Page 11 of Courting the King of Cliffs

I took my time stretching and lounging before my belly forced me out of bed. I opened the closet, hoping to find women’s dresses, but it was full of pants.

I did find a few men’s shirts, though, so I slipped one over my head. After I grabbed my money out of my dirty dress, and took a quick glance in the mirror to make sure my nipples weren’t too pointy—they kind of were—I headed out.

Pointy nipples were better than smelling bad, so the borrowed shirt won.

I inhaled deeply as I walked through the halls inside the cliffs. The smell of the earth, so pure and untainted, was absolutely heavenly.

Eventually I found a staircase, and made my way up to the fourth floor. There was a little noise inside, but it was quiet enough that it wasn’t overwhelming for me.

I walked through an archway and found myself in a large restaurant. The tables were spread out more than any I’d seen in the wind fae lands, and there was quiet music playing. Much of the space was empty, and honestly, it seemed really comfortable and laid-back.

Which meant I might actually be able to eat there.

A male fae standing near the door said, “Would you like a table?”

“Yes.” I gave him a quick smile, and his cheeks reddened slightly. He was an attractive man, with light skin and spiky, silver hair.

I supposed I wasn’t dressed very normally. Most of my thighs were on display.

Maybe I shouldn’t smile at people.

It came too naturally to stop myself, though.

“Which floor are you from?” he asked.

“One,” I admitted.

“Which room?”

“Number one. It’s only temporary, though.”

“Ah. That explains your magic, then. It’s pretty strong.” His interest in me seemed to have been heightened by my room number, for whatever reason.

“I guess. My magic’s a bitch,” I said with a sigh.

He laughed.

Probably at the absurdity of my comment, though some of the human expressions that my aunt and her friends used frequently had started circulating.

“A good problem to have though, right?”

“In some ways.”

“Would you prefer to sit with the singles, or are you waiting for someone?” he asked, as we approached a few tables. One of them had a couple guys at it, and the other was empty.

“Singles, I guess. Can I move if it gets too loud, or do I need to check with you?”

“You’re staying in room one, you can move to any table you want, at any time.” He winked at me, and then gestured me toward the table of men.

I was starting to wonder what kind of room Granite’s friends had assigned me to. “Thanks?”

He pulled the seat out for me, and I sat down, tugging my dress down enough to cover the goods.

Though it probably just made my nipples pointier.

Oh well.

All three of the men at the table looked at me, giving me various degrees of smiles and grins. They all looked really similar, so I wondered if they were brothers. They had tan skin and wavy chocolate brown hair, of varying lengths. One’s was shaved completely, another’s fell to his cheekbones, and the third’s was long enough to be tied up in a bun that looked just as thick as my own.

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