Page 121 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

“Abel!” Olive squeals, smacking him upside the head. “What the hells? How many glasses of mead have you had?”

“Five. No, wait, six?” At Olive’s horrified choke, he snickers. “Just kidding. I’m one and done. No way am I over-imbibing with the trial tomorrow. Do you think I’m an idiot or something?”

“Well,” all three of us say in unison.

Undaunted, he flashes us a cheeky grin. “On second thought, forget I asked. Now, if neither of you ladies wants to dance, please excuse me while I find a willing partner.”

Wiggling his fingers at us, he saunters off, running into Theo. Theo’s holding hands with a pretty blond fledgling. He spots Olive and me and winks before tugging the woman onto the dance floor.

I’m happy to see he’s moved on, though a bit wistful. If only I could have fallen for him, or someone like him. But no. I had to go and fall in love with a grumpy flight instructor.

My gaze travels the crowd. No king yet. Maybe the news of his attendance is purely propaganda and he won’t show. While that would come as a relief, part of me wants him to appear. He could be the only person who knows Leesa’s whereabouts.

Continuing to scan the crowd, I go still. The music, conversations, laughter. It all stops. My heart leaps like the traitor it is as I drink in Sterling from across the room. His dark hair is pulled back, and in stark contrast to the Flighthaven uniform, he’s decked out in the formal attire the men in our society don for special occasions, complete with a black waistcoat, long coat, and a high-collared white shirt.

His beauty steals my breath. Heartbreaker or not, there’s no arguing the man’s downright edible. From the small crowd of women circling like fanged eels scenting blood and the gag-worthy way Celeste Dawson fawns over him, I can tell I’m not the only drinking him in with lust-glazed eyes.

Celeste presses her lithe body against his side and strokes his hand with too much intimacy. Jealousy burns like acid in my veins as those long, graceful fingers travel beneath his sleeve.

His eyes lock with mine, the force of the connection an iron fist that squeezes my lungs. Turning away is as impossible as swallowing an entire alicorn in a single bite. Not happening.

The other faces in the crowd fade into nothingness, leaving only him and me. Trapped in his potent gaze, I can’t breathe or think.

My blood heats. My body yearns. My heart cracks all over again.

What looks like tenderness sweeps across his handsome face, followed by a flash of misery as great as my own. Or maybe that’s just my mind playing tricks on me and creating the illusion most likely to spare my shattered heart.

Either way, his allure hooks me like a fish on a line, and those gold-flecked eyes of his reel me in. Hopeless to resist, I follow the invisible tug and step toward him.

Chapter Forty-Two

A hand on my sleeve stops me. “Whoa, hold up.” Olive regards me with pinched brows. “Remember, that’s the guy you were all torn up about less than eight hours ago. Now you’re going to walk right up to him? And say what? If anything, that alicorn’s ass should come to you begging for a second chance.” Olive eases me back.

Nick leans closer, confusion on his face. “What alicorn’s ass? What did I miss?”

Olive slaps her hand on his chest and shoves. “Go away. This is girl talk. Go find someone to dance with.”

She drags me a few steps away, putting a safe distance between us and our Nick’s curious ears. “Thorne’s still staring.”

I train my gaze on the opposite end of the ballroom. “Is Celeste Dawson still draping herself over him like a wet blanket?”

Olive shakes her head. “No. She keeps touching his hand, but he’s not even looking at her.”

The hot ember of jealousy burns in my chest. Ridiculous, because I have no claim to him, but my logic always flies out the window whenever he’s involved.

A cute guy with curly brown hair and hazel eyes approaches Olive and smiles. His gold emblem marks him as a dragonrider. “Would you like to dance?”

Olive hesitates, biting her lip. “Thanks, but I’m hanging out with?—”

“Go. Dance. I’ll be fine. I need a few moments alone to think, anyway.”

After another half-hearted protest, Olive takes the rider’s hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

I wave her off, happy at least one of us gets to enjoy the party. They join the other couples and glide across the floor. Olive’s smile lights up her face as she spins beneath his hand.

My skin prickles with awareness again, and I search the sea of faces until I find Thorne’s. When his gaze latches onto mine, I suck in a breath. All my feelings for him surface, and the onslaught has me battling the urge to approach him.

As I move in his direction, his cruel words from last night echo in my head. I freeze. What am I doing? This is madness. He made his feelings—or lack thereof—perfectly clear.

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