Page 47 of The Other Side of the Mirror

A long slit allowed for movement and also happened to provide perfect access to my dagger. I tied the leather holder Yael had given to me around my thigh, sheathing my dagger within it before wondering idly if it was a show of poor confidence to have it on me.

But I couldn’t bring myself to leave it in the room. Not when everything about this place felt so unfamiliar.

When I looked up, something shiny caught my eye. A box lay on my dresser containing two gleaming drop earrings. They looked like large glass raindrops filled with silver starlight. Next to them were two matching silver cuffs, one for each wrist. I put the gifts on, admiring them in the mirror before I stuck my feet inside the slippers and hurried out of the room.

I glanced once more at my palm for that oddly reassuring scrawl—even if what Bash had written made me yearn for something I shouldn’t. But his words had long since disappeared.

Chapter20

Eva

Aviel’s manservant—the short, older fae I had seen skulking behind him when we arrived—was waiting by my door when I opened it.

“My lady,” he intoned gravely, bowing in a way that made me shift on my feet. There was something about him that made me immediately uneasy.

“There’s no need for that,” I said uncomfortably, hoping he would rise. “Silvius, right?”

He gave me a cool once over and sniffed in affirmation. “Of course, there is.” I didn’t think I had ever met someone who could sneer with his entire body. His mouth curved further down before he seemingly remembered himself. “You are the consort of the Crown Prince of Agadot, the ruler of the faerie realm, and our soon to be High King. Anyone lower had best remember that.”

I frowned at the ‘lower’ comment. “I still don’t think?—”

“I’ll escort you to your prince, my lady,” Silvius said brusquely, as though I hadn’t been speaking.

He hurried forward, not bothering to check if I was following. As we walked down the hallways and staircases, he pointed out the more opulent chandeliers, gleaming minimalist artwork, portraits of long dead rulers, and a few imposing silver statues gilding the walls. I nodded when appropriate, biting my tongue rather than sharing my thoughts on the decor. The palace might be lovely, but somehow it felt hollow—a shimmering display of wealth without substance. I wondered if Aviel had changed it at all from how it had been under his father’s rule.

We came to a halt at the end of a hallway, two frosted-glass double doors opening into a two-story room made entirely of gleaming opal. There was a giant glass table in the middle of it stacked with hundreds of white candles in tall glass containers etched with patterns that made the walls flicker from the firelight. A chandelier dripped down from the ceiling in a stunning floor-to-ceiling spiral, its long glass nodules shining in the light.

Aviel stood at the far end of the table, his outfit not so subtly matching mine. He wore a flowing white top trimmed in silver underneath a silvery-gray jacket and pants that showed off the muscles of his thighs. Tall, black, cuffed boots completed the ensemble, paired with a matching belt. His golden hair was effortlessly coiffed, the candlelight flirting with his high cheekbones and the strong lines of his jaw.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. I might be wary of this necessary courtship, but what about him? After everything he had been through, did he even want this? Or was he just doing his duty? Did he even wantme?

The way his eyes darted down to where my dress hugged the curves of my hips, roving slowly up to where my stomach peeked through the lace, and snagged at the line between my cleavage answered that quickly enough. I gave myself a mental shake. Duty, it may be, but there was definitely a possessiveness in his gaze. One that made something coil in my stomach.

Yes, he definitely wanted me. And…didn’t I want him too? I blushed at the thought of our dalliance earlier; his chiseled physique pressed against me.

No, attraction wasn’t the issue. It was everything else that still felt…forced. We just needed more time to get to know each other, even if my unease at the arrangement was making the pace of things hard to accept. Though maybe my hesitance to accept our bond was what was delaying it from falling into place, especially with my feelings still tangled with another?—

But I wasn’t going to acknowledge that right now. Not as Aviel walked up to me, dipping his head to kiss my cheek.

“Thank you for the gifts,” I said with a soft smile.

His fingers closed around one of the cuffs on my wrist as his eyes flicked up and down in appreciation. “They suit you.”

He led me by the small of my back to two chairs placed across from each other at one end of the table. I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t expect us to shout across the length of it, and he chuckled softly when I told him as much.

“I was hoping to learn more about you,” Aviel murmured. “That could hardly be accomplished from so far away. Besides, I don’t want you to be away from me ever again.”

He pulled out my chair in a gentlemanly gesture, pushing me in after I sat, before walking to the other side of the table. The second he sat down, two fae in the same dark silver uniform walked in and placed bowls down in front of us, their movements synchronized. Aviel looked amused when I thanked them, though they took no notice beyond a deep bow as they backed away.

I tasted a bit of the rich, orange-colored soup, garnished with pepitas and purple flowers I could only assume were edible as I savored the creamy, roasted butternut squash. Aviel took a delicate bite, then turned his smoldering gaze at me; those pale eyes nearly translucent in the candlelight.

“Tell me more about your magic,” he said, more a command than an ask. His tone was almost impatient, that strange intensity back in his eyes.

I shrugged and ate another spoonful before replying. “It’s still pretty new to me. When Bash—” Did he notice the catch in my voice when I said his name? I cleared my throat. “When Bash took off my necklace, it was like being doused in darkness. As if it was always there, waiting to rush in. I guess it’s not as common as the Elemental magics?” Aviel gave a small nod before making an encouraging gesture to keep going. “But I’ve been practicing.”

I held up my hand to focus myself…and something inside me opened. Like a black river, my magic swirled out and around us, blocking out everything but the space between us. The few candles in front of us wavered against the sudden night, their light dimmed from the depth of the surrounding darkness.

The dark was cool and calm, and I closed my eyes, breathing a soft sigh of relief as it soothed my nerves. When I opened them, Aviel looked enchanted, his eyes almost wild. He reached out, touching the churning night with a hand. It darted away, as if refusing to be caught.

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