Page 37 of Queen of Ever

‘If you hope to avoid my having an aneurism, maybe you can tell me who you are, since you clearly know who I am,’ I said, unable to completely hide my irritation.

‘I’ll forgive you just this once for not figuring it out,’ he said.He took my hand and leaned in close.‘I took you to a party like this once before.’

‘Ves?’I don’t know why I was so surprised; I shouldn’t have been.He seemed to have a nose for trouble.It made sense that he’d want to insinuate himself in mine.

‘The one and only,’ he said with a grin.‘Now, come and dance with me.We have so much to catch up on.’

‘I don’t much feel like dancing, Ves,’ I said bluntly.Not that I would have called what the fae were doing dancing.It was entirely too sensual to be anything other than foreplay—or maybe that was just my human upbringing talking.But I certainly had no intention of doingthatwith Ves.

‘Well, that’s disappointing,’ he said, but his tone told me I’d done exactly as he’d anticipated.Not that I suspected he would shy away from it if I’d accepted.‘Tell me, when did you and Solas become an item?’

‘We’renot,’ I snapped.

His grin only widened.‘Underhanded bastard, isn’t he?The Seelie King has a reputation for playing dirty.’

‘Are you talking to me for a reason, Ves, or are you just trying to annoy me?’

‘Trying is a bit of a stretch, you make it far too easy.It’s almost no fun at all,’ he teased.Ves was another fae I found impossible to read.His motives were never obvious, but I felt like he always had one.I may not have suspected Solas of being underhanded, but I definitely expected Vesryn to be when the occasion called for it.

‘Vesryn, go away,’ a woman said as she approached us.‘Surely you can lather your talents on someone who would appreciate it more.’She was dressed in a sheer, dark dress that glittered in the light.The mask rendered her unrecognisable as my brain scrambled to place that voice, that silvery hair.

‘I’m yours to command, my lady,’ Ves said, offering an almost comical bow.She merely rolled her eyes at him.I was surprised when Ves actually did as he was told, vanishing with just a few steps into the crowded heart of the room.

‘Can you teach me how to do that?’I asked.‘He just ignores me if I tell him to go away.’

‘It requires being immune to his needling, or inoculated through exposure,’ she said, offering me a smile.‘If he knows he won’t get a reaction, he usually gives up.He’s good at picking his battles.’

‘Thanks.’I hoped I wouldn’t have to learn through exposure, though.As Ves had said, I was too easy to rile.‘I’ll have to remember that.’

‘Briyala,’ she offered, seeing me struggling to put a name to her.‘We haven’t officially met.I’m—’

‘Tarian’s fiancé,’ I finished.Guilt and jealousy knotted in my stomach.That’s right.Another reason to stay the hell away from him.

She laughed at that, the sound a musical lilt that was as perfect as the rest of her.‘I was once, but not through a choice of mine.Or his, for that matter.’

‘Once?’I went to the Unseelie Palace to declare my pledge to you.Is that what he’d meant?He’d broken off his engagement?Why hadn’t he said anything about it?And why was my traitorous heart so happy about it?

‘He could hardly keep his engagement to me once he found you, could he?’she asked, flashing that smile again.She seemed so genuine, so unruffled by the whole thing.Did she really not care that I’d caused the end of her engagement?That I’d cost her a crown?

‘You must hate me,’ I said.If she had been awful, I could probably have managed to avoid feeling the guilt twisting in my stomach, but as it was, I felt rotten.And I couldn’t even blame Tarian for the mess because I had chosen to stay with him after I found out.I had chosen our happiness over everyone else’s.I hadn’t even thought I had that in me.

‘You two really are made for each other,’ she said, rolling her eyes again.‘Honestly, you did me a favour.I actually believe in the sanctity of fated mates.Now, I get a chance to discover it for myself.’

She was surprisingly romantic, for a fae.‘What if you don’t like what you find?’I asked before I could stop myself.

‘You mean, what if I find my mate and he’s as big an idiot as Tarian?’she asked, tone laced with laughter.‘Well, I feel like that could just be men in general.But I suppose I’ll deal with that if it happens.’

‘Why didn’t he tell me?’I asked.She seemed to have some insight into his mind, and I felt a stab of jealousy at that.But right now, I needed that insight.

‘I’m not sure he had a chance.You did knock him out and bolt,’ she said.‘With good reason, though,’ she added, as if she knew exactly what I was about to say.‘I’ll admit, I was glad to hear you got the best of him like that.He needed some sense knocked into him.’

She was right, I hadn’t given him a chance to explain.I hadn’t wanted to hear any of the excuses he had, any of the reasons.I’d been so hurt, and it had seemed like there could be no reason that could excuse what he’d done, and that hearing him attempt to explain would just make it hurt more.Or worse, would reel me back into believing something I shouldn’t.But if he’d really stood against the queen and broken his engagement for me...I couldn’t help the warmth that flooded my heart.Maybe he hadn’t just been using me.Maybe I really did mean something to him.

But didn’t I know that already?

Ugh, this whole situation was too messy.Things had seemed so much simpler when we were back at Dreadhold and no one knew about our bond.Or even better, in that cave in the mountains, when it was just the two of us and we could pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist.

He was right, we really did need to talk.

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