A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(40)

There were a dozen things I wanted to say to her, but I had no idea how to voice any of them.

I was sure that I shouldn’t voice any of them.

“Be wary at dinner,” I said. “Trust no one.”

She nodded. “And we’ll present a united front?”

“Most definitely.” It didn’t matter how much I wanted to get away from her to preserve my sanity. She was too smart and powerful not to include in this. She was the core of it. We had to work together if we wanted to succeed. I couldn’t do this on my own.

The prophecy made that clear, and so did my experience.

I needed her. I just had to make sure I only needed her for this. When the witch with the deathly magic was defeated, Sia would return to her own life.

I would see to it.





Sia



* * *



Lore and I walked side by side into the massive dining room. Though we didn’t touch, we stood close enough that I could feel the heat of him. I might think of him as the ice king, but he was far from cold. He might want to be, but he wasn’t.

We stopped at the edge of the dining room, searching for our table. Glittering chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, their sparkling lights illuminating the long, white-linen-clad tables. Mountains of flowers and candles decorated each table, enough to make a southern bride swoon with envy. The room itself had the same ornate architecture as the main hall, with a ceiling made of stone arches and glass. During the daytime, it would be beautiful.

We were some of the last to arrive. Most of the other fae were seated at their tables, though a few mingled, drinks in hand. Their clothing was all spectacular.

“It’s like I’m at the freaking Oscars,” I muttered.

“Oscar?” Lore looked down at me. “Who is he?”

“No one important. To this, at least.”

“Hmm. You’ll explain later.”

“You won’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Well, then you’ll think I’m nuts.”

“Probably.” He smiled, then raised his arm. “Shall we?”

I tucked my hand into his arm, and we approached the table where the rest of our party sat. People turned to look at us, their gazes traveling up and down my dress and his dark suit.

We wanted to present a united front, and I was confident we were doing it well. Even our steps were in sync as we approached the head table. As the guests of honor, we would sit in front of everyone.

I’d prefer the corner. Or the kitchen.

Lore stopped at the empty seats in the middle of the table and pulled out my chair. The table was large enough to fit our entire court, but everyone was seated on one side so that we could look out on the crowd. Or, more accurately, that we could be looked at. Like animals in a zoo.

Lore and I sat. Servants moved swiftly around the room, carrying silver trays of wine that sparkled with bubbles. I took one and drank, sipping a bit too quickly.

As much as I might want a drink to cut some of the tension, I needed my wits sharp. I hated feeling everyone’s eyes on me, though. It felt like they were waiting for me to faceplant in the soup—either because they wanted me dead, or they’d like the entertainment.

I set the drink aside and looked at Lore. “How long will this last?”

“Too long.” He sipped his drink. “There will be a speech, then dinner, then dancing.”

Ugh. I didn’t think I had it in me. It didn’t help that my friends were seated all the way on the other end of the table.

“Not a fan of large gatherings?” he asked.

“Not fancy ones like this.” I grimaced. “It’s fun to look at, but the formality is not my thing.”

“Likewise.”

I looked at him, surprised. “But you’re a natural.”

“Born to it. But I don’t have to like it.”

“You’re telling me you’d rather have a cheeseburger in the flatbed of a pickup truck?”

“I don’t know what either of those things are.”

I’d chosen the most ridiculous Americana good-ole-boy thing I could think of—the complete opposite of the graceful, ruthless king of the fae—but this was over the top.

“You’re telling me you’ve never had a cheeseburger?”

“I’ve eaten cheese.”

“That’s not a cheese burger.” I shook my head. “Tragic.”

“Among many things.”

“You’re right about that.” Perhaps I’d been hyperbolic with my word choice, but it was still crazy he hadn’t had a cheeseburger. “Pizza?”

“No.”

“Tacos?”

“Still no.”

“If we survive this, we’ll go to the human world and eat the best of their food. It will screw up your cholesterol, but I think you’ll be fine.”

He smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but feel like the sun had come out from behind the clouds. It was so rare to get a genuine smile from him.

It was gone too quickly.

Someone stood and clinked on a glass to draw attention, and Lore turned away. I followed his gaze, spotting the King of the Irish Court standing in the middle of the room.

“I would like to make a toast to our future happy couple.” He smiled and began to speak.