Page 38 of A Trial of the Heart

I rolled my eyes as Castor turned me around toward another male dance partner, waiting and ready to take my hand. Castor accepted another female, so I followed the pattern, dancing with an array of different companions throughout the rest of the song. The music’s melody was beautiful and relaxing, helping calm my temper.

The final loop of the song began as I was guided to my final dance partner. I stopped, frozen in place and unable to turn away.

Why is my luck always this Gods dammed horrible?I moved into step with my new partner, keeping my eyes cast downward because one look from him would completely unravel me.

Daxton.

I knew I couldn’t just run away. Wandering eyes might suspect something if I picked up my skirt and sprinted from the dance floor.

Daxton took me in his arms and coldly regarded me as a mere nuisance or stranger. He casually grasped my hand, spinning me around until we stepped into frame, moving with the rhythm of the music and other dancers around us. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed that my presence aggravated him.

Right now, I was simply a burden … hisward. I was anything but a ray of hope for their world.

Slowly, the melody halted. I slid my right hand from his shoulder and pressed it on his chest to steady myself. I could feel the smooth, sculpted muscle beneath the fine silk of his formal attire as my pulse began torace. I was barely able to move, let alone breathe. His body was rigid like the ice he commanded—but never cold under my touch. I forced myself to tilt my chin up, glancing into the eyes that swirled me into an endless sea of emotions.

There was a glimmer of softness underneath the iron-cold stare, unlocking his hidden world and showing me a window into the depths of his true soul.

I knew the person concealed within—the true High Fae prince who sacrificed himself time and time again to the will of the queen, the sole saving grace of his people.

Daxton was the most powerful High Fae born to the Inner Kingdom, which is why he had to give so much. He was the prince who was promised to unite his people, a selfless ruler who strived to put others first. This was the male I knew.

Dax …myDax.

“Daxton, Adohan, and Seamus,” Minaeve called out as the music finished.

I clung to the silk collar of his shirt, my fingers curling in the fabric, refusing to let him go. “Dax, I…” The words stopped on the tip of my tongue, but the emotion rang through my gaze as I stared at him.

Quickly, Daxton moved to turn his back toward the queen’s throne and grasped my right hand in his. “Thank you for the dance,Champion.” He took one step back but hesitated to take another, unable to release me just yet.

To everyone else in the room, this seemed routine, mundane even. But to us, this wasmore. Daxton held my right hand close to his chest as he gave me a respectful bow. Then, as he rose, his lips moved toward the scar just above my wrist—the scar he gave me thefirst night we met—the scar that never healed, even under the magic of the mage that held me captive.

His mouth pressed into my skin, covering the permanent mark he had embedded into my flesh. Sparks ignited against his touch accompanied by a lick of fire spreading through my center.

Daxton straightened, hesitating to return to the queen’s throne. His back, now turned to me, carried heavy shoulders with the weight of five centuries of torture. Each step he took felt like the world was spiraling and splitting in two.

My mind raced, unable to focus on anything besides the feeling of his lips as they caressed the mark he had made on my wrist.Did I mention before that I have a knack for the worst possible timing in the world? If not, this is evidence of just that.

A hand suddenly grasped my waist, guiding me away from the dance floor amongst a flurry of High Fae that were enthralled in their drinks and conversation. I was so consumed with the thought of Daxton that I didn’t even notice who was leading me away from the gathering.

“Hello, Champion.” His smooth voice had a calming essence that aged him beyond his physical appearance. “I need to show you something,” he said, leading me toward a doorway in the forgotten corner of the ballroom off to the side of Minaeve’s throne.

I called upon my animal to help me assess his intentions while searching for Idris or Castor, but as luck would have it, they were nowhere in sight. To my surprise, I didn’t feel anything from her.Great, thanks for the help.I cursed under my breath.

“You don’t need to fear me, Skylar Cathal. It would be foolish to threaten the life of the shifter who is trying to free us from the wilt.”

“Logically, yes, I agree with you,” I said as I matched his pace. “So, you know my name. Is it not polite that you share yours with me?”

“Curious, are we?” He released a lighthearted, humorless chuckle. “Care to take a guess?”

I looked him over, carefully calculating how to navigate the game of the courts with this key player.All right, Castor, let’s see what I can do.“You’re wearing a long green dress coat that matches Prince Seamus. That tells me you’re a member of the Aelius court and likely high on his list of trusted associates due to the intricate fine detail of your clothing.”

“You catch on quickly.”

I attempted to detect his scent, but realized it was shielded. “And due to your magical barrier protecting you, you have other gifts as well.”

“Can you infer what they are?”

“You’re from Aelius … so naturally, you possess a power of the mind.”

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