The Dark Fae (The World of Fae #1)(38)

Everything was decorated in peach and forest green. But the thing that caught Alicia’s eye was a statue of a peach-colored flamingo, sitting four feet high in a corner of the room.

The countess smiled. “Something I picked up on a visit to the human’s world.”

She waved her fingers at the five men who had escorted them. “You are dismissed.”

Prince Grotto countermanded her order. “Sir Trenton, you will stay with Princess Alicia at all times.”

“Outside of my bedchambers,” the countess insisted. “The lady will wear one of my favorite gowns. So if you would, Prince Grotto and Sir Trenton…”

The prince glared at Alicia. “You won’t leave here, unless the king wishes it. Do you understand?”

“Deveron must be released at once! He brought me here. He didn’t harm me. You have no right throwing him in a cell,” Alicia said, her voice hot with anger.

Grotto’s lips turned up into a wicked smile. “And what if history repeats itself? What if you were to run off with this sphinx fae and abandon your kingdom?”

“Then you would rule, wouldn’t you?”

A flicker of interest seemed to flash across his green eyes. Then he snarled. “You will not leave. And the sphinx fae will never have you.”

“Where do you come up with such an unfounded assumption? He brought me here. If he wanted to keep me, he would never have come into a pit full of poisonous vipers such as yourself.”

Grotto grinned. “That’s what your family is to you? And you’re to rule us some day? King Tibero must change his ruling or all will be lost.” He stormed out of the room with the guard on his heel.

As soon as the guard shut the door, the countess pulled a burgundy gown from her chest. “It would be wise not to rile him, Princess. He has been horrible to live with since your mother returned.”

“Where is my mother?”

“Locked in her bedchambers. But word will be sent to her at once that you are safely here now. She was extremely distraught to hear the sphinx fae had imprisoned you and that they had every intention of turning you over to the Denkar, no less.”

“My father. You can’t be serious that he is a sphinx fae.”

“Yes. The king was furious when she eloped with your father. They’d tried to get permission from King Tibero and from his parents as well. None of them would hear of it. I don’t think any of them realized how stubborn your parents could be. But so were their families. King Tibero wouldn’t have Princess Viviana returned here by force no matter what, though his advisors advised him to.

“Then she came here looking for you, frantic that a fae kingdom—she thought her own kind—had taken you away. When she discovered we weren’t the ones who had stolen you, it was too late. Spies like me…” Viviana grinned. “Well, we set out on our own to try to find out which kingdom held you hostage. Only I wasn’t very good at the job and got myself thrown into the prison quickly enough. You can’t imagine my delight in seeing you in the cell next to mine.”

Alicia sat up on the bed, her stomach settling.

“Why can’t I see her, before I see my grandfather?”

“The king has said he doesn’t want her unduly influencing you. She told him you knew nothing about your fae heritage.”

“No, nothing.”

“He realized you are not at fault for your mother’s transgressions.”

“She loved my father,” Alicia said, furious that her grandfather would be so cruel.

The countess helped her off the bed and out of her gown. “Yes, but in the end, he couldn’t stay with her.”

“Why?”

“His own people forced him to choose. They threatened to kill you and your mother if he didn’t leave and do as they said.”

“So he did leave us to protect us.”

The countess slipped the burgundy gown over Alicia’s head. “Yes. But your mother feared telling you. She worried you’d search for him. She wasn’t sure how the sphinx fae would treat you.”

“I thought he was the fae and my mother human.”

The countess’s eyes grew big, then she laughed out loud. “Human? Now that’s truly funny.”

Alicia didn’t think so. As far as she knew, that’s just what she’d been all these years. Being a fae seemed funny…not as in humorous, but odd.

“Well, I do suppose it would seem that way. Most of your fae abilities don’t kick in until you turn eighteen.” The countess replaced the emerald hair clips in Alicia’s hair with diamond decorated ones. Then she lifted a dragon medallion off her dresser. Slipping it over Alicia’s head, the countess said with much feeling, “Now you are officially a royal dragon fae.”

She patted Alicia’s shoulder. “Do you feel all right to see the king now?”

No. Alicia wasn’t sure she’d ever feel all right about that. Not when her grandfather tried to stop her mother from marrying the man she loved. Fae rather.

“What about my father? I didn’t see him at the sphinx castle.”

The countess opened her bedchamber’s door. “That’s because his older brother is the king of the sphinx fae. Your father married the Venician queen.”

Lorelei’s my stepsister?