Page 71 of Shadows of Ruin

Raya stared at me, her expression emotionless, as she sipped her water. “I do not drink. You know…mind magic and all.”

“Right,” I said, sighing as I leaned against the wall. “Did you know today is my birthday?”

“Happy birthday,” she muttered before taking another sip of her water.

“Yes, happy freaking birthday to me. I had to fight for my life today. It’s clear the king has it out for me in some way. Kade is acting like a confusing ass. And I’m here with you, someone who is forced to be my babysitter and won’t even have a drink with me. Do you know what I should be doing right now?”

Raya stared at me. “No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me. Fates, I wish Icoulddrink right now.”

“This morning, I should have stuffed my face with pastries and breads from Thea. She makes the best baked goods in the entire city. Ian or Kalliah would have picked up the special order she gives us every year. We’d devour everything in my room, so we had a hearty base for our annual night of debauchery. This is the one night, theone night, Raya, I would have been free of the palace confines and celebrated like a normal Fae. Freedom with the people I love most in the world.”

I swirled the wine around in my cup, suddenly wanting to leave.

“Look, I know today has been a hard day, but—” Raya started.

I needed to talk about them. Talk about my friends. I needed to feel something other than the bitterness dwelling in my soul, so I let myself keep going, talking more to myself than the woman next to me.

“Once a year on my birthday, Ian, Kalliah, and I are allowed to go to Duke Street. No sneaking out required. It’s in thelesserarea of Ellevail. But it’s my favorite place in the city. Specifically, we make our way to Dukes Pub. It’s cozy, away from every single noble Fae, and the barman makes sure we are taken care of.”

Tears formed in my eyes as I thought about how simple those times were with Ian by my side.

“Dukes Pub is a small tavern, with only ten tables and far too skinny a bar for the clientele they serve. The leather covering the seats is worn and cracked, but it never mattered. Tommy Soloman, the barman, welcomes us every year with open arms. He can be a bit grumpy sometimes, but somehow Ian and I wormed our way into his good graces when we were fifteen.”

Raya handed me a piece of bread slathered with a sweet cheesy spread, and I promptly bit off a hunk.

“Won him over might be a stretch, but I made sure to tip him generously the first few times we went, and he always let us back. Ian and I snuck into the tavern one day when we werenotof age. We were bored and needed an escape from the drudgery of the palace. The barmaid who worked there at the time was blind. How she could pour ale as well as she did, I will never know, but we were able to get one over on her. We managed to drink a few pints before Tommy figured out who we were.”

I laughed, letting my head fall back as I remembered how red in the face he’d gotten when he discovered the princess drinking in disguise in his bar. I had my HiddenHenchman outfit on minus the mask, long before that became our plan.

“He was none too pleased the princess and her Royal Guard in training managed to get inebriated underage, but he made sure we were taken care of and coherent enough to return to the palace before sending us on our way. Neither of us wanting to feel the king’s disappointment that night.”

Raya actually smiled at me. “Go on.”

“Well, as soon as we became of age, Dukes Pub was the only place we would go. Last year…” I started laughing uncontrollably and had to steady myself before continuing. “Last year was our wildest year yet. Ian managed to convince a small group of musicians to play for me as my birthday gift, and I spent the night dancing on tables and the bar top. Ian stole a tambourine and played along with them, while I convinced Tommy to join me on top of a table. It snapped in two, sending us crashing to the ground. Ian laughed so hard he fell off his stool. Until he realized my bone was poking through skin and I had broken my arm. We ran back to the castle, and my healer, Elisabeth, scolded us for days.” I let the tear fall down my face now.

Raya snorted. “Are you sure you are a princess?”

“Who knows anymore,” I sighed, fully succumbing to the delicious buzz of alcohol flowing in my blood. “I certainly don’t live the life of a princess now. With my father, who’s apparently not really my father but my uncle? Plus, some ridiculous quest to go on now, while the people I love remain at home. Yet here I am. Stuck in Mysthaven without my friends. On my birthday. With a badass warrior woman who hates me.”

We were quiet for a moment. “I am a badass,” she said. “Fates, I want to hate you. But breaking a pub table sounds like a fun time. Jax would love that story.” She paused before speaking again. “Is Ian your friend in the dungeon?”

I nodded, daring to ask, “Have you seen him again?”

Cautiously, I looked at Raya, who now leaned against the wall next to me. She didn’t back away from my curious stare but shook her head. “I haven’t. I’m sorry.”

A woman bumped into me, sending me sideways, harder against Raya.

“Watch where you’re going,” Raya snarled. The woman bit her lip, grabbing the hand of a man and pulling him to the dance floor.

I remembered where we were again and how much I’d divulged so freely.

Anyone could have heard. I swallowed, refocusing on my surroundings. I looked at the dance floor and saw Kade with another new dance partner. They’d made it fairly close to where Raya and I were standing. The woman snaked her arm around the back of Kade’s neck and pulled him closer. Trying to kiss him.

Rage overtook my entire being. While I still had to work out my own feelings, since I did not trust him completely, that certainly didn’t mean I wanted him touching anyone else. Or allowing them to touch him either.

Irrational. I knew it was irrational, yet I couldn’t help but feel like Kade wasmine. He’d brought me here, and he shouldn’t be kissing other women in front of me.

A faint light emitted from my fingertips as the glass in my hand shattered, slicing into my fingers.

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