Page 16 of Courting the Fae Captain
Captain Raithe strode through the hall with ease, taking his place up on the dais beside the leader of the Pentad. His father, presumably, though there was no way to tell. The lord of this castle hadn’t officially revealed himself, mask or not.“Welcome, ladies, to Cliffscote Castle. It is my pleasure to host you, alongside these great leaders, and I look forward to becoming acquainted with each and every one of you.” He smiled, flashing white teeth, and I bristled at the sigh some of the females uttered throughout the room. Were they really so vapid as to fall for his false charm at a first glance? It seemed to come so easily to him, as if he weren’t standing among monsters. The only reason to doubt he was wholly one of those cruel males was the fact that he was searching for his mother, and I presumed the other lost females. It proved he cared for the well-being of at least one female, which was more than I had yet to witness from any lord. Maybe the captain was a good male, as Roslin had said.
I slumped in my seat and blew out a breath as his grandiose speech continued. When his piercing gaze passed over me, I smiled like a good little girl, but I knew he’d see it for the mockery it was. I paid no attention to his sugar-coated words. I didn’t buy into any of it anyway.
When he finished speaking, the tables were cleared and we were ushered onto the dance floor, waiting like sitting ducks while a score of male nobles, presumably invited as guests, picked which females they would like to dance with. My skin prickled as the Pentad member wearing a lion mask crossed the hall and took my hand. I smiled, but my insides writhed with disgust. It felt like a thousand bugs skittered over my skin where he touched me. His other hand moved to my back, skirting lower than was courteous, and all the while, I smiled and batted my lashes.
His dark eyes raked over me as we danced. My stomach somersaulted with fear, my instincts on alert as we moved. He was a good dancer. Precise and near perfect in every step. I didn’t dare allow myself to make a single error. Everything we did was surely measured. Calculated.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as he dipped me, taking a moment to lift his mask ever so slightly to kiss the tender hollow at the base of my throat. I almost flinched, the primal creature within me wanting to roar and lash out at the indignity of it.
These males … they thought they owned us. Thought they could use our bodies as they saw fit. Would he try to claim me for the night? Surely the captain wouldn’t be too impressed if his future bride was touched by any other first... Or maybe all the males present would have their pick of the losing females once the Rite was over. I forced my lips to curl into an embarrassed smile. As he lifted me again, I found Raithe at our side.
“Such a pretty one, Lion,” he said in that husky tone of his. “I might have to steal such beauty away from you.” The onlyacknowledgement the male gave was a stiff nod before he let me go and stalked off the dancefloor.“Making friends, I see,” Raithe said as he took my hand in the lion’s place. It was calloused and warm, not at all like the cold and controlling grasp from the gardens.
“Is that a hint of jealousy, I detect?” I responded sweetly.
His laugh was dark and low. “Sweetheart, it would take a lot more than that to make me jealous. You are pretty, but you are just a tool to me.”
“And yet here you are, the hero rescuing a damsel in distress.”
“You have no idea how your night would have gone, do you?” His grip tightened on my hand to the point of pain. “I just saved you from spending a long night wishing you were dead. The lion always picks a favourite, and if the tests don’t kill his pick, the females end up killing themselves.”
Bile rose in my throat, but I didn’t give the satisfaction of thanking him. “You seem to know enough about the extra-curricular activities of our hosts.”
“I wouldn’t be captain of this court if I didn’t pay attention.”
I smiled. “Well, feel free to commandeer your ship of male murderers and rapists and ram yourselves onto some rocks in the middle of the ocean for us.”
“Such sweet words out of that pretty little mouth. I’ll remember them the next time I consider stepping in to save you. Remember our deal, lark. You are only worthwhile so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”
I hated the way he spoke to me. I hated that I wasn’t even a person to him or any other male here. I hated all of them. “I swear to Ryvia, Captain, if I survive this place I’ll kill the Pentad and I’ll damn well kill you.”
“I’m shivering in my boots,” he said drily. “What’s your name, girl?”
I made sure to step on one of said boots as I pirouetted. “Aeris, not that you deserve to know.”
“Aeris,” he almost purred. “I’ll be sure to remember it.”
“See that you do,” I said softly. “It’ll be the last name on your lips before you die.”
He opened his mouth to reply when a scream rang out from a corridor adjoining the hall. I shared a glance with him before he yanked me none too gently by the arm and shoved me behind him. I snorted, then pushed past him to run to the door alongside several other females.
“Aeris,” he snapped.
“Yeah, yeah, curiosity kills and all that. Go choke on a big fat?—”
I stopped speaking as I pushed to the front of the crowd and found the source of the commotion. A female with long blonde hair much like my own lay sprawled on the ground, her eyes wide and glassy as she stared at the ceiling. A doe mask lay discarded beside her, broken and torn, as if it had been ripped off in frustration. Blood spread the floor around her in a giant pool, growing larger by the second. And where her throat should have been was a gaping hole of torn sinew and raw pink flesh. I glanced across the half circle to find Sherai, who made a pointed look to the side of the hall, where the female we’d fought in the crypt stood.
Our eyes met, and she grinned with her sharp fangs, which were coated dark red. She took a sip of her wine, and the next minute they were back to sparkling white. I glanced back at the dead girl—at the golden hair fanning out and the build much like my own. When I looked back at the fanged female, she nodded subtly, as if confirming what I’d concluded.The female on the ground was not the intended target of this attack. I was.
CHAPTER TEN
‘There is no right or wrong way to wield. The smallest trickle of power may produce the greatest of ripples. Practice and nurture this gift, and you will do great things.’
The Trials and Traditions of a Mithrian Fae
Nearly a week later, Sherai sat with me at breakfast, eyeing me from her seat. “So, I can’t help but notice there’s a tension between you and the captain that’s somewhat … frosty.”
Thankfully, there hadn’t been another incident since the murder at the ball. Our days were spent waking at the butt crack of dawn to scarf down breakfast before physical training, then either helping in the laundry rooms or the apothecary. The work was hard, but it gave me time to think. And time to snoop, not that I was making any headway on finding any information worth passing to the captain. I was thankful that I hadn’t needed to speak to him or even see any of the psychotic Pentad leaderssince the ball, which meant that the other females and I were safe from the Rite for the time being. Unless one counted the fanged female who had it out for me. She was a ticking clock counting down to my doom.
