Page 24 of A Storm in Every Heart (Enchanted Legacies #2)

I don’t know why I would expect anything less—Daemon gets along with everyone and doesn’t seem at all concerned with my extreme discomfort as he chats animatedly to the prince. At least he doesn’t seem likely to reveal our meeting years ago, or my secret girlhood fantasies.

“I’m expecting Seahammer to win,” Daemon says, gesturing at a black horse near the end of the starting line.

“Not Triton?” Prince Kastian nods toward a chestnut stallion near the end. “He’s favored to win.”

Daemon shakes his head. “Absolutely not.”

“You sound well-versed in racing.”

Daemon shrugs. “I usually play cards, but I’ve been known to attend a race from time to time. I know that a horse is only as good as his rider, and I saw the jockey drinking his weight in wine at dinner last night. Anyway, Thorne will probably bet on that horse.”

Kastian’s eyes flash with interest. “So what?”

“So, I’d like nothing better than to see him lose,” Daemon says irreverently. “I can’t bet on the same horse; it would go against my principles.”

Kastian laughs. “Fair enough, Thorne is an ass.” He looks sideways at Daemon and me. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Daemon grins so widely you’d think he’d never been happier in his entire life. “No, not at all. Please do.”

Kastian chuckles, then looks more closely at Daemon as if seeing him for the first time. “You don’t care for your future king, then?”

My stomach jolts as I remember that Prince Kastian has met King Florian, and probably isn’t blind or stupid enough not to realize that Daemon looks exactly like him.

Daemon opens his mouth, but before he can say something stupid—something that could get him killed—I stomp on his foot. “We don’t have any opinions about the royal family. It’s not really our place to comment.”

Kastian’s gaze immediately flicks to me. “Oh, is that so? You seemed to have a lot of opinions on royalty last night, Lady Odessa.”

“I told you, I’m not a lady,” I snap.

“But you’re her brother, right?” he asks Daemon.

Daemon shrugs. “In every way that counts, but technically we’re cousins. Dessa is from the non-noble side of the family.”

“The better side,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Daemon nods. “Can’t really argue with that.”

Prince Kastian looks vaguely intrigued, but doesn’t comment on it further.

“Which horse is your favorite to win?” Kastian asks.

It takes me a moment of silence to realize that he’s talking to me. I look up at him, and do my best to maintain a neutral expression. “I’m not betting.”

Prince Kastian grins and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was pleased that I answered him. But I do know better, and I’m sure that can’t be what he’s thinking.

“Should I assume you prefer cards too, then?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t gamble. I don’t have any money.”

“Yes, you do,” Daemon corrects, looking embarrassed.

“No, you have money, but I don’t. If I bet on the race, you’ll have to pay for it, so why don’t you just keep the betting between yourselves and leave me out of it?”

“Which horse would you choose if you were to bet?” Kastian asks.

I look over at the riders. The race is about to start, and they’re all maneuvering into place at the starting line.

I wish I knew something about horses, but unfortunately, I don’t.

If this were a boat race, it would be a different matter.

I survey all the horses, and eventually, my eyes settle on a gray one in the middle.

Its coat appears nearly white as it shimmers in the sunlight.

“The white one,” I say finally.

Kastian looks over at me. “Why did you pick that one?”

I shrug. “I’ve always liked beautiful things.”

He nods, looking pensive. “You’ve beaten me to it then. That horse is named Sirensong, and it would have been my choice.”

“Isn’t that ironic?” Daemon mutters.

I elbow him in the ribs, and he wisely doesn’t say anything else. Prince Kastian looks between us, but is evidently too polite to ask what we’re talking about.

Kastian smiles at me. “I’ll let you take Sirensong. I suppose I’ll have to join Daemon in rooting for Seahammer.”

I wave him off. “You can still have the white horse. I’m not playing, remember?”

“We could bet with something other than money,” Prince Kastian says, looking sideways at me.

“Careful,” Daemon glares at him. “I don’t care if you’re a prince, respect my sister.”

Kastian’s eyes widen, and he leans back looking alarmed. “You misunderstood, I didn’t mean anything inappropriate.”

Suddenly interested, I lean back to meet the prince’s gaze behind Daemon’s back. “Then what did you have in mind?”

Prince Kastian still looks wary of Daemon’s scowl, but sucks in a deep breath before the casual smile reappears on his face. “How about a secret? If I win, you tell me why you wanted to see the ships.”

My lip curls in a smile. That’s hardly a secret—and if he’d been anyone else, I would have just told him when he asked last night, but I suppose knowing that it’s bothering him is somewhat satisfying.

I hold out my hand for the prince to shake. “Deal.”

Prince Kastian grips my fingers, but instead of shaking my hand he flips my palm over and brushes his lips over the back. I gasp, my breath catching in my throat.

Daemon clears his throat pointedly, and Prince Kastian drops my hand at the exact same moment as the sharp horn sounds over the crowd, signaling the start of the race.

The crowd jumps to its feet as the horses burst forward in a blur, hooves pounding and sending dirt flying into the air. Cheers and bets fill the air, competing with the speed of the horses. I jump up as well, propelled by the excitement around me.

Most Fae seem to be cheering for Triton—the favored horse—but there are a few shouts of encouragement for other names as well.

I spot my pick, the almost-white horse, near the front of the pack with the jockey determinedly hunched low over the saddle. Kastian and Daemon’s choice, Seahammer, is close behind, but it’s so close it’s hard to tell precisely who’s winning.

“I thought you said you didn’t care about racing?” Prince Kastian asks.

“I don’t!” I shout over the noise. “I care about winning.”

“You never told me what you want if you win.”

I tear my eyes from the race and look over at him, startled to realize that he’s right. Now, my mind draws a blank. What do I want?

Before I can think of anything, the cheering around us turns deafening.

The thunderous pounding of hooves finally ceases as the horse race comes to an end, a cloud of dust lingering in the air. My heart races as I whip my head around, eyes darting desperately toward the finish line.

The air around me buzzes with tension as voices rise in a chorus of frustration. I can see the faces of those who had placed their hopes—and money—on the wrong horses. Their brows are furrowed, and fists are clenched, some shaking betting slips in the air as if willing them to change.

“Who won?” I demand.

“You did,” Daemon grumbles darkly.

With a smug smile already forming on my lips, I turn to Prince Kastian only to find him already watching me. He nods at me as if to say, “Your move.”

My heart thumps wildly against my ribs. What does one do with an unspecified favor from a prince?