Page 10 of Fae-King It (Mystical Matchmakers #5)

CHAPTER NINE

Ronan couldn’t help himself as he all but dragged Dominique with him to the main parlor. The quicker they got this evening over with, the better.

Every night, the members of court would meet there for a cocktail hour. It was a tradition Ronan disliked because its only purpose was to let the courtiers spread gossip, often the most malicious, salacious information that could be shared.

As soon as they walked in, all eyes turned to them. Dominique didn’t even pause. She slipped her arm around his waist, mirroring the hold he had on her. His parents were already there, as were several of the ranked nobles. Including his mother’s brother, his wife, and their adult sons. A few other noble retainers lingered nearby, all distantly related to his father or mother by blood or marriage.

Ronan introduced Dominique to his uncle, Cormac, and his wife, Elodie. Their sons, Braden and Desmond, were surprisingly polite to Dominique. He shouldn’t have been taken off guard. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also a fairy godmother and matchmaker. They were both of an age that their parents were pushing them to marry, and he knew neither of them wanted his aunt and uncle picking their potential spouse. They would want to stay on Dominique’s good side because then, they would have someone who could help them find a female they could at least tolerate.

They were all chatting, more politely and warmly than Ronan remembered ever doing, when a whirlwind in yellow came rushing through the door. She darted across the parlor, straight to Ronan, flinging herself into his arms as though she hadn’t just seen him a few hours before.

After a tight hug, she stepped back and turned toward Dominique, taking all of her in one sweep of her eyes. When she was done, she faced Ronan.

“I like her, brother,” she said.

Ronan didn’t have a chance to reply to her surprising comment before Aisling reached out and took Dominique’s hand. “Now, you need to go entertain yourself for a while so I can get to know my future sister-in-law without you scowling at me.”

Dominique released a light laugh, shocking Ronan. He’d never heard her laugh before. Not truly. It was warm and sultry, and it sounded sincere.

Aisling was already drawing her away, but Ronan took a step toward them, which had both women giving him a flat stare. He didn’t want to leave because he wasn’t sure what Dominique would say to his sister. He was even more concerned what Aisling might say to Dominique.

Finally, he huffed and walked off when they kept staring at him, saying nothing.

For the rest of the hour, he watched from afar as Dominique thawed to his sister. Her smile was genuine from the beginning, but her entire face warmed and relaxed the longer she talked to Aisling. Even her body seemed to loosen, her movements becoming more fluid. She gestured with her hands as she spoke, behaving more like a real woman than an automaton. She was completely captivating, and he couldn’t stop watching her.

His sister said something to Dominique that had her lifting her left hand. Aisling lifted it higher, examining the engagement ring. Then, they both looked over at him.

That was it. He was interrupting. They’d been chatting for almost an hour while he was stuck making idle chitchat with people he couldn’t stand. He headed in their direction, his focus entirely on the two women when his father appeared in front of him.

“Ronan, a word,” he said.

With the expectation that he would follow without argument, the king turned on his heel and stalked toward the door. Ronan glanced at Dominique and Aisling and saw that his mother was gliding up next to them. Clearly, she was the distraction.

He wanted to ignore his father’s summons, but he’d known this would happen. He was just hoping it wouldn’t be when Dominique was around.

Ronan walked after his father, going down the hall to the library. His father waited until he walked in, shutting the door behind him before his true feelings were shown on his face.

A dark scowl furrowed his brow as he asked, “What in the hell are you thinking? You not only bring that half-blood here, but you’re planning to marry her?”

Anger and confusion warred within him at his father’s words. “Half-blood? Dominique is just as fae as you or I.”

“No, she’s not,” his father spat. “Or are you blind as well as stupid?”

Ronan took a slow, deep breath. He was not going to rise to his father’s bait. If he lost his temper, his father would be in control of the situation, which was exactly what the king wanted.

“Both of her parents are from long, distinguished fae lines, all pure bloods. How could she be?—”

“Because her whore of a mother was fucking her way through every fae, human, or any other creature she found after she gave her husband two daughters to carry on the fairy godmother duties for the family. Even Graciella doesn’t know who that bitch’s father is.”

Ronan’s hands curled into fists. Hearing his father call Dominique a bitch had a red haze descending over his vision. She might infuriate him, and she might be a great deal like his parents, but she had no control over the actions of her mother. She didn’t deserve the vitriol Caden was flinging at her.

“She’s still a fairy godmother, Father. And, since I haven’t heard this little tidbit of information, I’m assuming it’s fairly secret.”

His father scoffed. “Of course it is. No one knows but her mother, stepfather, your mother, and me. Now, you know, which I’m hoping means you’ll call off this engagement before it becomes an issue.”

Ronan read between the lines of his father’s words. That was a threat. If he remained engaged to Dominique, the secret of her parentage would be revealed with one well-placed whispered rumor.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then, I’m afraid someone will find out, and it won’t be a secret any longer.”

Ronan took a step toward his father, lowering his chin. “That’s a shame. There are a lot of things I worry people will find out. Things that happen within the castle walls between a king and his sister-in-law.”

He saw the moment his father realized that he knew. The king’s face went white. He’d come to the throne through marriage as Bronwyn was the heir to the kingdom. As they’d threatened to do with Aisling, Bronwyn’s parents had done to her. They’d all but auctioned her off to the most suitable noble males in the realm. Unfortunately, that male was his father.

Neither of his parents had much attraction, much less love, for each other. But his father had been interested in his aunt, Elodie.

Through careful research and surveillance, Ronan had discovered that his father and his aunt had a short-lived affair twenty-five years ago. It hadn’t lasted long, but it resulted in something neither Elodie nor Caden could hide—a child.

If Elodie’s husband, Cormac, found out that the king had not only fucked his wife but gotten her with child, he would be within his rights to challenge him to a duel. Honor would demand it. Though trysts happened in the castle, if it became known to the people of the kingdom, Cormac would have no choice but to issue the challenge, no matter what it might do to his sister, the queen. Knowing how possessive he was of Elodie, Ronan had no doubt his uncle would insist on a public duel.

While his father kept himself in shape, Cormac was once the Captain of the Guard before Ronan was born. Now, he trained the new recruits in the arts of combat. He might be approaching what amounted to fae old age, but he was a dangerous adversary who could kill a man with a few well-placed blows.

“That was a short-lived mistake, decades ago!” his father blustered.

“With life-long consequences,” Ronan pointed out. “Speaking of a child not knowing who their father is, have you had that discussion with Desmond yet?”

His father’s face was no longer white, it was ashen. He suddenly looked ancient and hard, as though his entire body had turned to stone. “How do you know all of this?”

“I learned long ago how to sneak past the spies you set on me, Father. I’ve learned things within the walls of this castle that would ruin this family faster than my marrying a female who may or may not be a full-blooded fae. I’m sure the Proxa family would not take kindly to you airing their dirty laundry. And they may not be royalty or have a kingdom of their own, but they aren’t without powerful allies.”

Ronan saw the moment his father accepted that he wasn’t in control of whether his son married Dominique or not. Nor was he in control of whether Ronan took the throne when he stepped down. He also saw the moment his father decided to change tactics.

“Why are you marrying her, son? Is it because you want the throne?”

He couldn’t tell his father the truth because he wanted to protect his sister from his parents. If his father knew of his plans, he would do whatever it took to ingratiate himself to Aisling, failing that, to manipulate her into a marriage that would make her unhappy at best and unsafe at worst.

“Of course, I want the throne,” he said. “And we both know Mother would refuse to step down unless I was to marry a fae woman.”

“But why her?” King Caden asked. “Surely, there are more suitable candidates if all you need is a wife. Females who have been trained since birth to act as a queen should.”

“She’s the only woman I want to marry.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Ronan knew they were true. She angered him like no one else and he still wasn’t entirely convinced there was a real person beneath her cold exterior, but he was rapidly becoming obsessed with drawing reactions out of a woman who showed no emotion to anyone else.

His father sighed, interrupting his revelation. “Very well. I suppose we should begin the wedding preparations. Have you two set a date?”

Unprepared, Ronan threw out an answer, “The winter Solstice.”

It was a few months away. Not really enough time for a royal celebration, but he wanted it done.

“Why not this weekend?” his father asked, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Ronan paused. Actually, it would be more fitting than the winter solstice. The Autumn Gala was in celebration of the equinox, a day that was equal parts daylight and darkness. He liked the symmetry of the idea.

“Why not?” Ronan asked.

“What? No, Ronan. You’re the heir to the throne. You need a true royal wedding with all of our allies and some of our enemies in attendance. The solstice will be a push, but we could make it happen. This weekend isn’t?—”

“I don’t need anything but to marry Dominique Proxa,” Ronan interrupted. “Make it happen.”

Stalking out of the study, Ronan knew in his gut that this was the right move.

His father caught up to him. “Does this mean you’re returning to Magic?”

“Not yet,” Ronan answered, wondering why his father’s sudden relief was palpable. Had he missed something?

He let that thought move to the back of his mind. It would have to wait. Right now, his father was on his guard, which meant Ronan would have to act with more stealth than usual.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to let my fiancée know that we’ll be getting married this weekend.”