The Dark Fae (The World of Fae #1)(19)

Of course, if Alicia had known what his action had meant, she might not have gone along with it. But then again when she realized how mad it had made Lorelei, she’d played the game with great enthusiasm…pointing at this food or that on his plate and smiling and laughing with gusto. He’d never enjoyed a female’s company so much, either human or fae. The only problem was that her previous state of being so incapacitated seemed to vanish with every bite.

Her clear green eyes shimmered with frivolity and her full pink lips shined with a glossy coating of peach wine—his peach wine. Her tongue swept over her lips absent-mindedly, and he wanted to taste her lips again.

He forced himself to drop that notion before he started a virtual war between his kingdom and the Venicians. It was one thing to take care of his cousin, another to seduce her at the table.

“You seem to be feeling better,” he whispered in her ear.

“I am. I’m afraid I’ve lost some of my fragility, however.”

He smiled. “You will have to regain some of it, but I’m glad you are feeling more yourself.”

His next major worry was the masked ball though. What had Lorelei intended for that? He was certain he would have to remove Alicia from the deadly fae game sooner than later. Fae had played these games for centuries. The human girl wouldn’t stand a chance. But he was still trying to figure out where to take her to ensure her security. One wrong move could mean imprisonment for her or worse.

“You stick close to either Ritasia or me for the entire ball,” he whispered to her.

“Do you think someone will try something?”

“I don’t know. But always stay alert.” Somehow between his sister and him, they would have to maintain Alicia’s well-being.

Was he being conceited to think he could keep her safer at his side than if he returned her home? No, he knew it would be only a matter of time before the Denkar learned where Alicia lived. If she’d been alone, he would never be able to save her.

If he’d been as evil as Alicia seemed to think the dark fae kind were, he wouldn’t have cared. But his people weren’t evil like that. Well, not all of his people. And certainly not his sister and him.

He took a deep breath as he watched Alicia sip some more of his wine.

He couldn’t fall for a fae-knower. He wouldn’t allow his thoughts to drift in that dangerous direction. Not that anyone would kill him for it. But Alicia would be in more danger than before.

***

After the meal, Lorelei managed to pull Deveron away for a game of archery, a favorite pastime of the nobility.

“Do you want to shoot, too?” Ritasia asked Alicia as they sauntered to the target practice, following Deveron, Lorelei, and her maids from some distance back.

Alicia shook her head.

“Oh, I should have asked first, do you know how to shoot?”

“Yes.”

Ritasia’s brows rose in question. “Well?”

“Yes, I’m good at it, but why would I want to?”

Ritasia smiled. “Because if you can shoot better than Lorelei, and she is a pretty good shot, it could vex her further.”

“Don’t you think she hates me enough already?”

“No,” both Ritasia and Alicia said at the same time.

They laughed and folded their arms while they watched first Lorelei shoot, then Deveron.

Deveron’s muscles flexed so beautifully as he concentrated on the target that Alicia couldn’t help but admire his form.

He shot 50 yards farther than Lorelei, which was to be expected being that he was a stronger male.

Lorelei grinned at him, then leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Alicia squelched the urge to slap her. Again, she chided herself for the insane surge of jealousy that erupted deep inside of her. She couldn’t, wouldn’t allow herself to grow soft where the dark fae was concerned. He is evil, she reminded herself. And beautiful.

She sighed deeply. So she could fantasize over him, pretend he was the cutest guy she’d met in a long time, that kissed her with the kind of passion only…only, jeez, only a dark fae could kiss her like.

She’d have to take second best. Only problem was a human might end up coming in a distant tenth place.

Ugh. Stop thinking about him, Alicia. He is not in your league. Not in your realm. He has taken you prisoner on the pretense he must protect you. And he’s evil! Maybe in a sweet kind of evil way.

She could protect herself, thank you very much.

“I would have you by my side protecting me from my enemy any day, Deveron.” Lorelei turned to Alicia and said, “Do you shoot?”

“A little. But you would find me poor competition.”

“Ritasia is poor competition,” Lorelei said with a malevolent gleam in her eye.

Deveron’s jaw tightened.

Alicia ground her teeth, furious that Lorelei would put Ritasia down so. “Then perhaps I would do better to be pitted against Ritasia.”

“All right. Since I have already gone once, you go against Ritasia first. If you are better than she, you can go against me.”

Alicia shook her head.

“Are you afraid to compete with me?” Lorelei tilted her chin up with the taunt.

Afraid of the viper? No!

Deveron seemed torn between wanting to see Alicia prove herself better than Lorelei, but not wanting to see her fail miserably and lose to the snooty princess.