Page 12 of Courting the Fae Captain (Romancing the Realms #4)

‘Males are like predators. Dangle some prey in front of them and they’ll pounce at the first opportunity.’

Fake It Till You Make It: Romance Edition

I hated to admit it, but the ball was spectacular.

No extravagance had been spared, and I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the vast hall filled with countless wonders.

Chandeliers lined the ceiling, which was supported by marble columns running the length of the room.

From those, pine furs mixed with lilac and baby-blue florals hung in garlands or twined around the walls like the ivy.

A fire crackled in a huge grate on one side of the room, warding off the chill of the crisp evening air.

The scent of roasted meats and gravies climbed my nose as I stood gazing at the scene, and my stomach grumbled in earnest, reminding me I hadn’t eaten for a day.

The exotic spices, notably from the western lands across the sea, only made it worse, causing my mouth to water.

That’s when my gaze fell on the jellies, candied fruits, and other desserts calling my name from the dining table.

It spanned the length of the damn room and was topped with enough food to feed a town.

Most of the food would likely go to waste, and I doubted our hosts would be so kind as to offer it to the city folk who would appreciate it more.

This kind of excess could save lives, but then, a bunch of murderous males didn’t seem like the philanthropic types.

This ball had been carefully crafted like a winter wonderland.

It was almost easy to forget that predators stalked the room at every turn, waiting to sink their teeth into fresh meat.

I smoothed out my dress, a multi-faceted green gown that changed shade depending on the light and angle from which one regarded it.

The silk was heavenly against my fingers, and the cut was exquisite, with a sweetheart neckline and a tight bodice that flowed out from the waist. The real treasure, however, was the intricate details—and the fierce ones.

The bodice was covered in small golden scales, hard like armour and shining like a beacon.

Gilded pauldrons shaped like small wings lined my shoulders, tied to the bodice with tiny gold chains that looped over the bare skin of my arms. My shoulder injury, which had been tended to but not healed entirely, stuck out as an angry mark on an otherwise perfect vision of femininity.

I wore a fox mask that covered half my face and tied back my golden hair that I’d styled in soft curls cascading down my back.

My lips, I’d lined in red to catch the eye.

The mouth was a female’s most well-regarded—and often dismissed—weapon, depending on how it was used.

Compliment a male, shower him with praise, offer pleasure with lips and tongue.

But a female’s mouth can just as easily be a male’s downfall.

“Aeris?”

My gown swept across the polished floor as I turned to find Sherai peeking out from her swan mask.

She was stunning. Her gown was dove-white with the barest blush hue tipping the feathers that lined it.

Dainty little cords of silver swooped down the bust, matching the pearl beads that tinkled together throughout her coils.

Her makeup was natural and soft, accented by her rosy lips and cheeks.

“You are…” She sucked in a breath and whistled. “It’s just unfair, really.”

I laughed as she handed me a goblet of wine. “You’ll make me blush. Careful, Sherai, or I might start to think you’re buttering me up for something.”

Her cheeks turned a brighter shade of pink. “No, I?—”

“Oh, alright, you’ve convinced me. I’ll dance with you.”

“I—what?!”

I dragged her to the dancefloor, still sputtering and protesting, and flopped her arms around me. We garnered several stares from around the room, but that didn’t bother me. I had no problem with attention. It was whose attention I gained that was important.

“Do you see him?” I asked as we spun to a lively beat.

“Who?” Sherai asked. She gripped onto my waist for dear life, and I got the distinct impression she hadn’t danced before. Her feet tripped, and she stepped on my toe. “Shit, sorry.”

Yep. Not a dancer .“The captain, obviously. Don’t you think it’s weird we haven’t seen him yet? I would have thought they’d be dangling him before us like a prized pony.”

“Everything the hosts do is planned. They’ll make a show of his arrival. Make us feel enamoured by him by building the suspense. You know, everyone wants the mystery of what they can’t have.”

She had a point. I tilted my head, studying her feathered mask, then jerked my head, indicating the others in the room. “What do you think of the other females?”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked over my shoulder while we danced. “I think many of them are scared and putting on a brave front. Many of us won’t survive this.”

I shook my head. “You do not fit in that category. We’re going to get out of this, and we’re going to do it together. Deal?”

She chuckled. “How do you know I’m not playing you? That I won’t stab you in the back when you least expect it?”

I smiled at that. “Honestly? I don’t. Call me crazy, but I feel I can trust you. And I think we can help each other. You’re quick and you’re quiet. And you’re obviously observant and brave. Don’t forget you could have left me back in the crypt, too. I was hurt, but you didn’t leave me.”

She sucked in a breath. “I might be all of those things, but I’m not a fighter.

I used to spend my days with the company of books.

Not fending off hungry creatures and determined females.

” She stopped dancing and buried her face in her hands.

“What am I even doing here? I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this.”

“Hey, keep it together, okay?” I said gently. “People are watching. Don’t let them see you doubt yourself.”

Sherai lifted her head and looked me in the eyes. “How are you so calm, knowing what awaits us? Unless you have some amount of physical training, which would make sense from what I saw in the crypt, and you seem intelligent enough...”

I laughed. “Um, thanks? I guess?” It was true I had received some training from my former mentor, both physical and intellectual, but it was never completed before Avadir’s untimely removal.

She shook her head vigorously. “No, that didn’t come out right.”

The timely groan of two obscenely large double doors opening at the end of the room drowned out the awkward apology Sherai offered.

The hosts glided in, again wearing their long black robes and gilt masks.

Silence reigned across the ballroom as each host, save the sea serpent, took their seats at a table on a small platform at the end of the hall.

Probably so they could spy on us from their little position of power.

The leader took a goblet from a servant, then raised it high, gesturing for us to follow suit.

“This feast honours the dead, may their souls rest with Ryvia, but let it also be a reminder to the living. Here and now, you are safe. But tomorrow offers no such promise. Rest tonight. Drink and eat your fill, then be sure to show up every day hereafter with a sharp mind and an even sharper body. For these are your weapons now. Use them wisely.” With that, he took a long drink and sat, those cold eyes making my skin crawl as they skittered past me.

The servants ushered us to the tables, where we were all but forced to take our seats, too.

I sat with a scowl at being forced to abide, then, unable to resist, helped myself to heaping portions of food.

Oh, gods. It was an effort not to moan as I tasted the first morsel.

I was several mouthfuls deep when I noticed Sherai staring at me from where she sat on my left.

“What?”

“How can you eat at a time like this? My stomach is in knots.”

My brow raised. “Dinner time, you mean? Sherai, we don’t know when we’ll get a chance to eat again. They could lump another surprise on us at any moment. We need our strength.”

Her lips pursed. “What if they poisoned it?”

“And where would the fun be in poisoning all their guests? Doesn’t make for much of a show.” I didn’t add that I was well-versed in poisons and had made a point of examining everything I ate before it made it into my mouth, or that I knew well enough how to counter most common poisons.

“Not to mention the cleanup required,” a girl said from across the table.

She grinned and held out her hand. “Akira,” she offered.

“I couldn’t help but overhear, but I’d have to agree it would be pointless to kill us off so simply.

” Akira was stunning. Long, straight black hair and lily white skin.

She had a small nose and lips, with skin like glass.

I stared at her in admiration and a small amount of envy.

That unmarked fairness suggested she spent most of her time indoors or perhaps underground in one of the many temples or necropolises in the four courts.

Her features also hinted at ancestry from distant lands, though I wasn’t sure where.

I turned back to Sherai. “See? Akira agrees with me. Now eat.”

Sherai huffed and took a bite, then groaned quickly after, proceeding to chow down in a rather unladylike fashion.

“Aeris,” I said to Akira. “I’m from the?—”

“Shadow Court,” she finished. “I know who you are. Who your father is.”

I waved a hand. “Don’t hold it against me. And your family?”

“The females from the temple I lived in have long served Valere, but they are not my family. I was taken from my true blood as a child when Mithrian Fae raided my homeland and stole many of us away across the seas. The religion and path the people of that temple walk is one I may have been raised in, but it is not one I chose to follow. Don’t, as you said, hold it against me. ”