Page 17 of Mirror of Vanity

The woman glared at him, her nose crinkling in distaste. “Don’t call me that.” She looked past him, and a huge grin brightened her face as she spotted our group. “All my favorite men are here!”

She got up from the table, her movements fluid and graceful, and immediately pulled Justice into a big hug. “Oh, you look so good,” she exclaimed, her voice warm with affection. In turn, she gave the other three the same enthusiastic embrace, her laughter ringing out like bells.

The dark-haired man rose from the table, his tall frame unfolding as he stood. He embraced each of them as well, his smile genuine and welcoming. “Good to see you all,” he greeted, his voice deep and rich. “It’s been far too long.”

I watched the exchange, my initial surprise at Chelby’s appearance and demeanor fading into a growing sense of curiosity. This was not what I expected from a Fae queen, but there was something undeniably charming about her easy affection and down-to-earth nature. I couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises this meeting might have in store for us.

Justice put his hand on my lower back. “Chelby and Jonas Fox, this is Sawyer Grant and her brother, Damon.”

My mouth dried up, and my tongue twisted so no words could come out. Even a queen dressed like Chelby was still a queen.

Damon didn’t have the same problem.

He stood back slightly, observing the warm exchanges with amusement and skepticism etched across his face. As Chelby approached him, his posture remained relaxed, but his gaze was sharp, assessing.

When she extended her hand to shake his, he managed a lopsided grin, playing along yet not fully letting his guard down. “Well, aren’t you a refreshing change of pace from the usual stuffy royals?” His voice was light but his stance firm. As he shook her hand, he winked. “Nice to meet you, Your Highness. So we’re clear, I’m the guy who likes to know exactly what kind of magical party I’ve crashed.”

Chelby raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I can assure you, Damon, this is no ordinary gathering.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth, but an underlying seriousness edged her tone.

“The Fae kind,” Jonas added, his eyes narrowing as he took Chelby’s hand, his grip a touch too tight. “The very powerful kind.”

Oh, great. Another possessive alpha protecting his mate. I exchanged a knowing glance with Lisa, who seemed equally unimpressed by Jonas’ display.

Chelby glanced at Jonas, her brow furrowing slightly. “Stop.” Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Jonas shrugged, his jaw clenching briefly before he relaxed his grip on Chelby’s hand. He didn’t apologize, but the silent exchange between them spoke volumes.

Chelby pulled him by the hand, her demeanor shifting from playful to serious. “Come on, let’s sit. We have lots to discuss.” She gestured toward the table, her eyes sweeping over the group, a sense of purpose in her gaze.

Justice pulled out my chair again and took a seat beside Chelby. “We did, but we were expecting to meet with you alone.”

“Oh, Justice, I’m sooo offended.” Garrick smirked as he eyed a red-haired waitress approaching our table.

A waitress came over and took our drink orders. I swear she was practically drooling over all these handsome men at this table. I couldn’t tell if she was human, a Fae, a vampire, or something completely different.

Jonas leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he assessed our group. “And yet, here you are with quite the entourage. Including two hunters.”

Damon’s lips twitched into a smirk as he leaned forward, meeting Jonas’ narrowed gaze with an unwavering one of his own. “Yeah, well, someone’s gotta keep the party interesting,” he quipped. He glanced around briefly as if sizing up the surroundings before turning back to Jonas with a shrug. “Plus, we like to make sure we’re prepared. Never know when you’ll need a few hunters in your corner, right?”

Jonas’ lips tipped into a snarl.

Chelby looked between them as her face tightened. “Enough. We can’t fight among ourselves. Not with what’s been happening in the Court of Blossoms.”

“What’s been happening?” Brody asked as he crossed his arms on the table.

“It happened about two weeks ago. My cousin, Ash, started acting strangely. He’s always been on the I’m-better-than-you side, but now…” She released a long sigh as her voice trailed off. “Now, he’s vicious. He hits servants or the guards if they don’t respond right away. His food is sent back on a regular basis because it’s not good enough for him. And he’s become cruel. He’s using a whip when he rides his pegasus.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fist. “Never, never, never done that. I had to forbid him from riding or even entering the stables. And the worst thing is he’s not the only one.”

“It sounds like what’s happening in the town of Glenraith,” Brody commented. “It’s a place we were going to investigate. We haven’t gotten to the town yet.”

The waitress returned with our drinks, and the conversation died as we waited for her to leave.

Garrick put down his mug. “It’s always good to indulge in the drinks here in the human realm.” He scanned the table, his gaze descending on our long, tight faces. “From what both of you have been saying, this sounds like a plague spreading through the human and Fae realm. If you don’t stop it, there will be death and destruction.”

“There’s something else.” Justice tilted his head toward me. “Sawyer had a vision or a dream you should know about.”

The group grew silent, and all eyes were on me. My cheeks warmed, and beads of sweat broke out across my forehead. I shifted nervously in my seat, not wanting the attention. It was one thing to tell my brother, Justice, and the rest of the team about my visions or dreams, but telling a king and a queen of the Fae realms made me want to crawl away and hide in the corner. What if they ridiculed me?

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