Page 47 of Prince of Never

Clearly what she thought of as innocence, I thought of as common sense, but I didn’t feel like arguing with her.I had no intention of trying to reason with someone who willingly participated in an event so barbarous and cruel as this.

I watched as the last of the tributes trickled in, until finally Ethan appeared and it was like a weight had been lifted from my chest.I hadn’t realised I thought he might not come sauntering back through those trees until I saw his face.He had a few scratches down his chest, and his hair and clothes were as dishevelled as the rest of us, but he seemed no worse for wear than that.In fact, he seemed as relaxed about the whole thing as the woman in the shredded dress.

‘Let’s go,’ someone barked before I could move towards Ethan, run to him, demand to know what happened to him and if he was okay.As if reading my mind, the woman grabbed my hand, linking my arm through hers with a subtle shake of her head.

My reunion would have to wait.

We were jostled around in a sort of wagon, and the woman in red, Asea, told me when the journey began that we were heading to the Unseelie palace for the Hunt Ball.Because it wasn’t enough to have barbaric games and hunt people like animals, they also celebrated with a dance.

The wagons stopped and the chilly sea air rushed at us from the coast, grey clouds hanging on the horizon waiting to take the sky.I barely had time to take in the sight of the palace as the sun lit up it’s gothic features before I was shoved inside with the rest of the tributes like cattle.

We were separated as we walked a long hallway, sectioned off into different rooms by people who seemed to be waiting to grab us.I was bundled into a room by two women in fine dresses and high noses who barely looked at me.They set about tugging my clothes from me, ignoring my protests, shoving me towards a bathtub.They didn’t acknowledge me in the slightest, as if I was nothing more than an object they were preparing for display.Then they washed me, which was perhaps the singularly most uncomfortable and embarrassing experience of my life, and they weren’t exactly gentle about it.When they were done, they sat me in front of a mirror and set about doing my hair and make-up, leaving me shivering in my underwear and wondering how I had any skin left on my bones as they worked.

By the time they brought out clothes, I was so cold and miserable I hardly cared what they were stuffing me into.Looking at my reflection, I looked even less like myself than I had in that strip of fabric Ves called a dress.What did these people have against clothes that had a shred of modesty about them?

My hair was twisted up in an intricate design, studded with jewels that glimmered like snowflakes, a few golden wisps allowed to kiss my neck.My dress was a deep, shimmering blue accented with silver, and it sparkled like the night sky.The straps were draped over my arms, and there were splits in the fabric between my breasts and up to my thigh.The amount of flesh exposed made me feel like a trophy on display.I wouldn’t have been surprised if they placed me on some kind of pedestal and expected me to stand like doll for people to gawk at.

I let out a sigh.

Having decided that I was ready, the women began to push me out of the room again, bustling me down various corridors and stairways without giving me a moment to get my bearings or look around.Finally, we stopped in front of a large doorway which seemed far too big to be practical by any measure.They fussed over me as if they were going to be judged on how well I looked.I felt like a poodle in a dog show, and I could feel my brows beginning to furrow in irritation.

No one paid me much mind as I entered the room, which was lavishly decorated, like something out of a fairy tale.Deep blues and brilliant silvers, lights that seemed to float through the air, elegant plants spiralling around pillars and offering up flowers that glowed faintly and gave the air a delicate floral scent.The ceiling was so high I had to crane my neck to see it.

A few fae glanced up at me as I descended the staircase but most continued in their conversations or their dancing, allowing me to slip into the room quietly.They were all dressed in fine gowns and suits, skin still on display, though far less than could be seen at the festival.The music was slow and melodic, a vast contrast to the primitive drumming that seemed to pull everyone into a frenzy only hours ago.It was hard to imagine these were the same savages I’d seen at the hunt, for now they all looked like lords and ladies you might expect to find in fairy tales.

At least it didn’t look like I was going to be standing on any pedestals any time soon.

It didn’t take long to spot Ethan’s platinum blond hair against the dark décor.He was smiling in that way he did when he was flirting, surrounded by people.He seemed completely in his element like that, and I decided not to approach him.He’d been through enough because of me.I didn’t want to spoil his fun now.

As if he’d felt my gaze, his eyes caught mine and he took a step towards me but I shook my head, offering him a smile so he’d know I was okay.Maybe now would be a good time to find Tarian, though I wasn’t sure if I should be seeking him out or avoiding him given the way he seemed to be able to sweep in like a storm and wash away all my better judgement.The way my body seemed to come alive for him, as if he was the air I needed to breathe.Oh, I should definitely be avoiding him.That way lay nothing but heartache and ruin.A smart woman would run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

So why couldn’t I seem to stay away?

I think the bond can be broken.I swallowed the lump in my throat as I remembered those words.I shouldn’t even be here.Maybe now would be the perfect time to make my escape.Though I had even less idea where I was now than when I had been at Dreadhold.

‘So, you’re the little rabbit who has Tarian in such a twist.’

I turned to find an elegant man standing behind me.His golden hair hung temptingly, as if waiting to be tussled, and he wore a welcoming smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.He was dressed in the finest clothes I’d ever seen, the gilded detailing shining so brilliantly that I wondered if it was real gold.Even without the intricate crown on his head, I could tell by the way he held himself that he was royalty.

I recognised him from the arena before the hunt—he was the one who’d declared me the grand prize.There was something calculating about him, something in the way he was assessing me like a puzzle piece he was trying to fit into place.A sense of foreboding crept up my spine, warning me to be wary.This was Solas, then, the king of the Seelie Court.

I dipped into a small curtsey.‘Your Majesty,’ I said, keeping my tone even and cordial.

‘Now tell me, where did my friend Tarian manage to find such an exquisite creature?’Perhaps his words were meant to make me blush, but they put me on edge.I would have chalked it up to paranoia had I not been running for my life only hours ago from the very beings in that room.Was there anything in this world that didn’t make me want to scream or hide?

A flash of memory burned through my mind, of Tarian lifting that other fae from his feet and snarlingmine.Of the way he’d pulled me to him, the way he’d kissed me so wildly.Was he something good in this terrible place?Or was he just something else to torment me?A mate bond isn’t some fairy tale, Imogen.It’s nothing but a curse.

‘You’ll have to ask him that,’ I said.

Something like curiosity lit his eyes.‘Are you evading a question you don’t wish to answer, or do you truly not know?’

‘I’m not sure if I can trust you.’

His smile widened, as if he couldn’t help himself.‘Well, we will have to rectify that.Will you dance with me?’he asked, holding out a hand.

I stared at it hesitantly.This was probably every girl’s dream and yet I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.Dancing wasn’t one of my skills, and even if it was, I wasn’t sure I should be dancing with the Seelie King.Because the burning question in my mind was, why did he want to dance with me?What did he hope to gain from it?

‘I don’t want to be rude,’ I said carefully, afraid that I was probably making a terrible mistake that would have me thrown back in some hole in the ground, ‘but I don’t know how.’It was true, even if it wasn’t the entire truth.I had never once taken a class in ballroom dancing, never learnt the cotillion or the waltz or whatever they expected of people who danced at these sorts of things.

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