Page 17

Zoey

I wake with a start, and for one disorienting moment, I can’t remember where I am. Only that I’m not at home. Not surrounded by the normal world I once knew.

I’m quickly reminded of reality when I catch sight of the painting Aerix altered for me. His generous “improvement.”

I slip out of bed, cross the room, and kneel in front of the canvas. Then, slowly, I trace my finger over where he signed his name, his handwriting unsurprisingly elegant.

Prince Aerix Nightborne.

I focus on his title, remembering what he told me about Kallista. How he wasn’t always a prince—just a regular soldier in the Winter Court.

It’s a welcome reminder that in this world, anyone can move up.

When I arrive in the dining hall for breakfast, I’m greeted by the usual scene: humans sitting at our assigned round tables. Some seats are empty—the ones who are having breakfast with the royals—Victoria included.

She’s with Aerix.

The thought shouldn’t make my chest pang with longing, yet, it does.

But I need to focus. I need to figure out who my allies are around here. And I can’t do that if the only thing I’m thinking about is Aerix.

So, I sit and observe the others.

Katerina refuses to glance in my direction.

Henry notices me watching Katerina and lifts his eyebrows in smug amusement, like he knows a secret about me. But as much as I want to glare at him to make him stop looking at me, I force a casual nod. I will not give him more reaction than necessary.

Sophia’s kind, but guarded, as she’s always been lately.

Then, halfway through breakfast, Matt walks in.

He’s paler than he ever was back home. But compared to the way I found him in his room a few days ago, there’s a certain vitality to him now. Like maybe the queen decided to lighten up on the feedings. His eyes don’t look quite as sunken, and while they still have that unsettling empty gleam in them, it’s less severe than it was before.

He doesn’t look at me.

So, I approach him in the courtyard after breakfast and drag him to an empty table off to the side.

“Zoey,” he says, giving me a once-over. “You look tired.”

“Seriously?” I bristle at the comment. “You’re hardly one to talk. Aren’t you supposed to be half-dead in the queen’s bed right now?”

His mouth twitches in what might be a grimace—or a smirk. “She’s with the king today. So, I got some time off,” he answers flatly, although a familiar look crosses his eyes. One that I saw a lot when he watched men check out Sapphire at the Maple Pig— jealousy.

“Sounds like a real dream,” I reply, rolling my eyes.

“At least I’m not pretending to be something I’m not.” He eyes me pointedly. “And by the way, you look like you haven’t slept in days. Maybe you should rest. You don’t want to end up like Sapphire, always looking run down from late nights at the bar.”

I stiffen at his casual insult of Sapphire.

“First of all, Sapphire never looked tired,” I say, leveling my gaze with his. “Second of all, leave her out of this.”

He leans in, lowering his voice. “Why should I? You know she used to be mine.”

I grit my teeth, anger flooding through me at the fact that even though we’re here, needing to survive this together, he’s still resentful about Sapphire’s rejection. I thought he’d moved on to the queen, but apparently, he can’t handle blows to the ego now any better than he did back then.

“She was never yours,” I say, loud enough that a few heads turn our way. “She’s fae, Matt. She belongs to this realm. Not to you.”

“You say she’s fae like it’s supposed to be a surprise?” he asks, raising a brow.

“You never gave me a chance to tell you,” I say flatly. “You were never here.”

“Ravenna told me,” he says, loudly enough for everyone to hear that he’s on first name basis with the queen. “But if you hadn’t gotten in Sapphire’s head, you know she would have said yes to my proposal, right? We would have gotten married, had a couple of kids, and lived in that little house near the shop.” He rubs his jaw, not hiding the bitterness creeping in. “But I’m glad it didn’t turn out that way. Because then I wouldn’t have met Ravenna.”

My stomach churns. “You’re kidding, right? She’s literally draining you.”

“That’s how I know she loves me,” he says, that eerie look he gets when he talks about her passing over his eyes. “We have a bond. A real connection. She’s my soulmate.”

I can’t hold back a scoff. “She’s playing with your mind, Matt. You’re infatuated because she’s manipulating your emotions.”

“You don’t know anything,” he says, glaring at me. “Do you even see yourself? You’re walking around like you own the place because you’re Prince Aerix’s new favorite. You’re no different than I am.”

“Yes, I am,” I snap, and he actually flinches. “Aerix cares about me. He’s not slowly killing me. He never would.”

“Come on, Zo.” Matt’s smile is brittle and mocking. “You’re in love with him. Just like I am with Ravenna”

“I am not in love with Aerix.” I tighten my hands around the edge of my chair, needing to ground myself.

Needing to think about anything other than those midnight eyes and mesmerizing wings.

“You were always the adventurous one, right?” Matt continues, his voice raising even more. “The one who wanted to explore. Now, you’re exploring him. Giving him exactly what he wants.”

That’s it.

“This conversation is over,” I say, pushing myself up from my chair. Because no matter if he’s the queen’s favorite toy in the Night Court or the arrogant quarterback on the football field, Matt’s as much of a conceited jerk as always.

I should have known better to think that this realm might have changed him.

“No. This conversation is not over,” he says, and then his hand’s moving to my wrist, his fingers tightening around it, stopping me from leaving.

“Yes. It is.” I yank my wrist free from Matt’s grip, ignoring the sharp twinge as his nails scrape my skin.

I so wish I had a rake right now.

Better yet—the dagger Aerix took from me while we were in the bunker.

But Matt’s no longer looking at me. Instead, he’s focused on Aurora, who’s perched elegantly at her usual table.

She lifts her gaze from her book just long enough to observe our confrontation.

It doesn’t take a genius to put together Matt’s sudden interest in her. Because Aurora belongs to the king. The queen’s been spending more time with the king. And Matt’s clearly jealous of the king.

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Good luck with that,” I tell him, stepping aside to let him pass.

“I don’t need luck.” He gives me that overly confident smile of his, and then he’s strolling toward Aurora with the kind of cocky arrogance that might have worked in high school, but that just makes him look like a human who still hasn’t realized his place in the Night Court.

I make myself comfortable at the table, curious about how this is going to play out.

“Aurora.” Matt’s voice shifts into that smooth, self-assured tone he used on girls at parties back home. “Mind if I join you?”

She stands without looking at him. “Actually, I was just leaving.”

“Come on. Stay a minute.” He steps into her path, close enough that she has to either pause or walk straight into him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Because you spend a lot of time with the king,” he says, leaning in slightly. “I bet you hear all sorts of interesting things.”

His hand drifts to her sleeve, brushing away an invisible piece of lint—yet another “trick” I’ve seen him use multiple times while flirting with girls at parties when he didn’t think Sapphire was watching him.

Aurora remains still, like a statue carved from ice.

Then, slowly, she tilts her head and offers him the faintest of smiles. “Matthew,” she says, her voice carrying an eerily calm quality that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge. “A little advice? I’d worry less about the king and more about yourself.”

Then, without another word, she steps around him and glides toward the palace entrance, leaving Matt staring after her with his mouth slightly open.

“Quite the performance,” Henry’s voice sounds beside me, making me jump. “But you might want to be more careful about making enemies around here. Especially when there are so many potential allies waiting to be discovered.”

I scoff at him, annoyed that he’s placing himself in the path of my personal issues with Matt.

“Is that what you think you are?” I ask, keeping my voice neutral. “A potential ally?”

“I’m whatever serves my interests at the given moment.” His gaze drifts meaningfully to Katerina, then back to me. “The real question is: what are you?”

I pause, thinking about Katerina’s request to have Henry killed, Matt’s accusation that I’m falling in love with Aerix, and Aurora’s calculated advice.

Everyone in this court is playing their own game, moving pieces across a board I’m only beginning to understand.

“I’m whoever I need to be to survive,” I finally tell him. “To thrive.”

His smile widens. “Now that’s the kind of answer that might keep you alive around here.” He starts to walk away, then pauses. “Oh, and Zoey? You might want to keep a closer eye on your friend from home. I’ve been doing what I can to convince the queen to make him last a little longer, but she’s not going to be thrilled when she hears about his little fit here today.”

I watch him disappear into the palace, his words settling like stones in my stomach. Because as much as I hate to admit it, Henry’s right. Matt’s letting his desperation cloud his judgment. And sure, Matt’s a jerk, but he wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with if he didn’t feel a need to get out of town before he could be blamed for my and Sapphire’s disappearance.

Which means I can’t help feeling responsible for him.

But in a court where everyone’s playing their own game, who can I trust to help me keep him alive?