Page 74 of Wolf Caged
“He is magic. A beast steeped in it.”
“What kind of magic?” I leaned forwards and settled my chin on my folded hands, gaze tracking the elkyn as he roamed his paddock, pausing occasionally to nibble at silvery moss nestled among the grass.
“He can run on the wind.” Kaeleron closed the distance between us and leaned beside me, not a regal king but just a fae male, that mask he wore so well nowhere in sight as he watchedhis ancient friend. “You have never seen a creature so swift. I can make the journey to Ereborne in less than a day.”
“Why not just teleport there?” I twisted towards him, curious about him rather than the beast now. “Why not use magic to get you there like you do when you’re moving around the castle. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re the one who teleports those boxes of dresses into my room.”
His grin was wicked. “Why allow others to do something which brings me so much pleasure? One day I will time it perfectly to find you bathing.”
I smacked his arm. “You disgust me.”
“Disgust is a strange way of sayingarouse.”
“Be serious.” I was tempted to push him, but denied it, not sure if it would be a push too far.
I was still learning the limits of what I could get away with, but he seemed to enjoy this light banter and my retorts, and part of me found it enjoyable too. I had never spoken with a male in the way I did with him, so frankly and without reserve, without thinking about what others might expect me to say or do and falling back on acting accordingly.
It felt freeing.
“No fae can teleport across the borders of the courts, a measure put in place to protect them. If a king wishes to invade another court, he must do so by crossing the border on foot.”
I pursed my lips as I mused that, watching him as he watched the elkyn. “Do you often go to war with each other?”
He picked at a lichen on the fence. “Sometimes. War is not uncommon. Lands are often in dispute and there is bad blood between some of the courts. The Shadow Court is fortunate that it is bordered on three sides by the mountains, and one side by the sea.”
“What courts share a border with yours?” I shifted to rest my chin on my upturned palm, not bothering to hide my curiosity or eagerness to know more about this world.
“Only one.”
“It must be large if it borders all your lands.”
He shook his head. “The Shadow Court is smaller than others, but the border it shares with the Dusk Court only runs along the southern mountain range. To the west, my court borders the Black Pass, and to the north the Forgotten Wastes.”
“They sound delightful.” I smiled.
Kaeleron chuckled. “If you wish to know more about the courts and these lands, I can grant you access to the castle library.”
Now my curiosity was truly piqued. “I’d like that. You’re not going to add a membership fee to my tab are you?”
“Not at all.” He turned his cheek to me, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I will find another way for you to pay it off.”
I went to shove him and froze when my instincts whispered I was being watched.
Kaeleron didn’t take his eyes off the elkyn. “There are always eyes on me, little lamb, and there will be even more of them tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night?” The desire to look over my shoulder to see if I could spot who was watching us was forgotten as I latched onto those two words.
He nodded. “Beltane.”
“What’s Beltane?”
“A feast that will take place at night in the forest, surrounded by the trees and the stars.” His silver gaze slid to me, studying me closely as it slowly narrowed.
“It sounds interesting.” Part of me wanted to see it, even when I was sure it would be full of those haughty highborn thatwould spend the whole evening looking down their noses at me. I could put up with them for a few hours if it meant seeing what an unseelie feast looked like.
I did need to see a feast if I were to decide which of the three Fs the unseelie did better than my kind after all.
But I doubted I would be invited. There probably wasn’t any room for a wolf shifter at a fae celebration.
