Page 37 of Prince of Never

‘Vesryn, I’m about ready to peel your skin from you for twisting her up in one of your games,’ I snarled.‘If something happens to her while she’s here, I’ll be holding you personally accountable.’

‘You know, for just some human who belongs to your household, you’re remarkably uptight about her.’He leaned in a little closer and tapped his ear.‘Is there something you’d like to tell me?Perhaps something that has a little to do with bonding magic and fate?Or will we go on pretending I’m stupid and you’re inscrutable?’

‘For as long as we’re pretending that you want to start a fight with me.’My voice was low.‘Because we both know how that ends.’

He patted me on the chest.‘You can deflate your temper, Tarian.Gods, mated fae are always so touchy.I promised the queen I’d get you to Beltane, and now look, here you are.’

‘Are you telling me you brought Imogen, a human woman, toBeltane,just to win favour with the queen?’

‘Don’t glower at me like that.That’s only partially true.’He stopped talking as a trio of lesser fae females approached us with armfuls of marigolds and cowslip, giggling to one another as they curtsied before us.Ves grinned broadly and bent down as one of them placed a crown of flowers on his head.The other two looked hopefully at me.

‘Don’t worry about him.He’s too busy embodying his title for a flower crown,’ he said, rolling his eyes.‘Now, I think you’ve skewed this whole situation into something miserable in your mind, when you should really be thanking me,’ he continued as the trio drifted away.‘I dressed your girl in something pretty, brought her to the festival of fertility and love and bounty, settled her in with a glass of wine and some harmless flirting, and all you really needed to do was swoop in and be slightly less surly than usual, and it would have ended perfectly.’

I stared at him.The wreath of flowers was drooping low over his forehead, contrasting starkly with his dark hair, and he was smiling in satisfaction, like he was pretty pleased with himself.

‘Vesryn, the whole court is here,’ I began slowly.‘Every high fae noble is here.Solasis here.My motheris here.’

‘No one will know who she is,’ he said, waving a hand through the air, like my words were so easily brushed aside.

‘That’s a risk I had no intention of taking.Because as much as you like to pretend I’m not, I’m the fucking heir to the Unseelie throne, and the fact that she’s my mate means she’s in danger from every single fae here.Now you’d better help me find her so you can take her back to Dreadhold before something happens to her.’

‘Alright, alright.’He held his hands up in surrender.‘I’ll take her back.What a waste of a dress, though.’

I turned to scan the space around us, hoping Imogen might have suddenly appeared while we’d been talking.

‘So, sheisyour mate, then,’ Ves said casually.

‘Of course, she’s my fucking mate,’ I snapped.

‘You know, I think you should have taken her into the woods.It might have loosened you up a little.’

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a slow breath as my temples throbbed.It was stupid to think he would take this as seriously as I wanted him to.I should have just punched him.‘You start heading towards the river.Then you can ply the queen with flattery if you see her and keep her off my tail.’

He offered me a mocking salute.‘Aye, aye, general.’

He sauntered off like he didn’t have a care in the world, like he was just another reveller hunting a May Day prize.Just as I would be at dawn.I headed off in the other direction, back to where I’d left Imogen, in that scrap of a dress that Ves had put her in for the sole purpose of stirring me up.I should never have walked away from her.But she’d been dressed like an invitation, one I couldn’t be trusted to refuse.I just had to hope no one else had decided to pursue what I’d walked away from, because if I found her with someone else, I didn’t know what I’d do.I didn’t know who I was under this bond.The thought alone stirred that dark, demanding thing in me that seemed to be spending too much time in control of my decisions.

‘I shouldn’t be shocked to see you here, Your Highness, but I am.’

I didn’t want to turn around.I wanted to barrel past anyone who spoke to me until Imogen was back at Dreadhold.But I’d managed to catch the eye of one of the few to whom I owed a cursory acknowledgement.

‘Briyala.’

A woman with long, pin-straight hair as white as moonlight approached me, each step picked deliberately across the grass.She wore blue silk that slunk over her slender form like water, and her skin glittered.Sugar, probably.She always seemed to wear it.She offered me a thin smile.

‘Anyone would think your betrothed is the first you should seek out at a Beltane celebration.Anyone who noticed that isn’t what you did would certainly be wondering.’

‘I thought you’d be busy.’I hadn’t thought at all, actually, but she usually was.

‘I’m never too busy for you, Tarian, dear.’She hiked a shoulder, offered me her hand.‘Your mother is looking for you,’ she whispered as she kissed my cheek.‘She’s quite angry that you aren’t where you’re supposed to be.’

‘Thanks for the warning,’ I muttered, drawing away from her, my gaze already scanning, seeking out a girl in a green dress with hair like spun gold.

‘She seems quite eager to set a date for the wedding.She’s been talking about it with my father a lot these past few days.’

‘She mentioned it to me.Sorry, I’m in the middle of something right now.’

She cast her eyes skyward and sighed.‘Then I’m going to perform alone again.Just make sure you’re out of the middle of whatever it is you’re doing by the time selection is called.You know the rest of us pay for each little rebellion.’

---