Page 177 of Fated to be Enemies

The sexy Winter King, who was constantly renting space in my head even when I tried to pretend I wasn’t thinking about him. His eyes were the last thing I’d seen before passing out. They’d been so full of concern, or that was what my injured brain had seen. But being in his arms?—

“Ivy,” Maeve said sternly. “Are you even listening to me?”

Hello, wake-up call. King Kieran’s sculpted face disappeared and was replaced by Maeve’s pinched expression. She was beautiful, but she didn’t hold a candle to King Kieran.

“Well?” She tapped her foot expectantly.

“Sure.” I had no clue what the right answer was, but I didn’t want her asking why I’d been distracted.

She smirked. “Really? So that’s a yes?”

This was a trap. Mayday. Mayday. Or was it SOS? I had no clue, but I needed help. “It depends, you know.”

“On what?” she pressed, grinning wickedly. She knew she had me.

“Shouldn’t we be going? Rowan said the ball started.” I fluffed out my dress. “I’d hate to be too late.”

“Uh-huh.” She chuckled and opened the door. “You better be glad I’ve grown fond of you, or I’d be very annoyed.”

We made our way down to the entrance hall, and Maeve turned to the door on the right, opposite the dining hall. A group of well-dressed fae stood outside the doorway, talking in hushed tones. They stopped when they noticed me. They wore bright greens, pinks, yellows, and blues, reminding me of summer flowers, but the way their noses wrinkled was more aligned with the disgust the Winter fae had for me.

A woman who reminded me of Salma Hayek but with hair the color of peacock feathers edged to the front of the group. “Good evening, Princess Alina. I’m surprised you’re here.”

I stopped. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Can you even call yourself a contestant after your little stunt in the trial?” She sneered, her teal lips curling. “Saving another competitor, worst of all a Winter fae, should be grounds for elimination.”

My heart stopped. “What?” Elimination. Although, why would the fae having an elimination policy surprise me? They were vicious. I feared to even consider the way they’d force me to go. They’d no doubt make sure it was very public and entertaining.

I glanced at Maeve, hurt she hadn’t warned me that my death could be the punishment, but in fairness, did it matter? I’d barely survived the trial today—I seriously doubted I’d survive the next one.

Cold pulsed from the spot on my neck that had burned earlier before the trial, and then King Kieran’s deep, commanding voice came from behind me. “Even though your point is valid, there aren’t any rules regarding such a thing.” He stepped off the last stair and strolled to my other side.

The woman’s face puckered as if she’d eaten a lemon. “Probably because no fae would ever consider doing what she did today. The point is to kill your competitors or let them die, not save them.”

A short, round man near her laughed. “She didn’t even save Ginevra! She might have been reborn, but she’s not our Alina.”

They were trying to make that sound like a bad thing. “Damn straight I’m not.”

Maeve’s eyes bulged, and she shook her head, telling me to shut it down.

But I was just getting started. “This tournament is bar?—”

“Barely started,” King Kieran chimed in, placing his hand on the center of my back. “There is still plenty of time to kill tons of people in the next two challenges. Is there not, Princess?”

Despite the chill of his hand, even through my dress, heat flooded my body while my neck swirled with cold and heat. I hated that his presence had such an impact on me, and worse, I had no way of controlling it. I wanted to close the few feet of distance between us.

Frustrated with myself, I allowed my annoyance to simmer and emphasized each word: “I’m already getting an idea of who might be my first one.” I glared at him … and almost faltered.

The navy blue of his surcoat made his eyes glow, and I swore there was a faint, warm pinkish-yellow glow emanating from his neck. His pale-pink cravat complemented my dress—which couldn’t be on purpose, could it?—and I noticed the white snowflake on the edge of his lapel. It was identical to the half of the white tattoo I’d seen on his neck.

He grinned, and I forgot how to breathe. He leaned closer, his minty breath hitting my face. “That’s something I’d like to see.”

The bastard reminded me of cocky Dallas, but unlike Dallas, I found King Kieran very alluring. A lump lodged in my throat, making me forget where we were and why.

Maeve cleared her throat loudly. “Princess Alina, you should join the other competitors and dance. I’m sure your sister would like to spend time with you before she leaves.”

Yeah, that sounded exactly like something Orla would want to do.

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