Page 10 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Now

T he water was cool, a welcome refreshment that helped bolster my courage as I watched the dance floor.

Most of the other ladies were dancing with the fae nobility while they waited for their turns with Kaede.

I, too, had taken a few turns about the room with some of the men, but I’d finally found a chance to slip away and gather myself.

“It doesn’t seem right to see such a lovely woman without a partner.” The smooth voice broke into my thoughts.

I glanced toward where a man with elegant clothes almost as fine as the prince’s himself leaned against the wall nearby, studying me with warmth in his blue eyes.

Though there was nothing unkind about his expression, I bristled with wariness all the same.

Dipping my head in greeting, I glanced back toward the dancers.

Emily Winters was twirling in Prince Kaede’s arms, held much more closely than a gentleman in our world would ever dare to dance.

But fae balls and feasts were more casual affairs, and they didn’t live by the same rules of etiquette. Here, it was not scandalous at all.

Swallowing thickly at the thought of Kaede holding me just as closely soon, I took another sip of my water before replying. “I needed to rest.”

“Did I hear you say that your name is Miss Aurelia Sinclair?”

Nodding slowly, he offered a smile and a slight bow. “My name is Florian Brightwing. I’m one of the crown’s advisors, and I am honored to make your acquaintance. Would you care to dance?”

Just as I had before, I decided it was best to play along. With a nod of assent, I took Florian’s hand and allowed him to lead me out onto the dance floor. The candlelight glistened in his chestnut hair. His smile was charming, his manner polite and kind, but I couldn’t trust it.

“Why are you so eager to charm the prince’s suitors?” I inquired.

Florian shrugged elegantly as he pulled me in and spun me. The room’s colors blended, the sounds of music and laughter all rushing together. “Prince Kaede cannot choose every woman here.”

“Ah, so you hope to woo the others and have your pick?” I laughed. “Why a human?”

He laughed with me. “Whyever not? I know you’ve heard that our kind can be cruel toward yours, but we aren’t all that way.

Some of us find you lovely, interesting, intelligent.

.. Fine matches. And of course, you already know that your kind help ours have children, so for anyone who wants a family or needs to beget an heir. ..”

I didn’t blush, though once I would have. Talk of how humans were more fertile than fae was commonplace among them, and one of the main reasons human-fae matches occurred. “Is that what you hope for? A family?”

“Perhaps.” Florian smiled as we spun into view of Prince Kaede and Emily.

For a moment, the prince glanced over his partner’s shoulder, and his searing gaze met mine.

My mouth dried, and I tried to pretend I wasn’t unnerved as I returned my focus to my own partner.

“Mostly, I want you to know that I don’t view humans the way some of my kind do. ”

I scanned his expression cautiously, wondering how he may have twisted his words. Or if he might be half-fae or someone who’d made an unholy trade in magic for the ability to lie.

“Whether you believe me or not, I want you to consider me a friend.”

“If you are a friend, then can you tell me what is planned for our stay?”

Florian’s expression was regretful. “I’m afraid we are all bound by vows not to interfere. King Edwin was quite adamant. Even His Highness can only observe.”

Before I could attempt to inquire further, the music came to an end and we were forced apart. As Prince Kaede crossed the floor, I realized it was my turn.

I barely heard Florian’s goodbye as my pulse thrummed in my ears. My eyes locked onto Kaede’s, who watched me just as intently. Does he know? But there was no malice in his eyes.

The musicians began playing a slow song as Kaede paused across from me. I sank into a curtsey.

“Your Highness.”

“May I have this dance?” he asked, extending his hand.

I nodded and placed mine in his. A familiar spark ran up my arm at the touch, nearly throwing me off balance. I hadn’t expected that after all this time, and I couldn’t help but wonder if somehow he’d felt it too. His eyes were inscrutable, giving away nothing.

As he slid his other hand around my waist, I drew a deep breath and gingerly rested my free hand upon his shoulder. My heart ached, and I was keenly aware of the warmth of his body and the strength of his fingers in mine. It brought back memories of another time, another place, another dance.

“Is something troubling you...?” Kaede paused, giving me the opportunity to offer my name.

“Aurelia Sinclair, Your Highness.” I paused, considering. “And I was only thinking of how at home, no one ever dances so closely unless they are engaged.”

Kaede’s lips twitched in the barest ghost of a smile.

It hurt to look at. Once, he’d been charming and lively, always jesting and smiling. He’d been warm and gentle, amiable and attentive. Now he was sullen and unreadable. A stranger.

I’d killed the man he’d once been.

“You are scandalized then?” he asked.

I shook my head. “It is unusual, but I expected unusual.” And this wasn’t the first time he’d held me close, a fact that left me unnerved for an entirely different reason.

It was difficult enough to long for him to pull me close as he once had, but knowing he might suspect I was familiar?

That my tone or manner of speech might remind him of the woman he’d known before? That was terrifying.

“And what brought you here?” His rich voice washed over me, that familiar deep rumble that I could feel in my chest. “What do you hope to gain in marrying me?”

This I could answer honestly. “I only came to stay near my sister, Callista. She doesn’t believe the stories of how dangerous your world can be, and I wanted to ensure her safety.”

“How noble. Unfortunately, I don’t believe you.” He moved both hands to the small of my back, tugging me against him, close enough that he could lean in to whisper. “Let me tell you a story.”

My pulse hiccupped, longing and fear commingling as his breath feathered against my cheek.

“I was betrothed before, to a princess from Emberglade, supposedly to seal an alliance with their kingdom. But they sent an assassin instead of a bride. Though she escaped after striking the fatal blow, my guards captured one of her maids. They gathered information from her—how the princess had actually been a human in disguise. The maid had been bound by an oath not to give the human’s name, description, or city of residence.

But she did say that my assassin was under thirty years of age, and that her family had recently moved to Riverside. ”

The world spun, even though Kaede had stopped on the dance floor, his body utterly still. My breath froze in my lungs.

“My father wouldn’t give me many options for this contest,” Kaede continued, “but he did permit me some. I told him I only wanted participants from Riverside under the age of thirty.” He cocked his head, closely studying my expression.

“And how interesting that during my dance with your sister, Callista spent much time gushing about the latest fashions and events in her fine new home in Riverside.”

I tensed. The song ended, and Kaede pulled away, his dark eyes full of something indiscernible. It wasn’t warmth, wasn’t hate...it was more like a warning. Solemn. Sharp.

Ice ran through my veins, and I was scarcely conscious of making my way to my sister’s side, of her demanding why Kaede had stopped dancing and held me on the floor. Of her whining about the preferential attention I’d received with his whispered words.

With every beat of my heart, I was haunted by the knowledge, the same refrain echoing in my head.

Kaede knows who I am.

He knows .