A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(14)

People stood at the long wooden bar where two staff members poured drinks and mixed cocktails. My gaze glided over everyone in the room, stopping only when I found Sia.

She stood at the edge of the bar, the light gleaming off her red curls and her face turned up in a smile for the man in front of her.

Prince Gabriel.

I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but he was an inveterate scoundrel. His gaze kept dipping low toward Sia’s body, and though most of her was blocked by the crowd, I knew exactly what she looked like in that dress.

I’d nearly choked when I’d seen her standing in the doorway. The blue silk had clung to every curve the way that I wanted to, revealing just enough of her creamy white skin to make the blood heat in my veins.

In my entire life, I’d never seen anyone as beautiful as she. Everything about her drew my attention and lit up my senses. She was different than most of the fae I knew. Softer.

And yet strong as iron when she needed to be.

The contrast was heady.

And now she was out amongst the other fae, welcoming their attentions.

My jaw clenched.

When had I become such a troglodyte?

I didn’t own her. This jealousy was ridiculous.

I drew in a deep breath and looked for a quiet table. I spotted one on the far side of the car, tucked into the corner. I headed toward it, keeping far away from Sia. If her scent got into my lungs one more time, my self-control might snap.

I didn’t even want to contemplate what I’d do if that happened.

The secluded table was perfect. I had no desire to speak to anyone, but I did want to be able to keep an eye on Sia. The better plan would be to leave and let my guards handle it, but there was no way in hell I could do that.

As soon as I took the seat in the corner, a uniformed server appeared. “What may I get you, Your Highness?”

I felt the faintest grimace tug at the corner of my lips. I despised the pomp and circumstance of the High Court. “Whiskey.”

“Of course.” The man melted into the shadows.

While I waited for the drink, I forced myself to look at other people in the room besides Sia. She would send my brain into an endless rabbit hole of desire if I let her.

I’d known most of these fae for decades. Many of the other rulers were extremely long lived like I was, including Prince Gabriel. He was looking at Sia like he wanted to eat her, and it made me want to throw him off the train.

“My lord?” Vusario’s voice cut through my focus, and I looked up at him, equal parts grateful for the interruption and annoyed. “May I join you?”

I nodded. “Fine. You can tell me what you’ve learned of the people on the train.”

I’d set Dain on the trail of finding the person who threatened Sia, but Vusario had been tasked with using his inner sight to scout for dangers. I prayed he’d found something useful.

He sat and leaned forward, his voice low. “I believe the Irish could be a threat.”

“The Irish? Tell me more.”





Sia



* * *



I stared up at the fae prince, wondering if I could kick him in the balls without anyone noticing.

He’d probably notice, though.

In fairness, that was the point. But he was driving me crazy. If it wouldn’t get me in trouble, I’d totally do it. He kept looking down at my non-existent cleavage as he droned on and on about stag hunting in the forests of France.

I’d hoped he’d have some good gossip about the other people on the train, but all I’d gotten from him was that he definitely wasn’t a threat. He was too obsessed with himself and stags to worry about me.

“Oh, Sia!” Meria appeared at my side, her hand on my arm. “I’m so glad I found you. I need your help.” She smiled at the prince. “My apologies, Your Highness.”

“I—”

She dragged me away before he could finish.

“Meria! That can’t have been good.”

“He’ll forget,” she whispered. “Prince Gabriel is beautiful but surprisingly slow witted for fae royalty.”

“It’s his father who is king though, right?” My gaze found the man standing on the other side of the room, his cunning gaze inspecting the crowd.

Now that dude could be a threat.

“Yeah. And let’s just say that crown won’t be passed down.”

“No surprise. We can definitely rule the prince out. Too busy chasing deer through the woods to care about our Court becoming more powerful.”

Meria found a spot by the other end of the bar, and we tucked ourselves in between two groups. I’d noticed Lore as soon as he’d walked into the room, but he’d ignored me in favor of a table in the far corner. My new location meant I could barely see him

Good. Maybe it would help me focus.

Unlikely.

I was like a bat, with my own special echolocation that could tell me exactly where Lore was at any time. I hated it.

“I haven’t gotten much,” Meria whispered. “Eve might be having some luck, though.” She nodded toward the corner, where Eve was leaning against the wall with a man who looked old enough to be her grandfather. He was one of the rare older fae that I’d seen, and though he was handsome for his age, he still had one foot in the grave.

It didn’t keep him from looking down Eve’s dress, though.