Page 45 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
“I just call it like I see it.”
“Be good. Both of you,” I warn them.
A couple of familiar faces near the buffet plasters a dubious smile on my lips.I’ll be damned.
Seth steers me over to Elizabeth Snow, interrupting the new Summer Queen just as she samples the buffet. “Betty Snow. How is married life treating you?” he asks warmly.
She holds a hand to her mouth and swallows, her dark brows lifting. “Seth. Devi. Hi.”
I roll my eyes at the amity between them. “Hey, moth.”
Beth and I have a very adversarial relationship on account of her being too straight-laced, but I’m happy for her. The fiery bite of Summer power radiating from the Winter Fae tells me she’s finally married her sweetheart. Her heart is glowing, bursting with happiness, and it’s a relief to see those two finally tied the knot.
“Congratulations,” I say.
“Thank you.” Her alabaster cheeks flush, and her gaze darts to her feet. “I’m surprised to see you here, Seth. I thought you were sailing to Storm’s End. For thaterrand, you know?” she adds, speaking in code.
“Bad weather derailed my voyage, and I lost mycargo,” Seth answers in the same cryptic manner. “Mist completely overtook the ocean, and the boat hit a big rock. There was nothing else I could do but untie myloadand make it to the coast safely.”
Beth’s frown deepens. “We’ve heard reports of that mist, too. A bunch of fishermen had to be rescued off the coast of Augustus on account of the bad visibility. Do you know what might have caused it?”
“It’s obvious, no?” I quip.
Both of them turn to me, and I let them dangle for a minute, stealing a couple of grapes off the bushel and biting down on them before I add, “The power of the Mist King had been imprisoned in the chalice for centuries, and the chalice is gone.”
“Are you saying there’s a new Mist King?” Seth breathes.
“Or queen,” Beth adds quickly, clearly already in the know.
“Precisely.”
Aidan Summers, the new Summer King, rejoins his wife’s side. With short brown hair, amber eyes, and sun-kissed skin, he’s the very picture of a Summer Fae, his fiery aura burning hotter now that he wears the crown.
“Seth. I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says.
Beth melts into his side, her luscious black waves spilling over her shoulder as she twists her neck to look at him. “Seth lost his cargo.”
From the worry on her face, I gather that Seth’scargoposes some danger to her—and what else could they be talking about but Seth’s revolutionist brother?
Aidan’s brow knits together. “What, you lost him an hour after we parted?”
“Three. And only because of the magical armageddon that went on inyourcastle,” Seth says with a hint of reproach.
“This Luther guy scares you, moth?” I taunt Beth.
“As he should.” She rubs down her arms and takes refuge in her husband’s embrace. The look they share does nothing to appease my suspicions that Seth’s baby brother is a force to be reckoned with.
Seth entwines our fingers, pulling me away from the royal couple. “Can I have this dance?” He sounds rushed, and his gaze flies over my head for a moment. “My mother has arrived,” he whispers.
“Did she see us? Does she look angry?”
“Not yet.” A lazy smile curls his mouth, and it’s contagious.
Blimey.Seth is about as excited for this as I am. He wants to rebel, and hell if I don’t love breaking the rules and being the center of attention. He leads me inside the fray of other couples, where we swing to the rhythm of a slow-building but energetic tune.
The dancers make way for us, whispers and pointed fingers flagging our arrival as Seth whisks me into a series of languorous spins.
“You want to make a scene,” I say.
