A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(10)

“So other people hate you as well?”

He shrugged. “Not like the Northern Fae did. But your arrival has been prophesied for a long time. When we are joined, we will be twice as powerful as I ever was alone. That will cause an imbalance.”

“And the other courts won’t like that.” I frowned. “But how the hell am I supposed to tip the scales in favor of us being more powerful?”

“You have incredible magic, Sia. Magic we don’t fully understand yet.” His gaze searched mine. “I think you should tell me more about that.” His eyes moved to my ears. “And why you still hide your ears. There is no need now that you are here.”

Shit. I’d been keeping my hair down so as not to wave it in anyone’s face that I looked different. But the rain had made me pull my hair back.

There was no way for me to explain. “I’m more interested in the arguments with the other courts. I’m sure someone has been following me since I won the competition. I keep seeing a dark shadow stalking me. Could it be someone from another court?”

He frowned. “Yes. But I don’t like that they are on our land.”

“Are spies common?”

He nodded. “I have them in other kingdoms as well. But I’d thought I’d done a better job of protecting our borders.”

Good. I’d distracted him from my ears.

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Anger buzzed within me. “I’m sick of being a pawn.”

“You are queen, not a pawn. And you should have told me of the stalker.”

I growled. “You know what I mean. I never wanted this. I only agreed because the Truth Teller showed me how many people would die if I didn’t.”

He sighed, but acknowledgement shined in his eyes as he nodded. “You are correct. And I owe you my gratitude. For the last three hundred years, my only goal has been to protect my people. Because fate works in mysterious ways, I now need a queen for that. But you didn’t have to agree. I respect and appreciate you for that.”

The genuine emotion in his voice shocked me. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I shut it, knowing I had to look like a fish.

“When this is all over, I will help you return to whatever life you choose,” he said.

“I...really?”

He nodded. “It’s not fair that you should be forced to stay here.”

I studied him. I wasn’t sure he really cared about fair. Not when it came to protecting his people. Once he was done with me and I’d done my bit, he wanted me gone. I knew he didn’t want to be married to me, so it was stupid that I felt stung.

My mind raced with what was to come. “So we have two days on this train as all the other royalty board for the journey to High Court Palace.”

“Yes.”

“Which means if one of them sent my stalker, the danger will be on this train.”

“Hence the guards.” He nodded toward the contingent of uniformed fae who stood near the door.

“I think we should use this opportunity to ferret out the threat and get rid of it before we arrive. If the witch with the deathly magic is really meant to be there, then we need all our attention focused on her.”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Agreed. But I will do it. I don’t want you putting yourself at risk like that.”

“Worried I’ll get offed before I can defeat the witch?”

His jaw tightened, but all he said was. “Yes.”

“But I can help.”

“You will stay with the guards. I’ll take care of it.” He rose and stalked away.

What the hell?

I blew out a breath. That had gone…

Weirdly.

I’d gotten a lot of information, but we’d gone at each other like badgers. And he didn’t want my help finding whoever threatened us?

I would be good at that. I’d proved in the competition that I could sneak around and get answers. And yet, he didn’t want my help. Was it some kind of misplaced protective instinct?

No. That was crazy.

He disappeared through the door to another car, the flick of his dark cloak the last thing I saw.





5





Sia



* * *



Since Lore wasn’t willing to discuss the threat with me, I talked about it with Meria and Eve. I needed a plan, after all. What I didn’t need was him.

We’d found a spot in the casual dining car and ordered coffee and pastries. It was a gloriously opulent place that looked straight out of the 1920s, with dark wood trim and navy papered walls. The large windows provided a view of magnificent snow-covered mountains as the train rumbled down the tracks. The heavy wooden tables and velvet padded chairs were mostly empty, giving us enough privacy that I could lay out my plan.

When I finished, I looked at them expectantly.

“So let me get this straight,” Meria said. “You want to play train detective and find out which fae court sent your stalker.”

“Then you want to kill them before they kill you,” Eve added.

“Pretty much.” I grimaced at the idea of killing someone. “Though I’d rather just have them thrown in prison.”

“Either way, they’re out of your hair.” Eve nodded. “I like this plan.”