Page 38 of Fated or Knot

The most she said in my direction was, “I hope you do everything you can to charm these noble males.”

Not an order, but close. I nodded and glanced down to acknowledge I’d heard her. I saw the end goal of her scheming from just that suggestion but not how she would maneuver for it yet. It soured my belly some, though I was starving. The leftovers from this morning felt like a meal enjoyed a much longer time ago.

Dinner was uneventful, with the conversation slowing over time. I must not have been the only one tiring as I filled my belly. Though the bunk bed setup seemed a little precarious, I looked forward to making as much of a nest in it as I could and resting after this.

Fal insisted on sharing a dessert first, and I pressed a little closer to his side as we considered the options. My nostrils flared, but I didn’t detect even a hint of his grass and sunshine scent. He must’ve taken a quick bath while we’d been waiting for our table. My inner omega keened at the loss.

It’s temporary, and necessary,I thought. I needed to bathe with scent-blocking soap before turning in for the night as well.

After we settled on a slice of berry pie with a side of chilled cream, half the group left, uninterested in dessert. Tormund and Laurel remained, waiting for their own sweets. Without my stepmother around, I relaxed, smiling more openly. I could do eight days this if this was an example of how it’d go. I could do eight days of anything, let alone sit around in a train as we sped along to our destination.

Of course, I thought this as Fal fed me spoonfuls of sweets and snuck his arm around my shoulders so I’d lean against him.I fed him back, taking simple pleasure at watching his lips curl around the spoon I offered him. He watched me with a kind of intensity too, something like desire on his elfin features. His clawed fingers toyed with a lock of my hair.

Soon, we weren’t eating, just gazing. A hint of mischief tugged at his lips. “A sliver for your thoughts?” he whispered.

My mind blanked of most coherent ideas, abandoning me before I could answer. I’d just been admiring his handsome features and noting how they differed from those of the forest elves I knew. But saying“You are a shade of blue and gray I’ve never seen before”would certainly ruin the moment, even if I also told him I liked it.

“Did Kauz draw your tattoos?” I asked. I drew a circle midair around my forehead and cheeks.

He mirrored the motion playfully, circling his ink, and nodded. “They’re temporary. My brothers will be the first to inform you that I’m fickle with such things. I had these done for Yule to make an appearance as the Prince of Winter before the annual feast. They’ll last another couple of months before they’ll need to be touched up. Do you like them?”

“They fit you,” I said.

I saw the inspiration. The Prince of Winter was a character in a common Yuletide play, a male of bitter frost who had to be convinced to let a child into his palace and out of the cold. The glowing sapphire ink looked like swirls of cold air and falling snowflakes, framing his striking cat eyes that were nearly the same hue.

Stars, in such a short time, his Unseelie features had gone fromalarmingtostriking. Even without his alluring scent, I felt drawn to him.

“I should’ve had him make them silver. They’d stand out more. Alas,” he said. “I have a different motif in mind for my next set.”

“Oh?” I asked curiously.

He offered me another spoonful of dessert. “Feathers.” This was accompanied with a wink.

“Shouldn’t the li’l bird have those?” Tormund suggested, and I nearly startled. I’d forgotten that he and Laurel were still sitting with us.

“Nay. I was thinking she should have a guiding star.” Fal flicked one of the hanging earrings between the chains strung along his long ears. It, like the others, was an eight-pointed star with tiny, sharp points.

“That’s his symbol,” Tormund whispered to me behind his hand.

Fal rolled his eyes. “Thank you. I wasn’t just about to tell her that.”

Ignoring the edge of sarcasm in his voice, Tormund said cheerfully, “You are welcome. Mine is a knot of promise, li’l bird. You should get one of those too.”

“What are the other two prince’s symbols?” Laurel put in.

“I suppose you will simply have to ask them,” Fal answered. It sounded like a chill response, and Laurel stiffened at it.

She finished her dessert and left in a huff. I sighed with relief when she was gone, even though she was in a bratty mood and I would see it again when we were stuck in our room together.

“I have a question for you, Lark,” Fal said, withholding the spoon and dripping cream back onto the plate.

“Okay.”

“Do you think my brothers and I are cursed?” He tilted his head toward Tormund, who laughed when he heard the question.

“Um…” I supposed we needed to talk about this sooner rather than later. “Well, you’re Unseelie. So, yes?” It came out as a question as Fal’s expression creased with amusement.

“That’s a common misconception for fae who’ve never met an Unseelie,” the dark elf said.

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