Page 6 of Rejected By the Fae King (Kings of the Fae Islands 3)

Fae gods, no! Rayne had to bite down on the inside of her lip to stop herself from screaming the words out loud. Though she'd had mixed feelings about the entire ritual and all the tradition surrounding it, she’d been sure of one thing: she would get away from her overbearing mother if she were the chosen one. It had been one of the few reasons why she was pleased to be chosen. But now, with just the click of his fingers, the king had taken that away from her too.

Rayne found herself praying her mother would not accept. Maybe she would be insulted by the idea of accepting such an invitation after her daughter had been rejected. But what other option did they have? They couldn't exactly return home to their village. By the time they did, everyone in the kingdom would know she’d been rejected by the king and she would be shunned and treated like a leper by all those she met. That treatment would likely be extended to her mother, and Rayne knew putting up with her mother after that would be pretty much impossible.

Before her mother could say anything to accept or reject the request, Rayne hurried forward with her head bowed and asked, "May we have some time to think and discuss your offer, Your Majesty?"

A spark of surprise fizzled about the room. Obviously, nobody had been expecting her to speak, especially because the elder, her mother and a few of the other women had advised her to keep her mouth shut, at least until the king had accepted her. Well, that was a bust, she thought to herself. What else did she have left to lose?

The eyes of the man who’d rejected her suddenly fell upon her again, and this time she did not avert her gaze. Their eyes met and for just a few moments, Rayne felt as though she were being judged, not just on her current appearance, but also the things that lay behind her eyes. The longer he looked into her eyes, the more she began to feel as though he was reaching into her very soul, searching for something.

She felt herself deflating the moment he snapped his gaze away once more. His attention once more returned to the rest of the room, and he raised his voice, "I wish to thank you all for bringing this beautiful woman to my attention. I’m grateful for the gift you’ve bestowed upon me, but as I’ve said, I’m in no need of a wife. Until Rayne and her mother have decided whether they will accept my offer, they are both welcome guests in my palace."

There was no room for argument in his tone and Rayne was more than a little relieved her mother made no attempt. Egwene's face had fallen, and she seemed to be deep in thought. Another couple of women had come forward to comfort their fellow prisoner wife, and Rayne couldn't help but think, what about me? After all, she was the one who’d been rejected, not her mother.

As if sensing there was no more business to be had, the elder began to round up her people, urging them to retire from the throne room. With little room to move, Rayne remained where she was until many of them had exited through the huge ornately carved doors behind her. Only the nobles, in all their finery, the servants in their armor and uniforms, and the king remained.

Rayne allowed herself a moment to admire the king in all his glory, taking advantage of his attention being focused upon the man in the black and silver robes who’d come down from the dais to speak with him quietly.

She’d been told several times by travelers’ wives that the king was a very handsome man, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the sight of him. He reminded her of the fairytales of when the fae gods had once walked the isles among their people. With radiant skin, glossy gray-blue hair and slate gray eyes that reminded her of the sky as a storm was beginning to dissipate, he was already extremely attractive, but when adding his tall stature and muscular build along with his silver flecked wings, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Are you well, Rayne?" the king's voice caused her to jump, and she suddenly realized she’d been staring at him so intently, she hadn't even realized his conversation with his servant had ended. Though he had one foot on the dais steps as if he’d meant to ascend back to his throne, he’d twisted around to look at her, concern darkening those beautiful slate eyes.

Don't be drawn in by him, Rayne warned herself, remembering that only a few minutes ago he’d rejected her as his bride in front of his entire court. Though she didn't have much of a life, what little she did have, he had ruined entirely. She couldn't afford to be distracted by his beauty. She had to remain on guard.

"Yes, Your Majesty,” she responded quickly, dipping her head and dropping into a low curtsey.

“Then you may go,” he suggested, gesturing after the rest of her party, who’d already left.

The room seemed vastly empty now, and as Rayne turned and began to hurry from the room, she felt as though she might never reach the doors. Embarrassment flared on her cheeks, and she gritted her teeth to stop herself from visibly cringing. She could still feel the king's eyes upon her, and she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing the reaction he’d caused in her. Her stomach was fluttering with butterflies and there was a lump in her throat so hard, she could barely swallow.

What was she supposed to do now? Somewhere outside the throne room, her mother awaited her. She could only imagine the kind of scolding she was going to get. It's not my fault he rejected me. But she knew that would’t matter to her mother. She needed someone to blame. It might as well be her daughter.

"Miss Rayne?" The gruff voice that sounded behind her caused her to almost jump out of her skin. She’d been so intent upon her own thoughts and concerns, she hadn't heard the armor of the guards rattling as they came up behind her.

Her insides turned to water. She turned to find two of them awaiting her response, their left hands clamped on the hilts of their swords at their hips.

"Am I in trouble?" she gulped, unable to stop from asking the question out loud.

The guard closest to her began to shake his head and assured her, "No, miss."

It didn't matter whether she was in trouble or not. Several pairs of eyes were already watching her from down the hall. She knew not only was her rejection soon to be top gossip, but so was the fact it appeared as though she was being apprehended by the king's guards.

"The king wishes for us to take you to your chambers," the guard explained, and Rayne struggled to stifle a groan. Couldn't the king have allowed her a few moments to slip away somewhere private to process what had just happened? It appeared not.

"Wh... what about my mother?" she stammered, almost fearful to ask.

"We will take you to her."

Though there was no aggression or malice in the guard's tone, Rayne felt there was no kindness either, and she knew they’d likely been instructed to escort her whether she wanted it or not. A king's instructions were really orders, whether he dressed them as something different or not.

Unwilling to cause any more of a scene, Rayne gave in and nodded, allowing the guards to escort her down the hallway, past the entire throne room crowd who’d filed out into the hall.

Chapter 4 - Asher

More than a little relieved that there weren’t any serious problems to deal with in the throne room, Asher quickly found himself on his way to the rooms that had been assigned to Rayne and her mother. The thought of seeing her again made his heart beat faster. He told himself it was because of the situation they found themselves in and not at all because her beauty had stolen his breath away.

The guards who waited on either side of the door in the hallway stood at attention and bowed their heads as he approached. Both remained still and silent as he lifted a hand to knock on the door that led to the quarters of the newest members at court. He knew his palace well, and he could picture the rooms beyond as if they were his own. They were the rooms his twin brothers had often shared whenever they visited the Mystic Isle with their parents as children. With two bedrooms coming off a living area, it was the perfect place for twins to take up residence. Now, Asher could only hope it would be suitable for a mother and daughter.

He knew little about them save for what Paxton had been able to tell him from the records of the isle. They’d arrived from the mainland several years earlier, after Rayne's father had been tried for murder and found guilty. Asher's heart had gone out to her the moment Paxton had told him her father had been killed in a brawl between prisoners only a year into his sentence. Murder or no, he was still her father, Asher had thought, unable to stop himself from imagining what it would be like to be taken from his own daughter.

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