Page 83 of Bride of the Fae Prince

“He’s been poisoned!” I say in a rush. “He drank my drink and there was poison in it!”

Edvear rolls his eyes to the ceiling, shaking his head as if at a little boy caught stealing cookies. “Come in, come in. Hylath, fill the tub with cold water, will you? Sanak, fetch the antidotes again, please.”

“Again?” I say as Rahk gently pushes me inside with a hand on my back. “He’s been poisoned before? This is a regular occurrence?”

Edvear lifts the train of my dress out of the way and shuts the door. “Not regular, no. Neither infrequent.”

I press a hand to my chest, not sure what to do or say. Rahk doesn’t remove his hand until he’s nudged me toward the couch and gestured for me to sit. I sink into the soft cushions, only now realizing that it’s not just my hands that are shaking—it’s my whole body. “Will he be alright, then?”

“Of course, my lady. He keeps a stock of antidotes for this very purpose.”

The notion is so foreign to me that I lean forward, massaging the bridge of my nose and wracking my brain, trying to understand. He said something this morning, hadn’t he? About taking precautionsagainst poison. This must have been what he was talking about.

But what if he doesn’t have the antidote forthispoison?

Stop worrying,I tell myself, trying to pull my frazzled nerves back under my control.This is Faerieland. Poison is a normal part of life here. Ash wasn’t concerned, so I won’t be either.

It helps. A little.

The door swings open again, and I leap to my feet as Ash stumbles through. “Ash!”

“Oh, thank the stars you’re here, wife,” he gasps, pulling the door shut and collapsing against it. His garments are clean, thankfully, but he looks horrible. Pale, wane, his eyes stark against the gray cast of his skin. “I almost lost my mind when one of the servants said someone had taken you out.”

“They didn’t tell you it was me?” asks Rahk with a furrowed brow.

“Oh, they did; I just didn’t believe them at first. Somevermiltris, please, Edvear! And a cold bath.”

“Right here, my lord!”

“Are you alright?” I demand, rushing to his side as he takes the proffered glass with something like yellow sand settled at the bottom and downs it in a quick gulp. “You look horrible!”

“You wound me, little wife.” He returns the empty glass, wrapping an arm around his middle and wincing as though in great pain. “I’m supposed to be handsome in your eyes at all times, right?”

“Come, my lord. The bath is ready for you. Was it a large dose?”

“Quite,” Ash replies through gritted teeth. “I forgot that sylph’s eye makes your insides feel like they’re exploding.”

“How didyoufall for sylph’s eye?” Rahk asks, crossing his arms and frowning as Edvear pushes and prods Ash toward the washing chamber.

“I didn’t.”

My eyes widen. “Youknewmy drink was poisoned?”

He flashes me a wan grin over his shoulder. “Of course. It was actually quite obvious. The liquid was much too viscous to be only saflixir nectar.”

I scramble after him, catching my long skirts in my fists. “Then why did you drink it? You could have died! What if you hadn’t had the antidote, or it had been a poison you weren’t familiar with? Or—”

“Calm yourself, darling. While I can’t say I mind your fussing, I mustn’t let you work yourself into too much of a frenzy.”

Edvear kicks open the washroom door, and Hylath is there, rushing to and fro in the back of the washroom with a stack of towels and blankets in her arms. But Ash is still looking back at me as he leans heavily on Edvear.

“I drank it, Stella, to show to all Valehaven that someone is trying to kill you. Unfortunately for you, it’s not just one someone. That poison tonight didn’t come from the High King.”

That’s when the door shuts me out. Sounds of shuffling slip through the door, and then there’s a loud slosh and splash, presumably as he gets in the tub.

I turn back, still clenching my skirts in my fist. Rahk stands beside the couch, arms crossed over his chest with that furrowed brow. I draw a deep breath. “Th-thank you. For bringing me back.”

He tips his head.

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