive Merrick for it.

Curiosity piquing, I ask, “Now what exactly do you know about my morning secret?”

He smiles and leaves me stewing for a few seconds. Xylia knows I don’t want word spreading around about my training, and if she’s said something I might have to use her for a practicing dummy.

“I hear you are quite the accomplished fighter. You know, I could help you train in the morning so you can see how the Winter Court Army trains. I saw how your warriors fight, but we use a few different techniques, and I would be glad to show you.”