Page 90 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
Her presence fills the room, a bite of power that spreads like spicy honey—potent, yet oddly comforting.
"My starlight. You look even more handsome than the last time I saw you," she beams, her long white hair twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck.
Ezra crushes her into his embrace. “Now, you’re just stroking my ego,” he chuckles.
Mabel shifts her weight, both hands resting on the pommel of her cane, and turns her attention to me. “Aidan. You’ve grown up, too, young phoenix.”
I offer her a respectful bow. “It’s an honor, as always, Mabel.”
“Aunt Kerri!” Ezra exclaims, pulling the woman trailing behind Mabel into a hug next.
“You remember my eldest daughter, Kerrigan?” Mabel says for my benefit.
I hesitate, my mind racing. “I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Last I saw you, Kerri, I was eye-level with your belly button, I’d say,” Ezra interjects, laughter ringing in his voice.
“That’s right,” Kerrigan replies, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Is it true that you and my father were engaged before he married your sister?” he asks.
“Yes, I was the eldest,” Kerrigan acknowledges with a wince. “But your mother was a much stronger Fae, and terribly beautiful, so your father preferred her to me.”
“Siobhan would have loved to be here,” Mabel breathes, her gaze flickering to her eldest daughter, the two women silently united in grief.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ezra croaks, his voice thick with the weight of a pain I can’t fully understand.
The circumstances surrounding his mother’s suicide remain a mystery to me, Ezra clamming up whenever I’ve tried to broach the subject.
Mabel and Kerrigan exchange a heavy glance. Family reunions always pick at scabs that aren’t quite healed, and I shift uncomfortably, feeling as though I’ve overstayed my welcome. If only I could slip away unnoticed…
Kerrigan’s eyes fill with tears as she braces a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “Your mother loved you, Ezra. She only did what she did because she was sick.”
“Sick, right.” Ezra snorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he raises his wine glass to her. “You dodged a bullet, Kerri. And we all know that’s the truth.”
Ethan slides off his seat at the back of the room, heading toward us.
I offer the three women a loose grin and wrap an arm around Ezra’s shoulders. “The groom’s a little nervous, I’m afraid.” I squeeze his upper arm, trying to instill some much-needed sense into him. His father might hear, for Hephaistos’ sake. “You’ve got to ease up on the cider, mate,” I breathe in his ear.
“Aidan takes his kindred duties very seriously.” He shrugs me off, but Mabel steps in before I can react and stands on her tiptoes to cup his cheeks.
“Don’t worry, my starlight. One day, the time will come for you to shine.”
“But not soon enough to stop this wedding,” Ezra grumbles.
“Alas, no.” Mabel wraps her bony arm around Ezra, ushering him toward the exit and away from Ethan. “Now, let’s take a tour of this castle, so you can tell me everything that’s on your mind.”
They walk down the length of the room, thick as thieves, and I’m glad he’s got someone else in his corner. Hephaistos knows, when shit hits the fan with his father, which is bound to happen at some point, he’s going to need as many allies as he can get.
Chapter 28
Small Favors
SONGBIRD
The sprite that fetched me from home shows me into a single guest room thrice as big as my family’s apartments. The soft taupe of the walls compliments a spotless white marble floor, lavish art works integrating splashes of color and romance to the decor. A painting of a young man sketching his beloved by a twinkling blue lake, both of them naked and aroused, sends a rush of heat to my cheeks.
The last rays of sunlight spill through large windows, illuminating a bouquet of fresh lavender on the dresser. The bed is piled high with cushions, each adorned with intricate vine patterns that form the Summer’s royal crest. I draw back the drapes to reveal a stunning view of the waterfall streaming down to the Eternal River below, its silhouette snaking away in the distance.
