Page 16 of Taken By the Fae King

I lift my gaze back to my human bride. A lovely pink flush spreads across her cheeks when the priest instructs us to kiss at the end of the ceremony.

Grayce stretches up on her toes, and I lean forward just enough until her face is nearly even with mine. The soft mint of her breath fans across my skin. My heart pounds as I close the small gap between us and brush my lips against hers in a tender kiss.

When we pull away, her eyes meet mine, a flicker of uncertainty in their depths. She is nervous, and understandably so. She has just sworn her life to a veritable stranger. And while I wish more than anything that I could tell her the truth… that I was Joren, I cannot. Not without risking the wrath of the gods.

The celebration hallis large enough to hold at least two hundred people. Thankfully, there are probably no more than one hundred here right now, making it easy to navigate our way to the table near the front and center of the room for the wedding feast.

Great platters of meat, bread, cheeses, and fruit are laid out before us. Large goblets of wine are poured to overflowing and I notice Aurdyn, Grayce’s brothers, and Lukas partaking heavily of the drink, whereas Grayce merely sips at her wine, and I do the same.

It is a human tradition to consummate the marriage on the wedding night, and if she wishes to keep this tradition, I want to be clear-headed and focused. I want only to please my mate, especially upon our first joining.

When it is time for dancing, I stand and take her hand. Music played upon stringed instruments fills the air. I rest one hand on her lower back and pull her close as she rests a hand on my waist, and I take her free one in my own. Together, we begin to dance and whirl across the floor. Her steps match mine in perfect synchronous movements as we spin and weave through the crowd.

She is so lovely I cannot take my eyes off her. Desire thrums through my veins as I hold her close. My gaze drifts down to the elegant curve of her neck and my fangs extend in my mouth with want to mark her as mine.

I do not know how Varys went for so long before finally sealing his bond with Inara. The instinct to fully claim my mate is a fire in my veins.

The next song is a group dance. Thankfully, Varys and Inara are beside us and I only have to switch off with him instead of someone else, when I reluctantly am forced to relinquish my hold on Grayce as we spin and weave among the other dancers.

As I make another turn around Inara, my head whips toward Grayce to find Lukas has cut in. A low growl vibrates my chest as the song changes and he pulls her away, spinning and twirling with her through the throng of dancers.

Bright sparkling laughter leaves her lips and jealousy flares brightly within.How dare he take her from me.

I start toward them, and his gaze snaps to mine, a smirk playing on his lips. That vile dog knows exactly what he is doing.

A hand on my shoulder stops me abruptly and I spin to find Varys. “He did the same to me with Inara when we were wed,” he murmurs in my ear. “Do not let him goad you. She considers him like a brother.”

“You are certain he does not desire her as his?”

“I am.”

Even so, murderous thoughts fill my mind as I watch Prince Lukas dancing with Grayce. Magic sparks between my fingers, threading through them like small bits of lightning before I close my hands into a fist to snuff it out.

As I speak with Varys, my eyes never leave my new bride. We are married, according to the human tradition, but our bond is not yet complete.

My kind are intensely possessive of our mates, and until I fully claim her, and give her my mark, sealing our bond, the urge to fight off every unbonded male that comes near her will be nearly unbearable for me.

“Have you told her yet?” Varys asks.

In this moment, I regret having told my friend my terrible secret. The truth of how I courted Grayce in the guise of a human. I admitted this to him in a moment of doubt and weakness. Thankfully, I bound his tongue with the unbreakable promise spell, before I told him what I’d done, rendering him incapable of speaking of it to anyone but me.

“I would if I could, Varys,” I say defeatedly. “But I cannot.”

I would tell her if not for the warning given to me by the spirit of the heart tree—a being who speaks for the very gods themselves. The gods can be both giving and cruel if you ignore them. My father learned this the hard way, and I will not repeat his mistakes.

“If you do not tell her, and she finds out later, I fear it will be worse for you,” he warns. “A secret like that can destroy any bond you form with your mate.”

“What would you have me do?” I ask defeatedly. “Risk angering the gods? Chance altering my fate?” I shake my head. “Icannot. Iwillnot. Not after I saw the price my father paid for ignoring their will.”

Varys sighs heavily. “I understand your concern, but I worry for you, my friend.”

I swallow hard. “I do too.”

We remain silent a moment before he changes the subject. “You should expect to be threatened by the males in her family this evening.”

“Threatened?”

He nods. “It is a human tradition for male family members of the bride to threaten the life of the groom at the reception.”

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