Page 119 of Crown of Slumber

Her mouth clamped shut, and she nodded, her eyes full of regret. “Of course.”

I turned from her, striding across the bridge and wishing more than anything that I could push this infuriating woman from my thoughts for good.

I stoodby the riverbank for a long moment, staring after the space where Fenn had vanished. My heart twisted into a painful knot as I battled between chasing after him and fleeing into the forest.

So, instead, I lingered in between, my feet rooted to the spot. My chest heaved with heavy breaths, my face on fire from our dance and from--

From Fenn. He elicited such an intoxicating heat from me. The way his hands held my hips, guiding me in our dance, and the way his nose brushed my cheek as he whispered in my ear…

Why couldn’t I go after him? What was stopping me?

I huffed a laugh at that.Everythingwas stopping me. This bargain between us. The situation with my kingdom. His volatile mother.

There were a hundred reasons why I should let him go.

Then why was I staring after him, longing for him to come back to me?

I rubbed my arms to ward off the chill that tingled along my skin as the heat finally left my body. The dancing couples around me slowly glided away, leaving me alone at the edge of the forest. The soothing sounds of the river mingled with the muffled music floating across the water.

It was strangely calming, this sense of solitude. I gazed upward at the glittering stars in the sky and the inviting crescent moon. With the braziers lit, casting a bluish glow on the grass, it was hardto believe it was the middle of the night. When I had pictured the Midnight Court, I had envisioned utter darkness. Not…this.

I found myself smiling as I drew closer to the sparkling waters. The stardust sediments glimmered under the surface. I recalled what Fenn had said when I’d shown him Kellen Falls:I felt a sense of peace while I was there. Something I’ve only ever felt next to the Celestial River.

A startling realization hit me: I felt the same sense of peace here, too. This place, this river, was as comforting to me as the rushing waters of Kellen Falls.

A surprised laugh bubbled up in my throat, and I found myself unable to stop smiling. Fenn and I, we were the same. Two souls bound to one another irrevocably, despite our differences, despite our warring kingdoms.

I had never felt this way with Tyrone or even Callan. Never had I felt so drawn to another soul, so inexplicably tethered.

My feet moved of their own accord, guiding me across the bridge and toward the crowd dancing just beyond the courtyard. I had to find Fenn, to tell him...

Tell him what?

I wasn’t quite sure. I just knew I needed to find him.

I strode past dancing courtiers and laughing ladies, a pair of women locked in a passionate embrace, and a couple making love along the riverbank. Echoes of the upbeat and vibrant music floated through the air, growing louder as I drew closer to the mass of people.

When I reached the courtyard, I climbed the steps to get a better look at those dancing in the field, my eyes scanning for a sign of Fenn.

Be with me,I wanted to say to him.Love me. Touch me. I want all of you, Fennick. All of you.

I was breathless, my heart drumming an erratic rhythm in time to the music around me. When a servant offered a tray of sparkling fire water, I took a flute and downed it in one gulp. The drink quite literally burned my throat, and I belched. Smoke unfurled from within my mouth, and I gasped, choking slightly.

The servant chuckled. “It gets easier the second time.” He offered me another.

It was probably unwise of me to take it, but I did. As I downed the wine, this time, it didn’t burn as much. But that was probably because the inside of my throat was completely past feeling. The drink spread warmth through my entire body, all the way down to my toes. Courage and confidence swelled in my chest, and I suddenly felt the urge to join in, to dance with these strangers, to share in their merriment.

But no. I needed to findFenn.I could dance with him. I could push myself up along his body, writhing against his hips, and?—

My thoughts stuttered as my eyes latched onto a pair of dancers in the center of the field. The woman was thin and wore a black slip-of-a dress that barely covered any skin. The skirt came just above her rear, exposing most of her thighs, and the neckline plunged low, all the way to her stomach, the thin strips of silk barely containing her large breasts.

And her dance partner was Fenn.

He was laughing, his smile wide, revealing his teeth as he swayed with the woman, guiding her hips to his as they moved to the rhythm of the music. The woman draped her arms around his neck, her face close to his as she whispered something in his ear that only made his grin broaden.

The sight of them made something roar inside of me. Heat and rage and bloodlust surged, coiling so tightly in my chest I wanted to scream. No, I wanted to plunge my dagger into the woman’s throat.

I wanted to plunge my dagger intoFenn’sthroat. What the hell was he thinking? Wasn’t this fete meant to celebrate our engagement? And here he was, dancing with someone else. I wasn’t sure who she was, but she certainly didn’t look like a courtier.

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