Page 38 of Silent Secrets

Hadley

Afteranothersessionthat ends with me and Hunter arguing, I hurry to shower and get ready for dinner to meet the parents of the men that I’d shared… something with the night before—oh, and Hunter’s parents too. I don’t even know what to call what happened between us, or what it means. What I do know is that I’m freaking out over meeting their parents and therefore, take way too long figuring out what to wear.

Which is why I’m rushing into the room just as the clock strikes 7:30. Forcing a smile as I walk to my chair that Marcos jumps up to hold out for me. I give him a small nod before turning slowly. Taking in the many unfamiliar faces around my table, I stand for a moment, and allow myself the time to look from face to face, not even bothering to hide what I’m doing. I don’t care that they can’t sit until I do.

It’s easy to tell whose parents are whose, even if they hadn’t chosen to sit beside their sons. I’d wondered if their colorings were based upon the minor courts that they hail from and seeing their parents, I can see that I was correct in this assumption.

Looking to my left, a man and woman sit on either side of an empty seat that I’m sure must be for Marcos. Both have the deeper skin tone that Marcos has, though his father’s is slightly darker while his mother’s is closer to his. They are both beautiful and appear barely older than their son, something that is quite disconcerting to someone raised in the mortal realm. I incline my head to the pair, recalling the information that I’d learned from Marcos in our lessons. At least I’ll be able to put it to good use tonight.

“Duke Sebastian, Duchess Iris, it’s a pleasure to meet the both of you. Thank you for taking the time to join us for dinner.”

If there’s a bit of a bite to my tone, who can blame me? I hadn’t invited them to join us for dinner, nor had they bothered to ask if I’d even want them to join me. No, they’d told their sons that they were coming and just assumed that it would be fine. It tells me a lot about the leaders of the minor courts. I hear Marcos shift behind me, but keep my attention focused on his parents.

“Thank you for having us, your majesty,” Marcos’s father’s voice is gruff as both he and his wife give a small bow. Thanks to my lessons, I know I could demand a full bow and curtsy from them if I so chose, but I appreciate that they’ve given me even a miniscule amount of respect without being asked. I won’t allow them to continue to disrespect my position in the future, but seeing as I’m not the queen yet, I don’t mind letting it slide.

Moving my eyes further down the table, I find Hunter between a man identical in size and looks—including the same damn glare—and a petite woman with the same coloring as Hunter. I address them as I did Marcos’s parents.

“Duke Gabe, Duchess Eve. Hunter.”

All three give small bows, though Hunter’s eyes never leave my face and his scowl stays firmly in place.

Asshole.

Across from them, I find Kai next to the duke and duchess of the Autumn court. The duchess, I recall, isn’t his mother. She is his father’s second wife, though I don’t know what happened to his first wife. I make a note to ask Kai about that at a later date.

While I greet the duke and duchess, my eyes are on Kai, who won’t meet my eyes again. Something is off, wrong—not because he won’t meet my eyes, though that is an indication that something isn’t right. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of me throughout my lessons.

When Kai’s father bows, he sends an elbow into Kai’s side and I see him wince. My eyes narrow, mouth opening to ask what had happened. I pause when I hear a throat clearing, turning my attention to Caiden who gives a quick shake of his head.

Why the hell doesn’t he want me to ask what’s wrong with Kai?

Taking a deep breath, I glance back at the Autumn court aristocrats and nod before turning back to Caiden’s family. Both of his parents have blonde hair, his dad’s a honey blonde and his mom’s a platinum blonde that I actually think might be natural. They both smile as we exchange greetings and I think I might actually like them. Both Caiden’s and Marcos’s families give off welcoming vibes, while the other two make me want to run away.

Finally, I drop into my chair and wait until Marcos has pushed my chair forward to nod my head at everyone at the table. “You may sit.”

I don’t immediately join into the conversation that breaks out, wanting to take the time to observe everyone. A lot of my attention focuses on Kai and how the duke and duchess interact with him. On the surface, everything seems fine—normal even. But there’s a tension beneath it I don’t like. I don’t like it one bit.

Occasionally, someone will try to pull me into conversation and I’ll answer their questions, but I don’t try beyond that. Let them think I’m rude, I don’t care. The underlying tension in the room isn’t limited only to Kai, his father, and his stepmother. It’s not something that’s usually there, telling me that having their parents here isn’t making the guys happy. I can’t help but wonder why that might be—and why do I care?

But again and again my attention goes back to Kai. He barely speaks and only picks at his food. I’m not sure that I’ve seen him eat a single bite. My eyes flash back to Caiden, finding that he is watching me. Our eyes lock and I can tell that he’s begging me for something, but what that is, I don’t know. I’m going to assume that he doesn’t want me to call attention to Kai, so I don’t. But there will be some words being had after their parents are gone. I dislike not knowing what is going on—especially when it’s made obvious that someone wishes me to not comment on it.

Iris and Veronica, who both insist that I not bother with their titles, are both sweet and seem to be genuine in their desire to speak with me. I can tell that Marcos and Caiden come by their friendliness naturally. But with how their fathers ignore me and their wives, choosing to speak with the other dukes, I can see how Caiden might have thought that telling me to leave upon our first meeting was appropriate. These are men who don’t respect woman, even if the dukes of the Spring and Summer courts think they do.

Past the initial greeting, neither couple from the Winter or Autumn courts attempt to speak with me. I find it interesting that there is such a personality difference between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. I can’t help but wonder if it’s nature or nurture that makes them like that. Either way, they’re assholes and I hope to not have to deal with them more than necessary.

I even find myself thinking about how I much prefer Hunter over his parents. Which says a lot, considering that most of my interactions with Hunter end with one of us losing our temper and storming off.

Dinner seems to go on forever, but once I’ve eaten as much as I can, I stand. I know the adults came to speak with their sons—though they probably wanted to size me up so that they could make their judgments—so I will leave them to do so.

“Thank you all for joining us for dinner.” I force a smile as I glance from face to face. “I do hope that you enjoy your time with your sons.”

“Let me escort you to your room, your highness.” Caiden shoots to his feet. His mom’s smile lights up her face at his words.

I nod and start for the door, Caiden right on my heels. When I try to stop in the hallway just outside the doors to the dining room, he shakes his head, grabbing my hand, and pulling me down the hallway. He doesn’t stop until we make it to my room. I say nothing when he turns to me, but I do try to yank my hand back. Caiden is having none of it as he tightens his hold.

“I don’t have long. Kai’s relationship with his dad is bad—really bad. As soon as we’re done with our parents, I’ll bring him here. He’ll need us and if he can’t tell you about it, I will. I promise.”

“Fine, but if the two of you don’t show up at my door tonight, don’t think I won’t come hunt you down.”

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