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The unfairly handsome luminite man chuckled and handed me a green silk robe. “I’d forgotten how you Medici luminites are so sensitive about nudity.”

Part of me was relieved at his blasé reaction to my naked body. Another part hoped he’d liked what he saw. Once dressed, I recovered my voice. “And you are?”

“Lucian, Prince of the Jagwolfe clan.” He bowed. “My mother, Lucinda Jagwolfe, has been eager to meet you, Princess. So has your grandmother, Silvara Leonine, but I got here first.”

I bowed as trained by my parents and tried not to gape dumbfounded at his beauty. “It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Prince Jagwolfe. Your clan is among Medicia’s most valued allies, though it has been some time since any Jagwolfe has visited our lands.”

Lucian chuckled. “Yes, I believe the last time we went down to Medicia was over a century and a half ago. I was just a baby, so I don’t remember anything about the visit. Perhaps I may be the one to accompany you on your return?”

I quickly did that math. That would make Lucian fifty years older than me.

Although luminites stop physically aging between twenty-five and thirty years old, I never cared for the idea of developing romantic feelings for a luminite who would have centuries of experience and knowledge over me.

But a few decades didn’t matter. I chased away such speculations and addressed the immediate matter.

My first time in Luminista and the opportunity to meet more Leonine kin as well as members of allied clans.

To give myself time to decide whether to meet the Jagwolfe matriarch or my grandmother first, I answered his first question. “I’d be happy to have you escort me home, but I’d like to wait at least two days. My mother is going through another Yearning and I’d prefer not to catch it.”

“So soon?” Lucian blinked in astonishment, then quickly composed himself. “Then it is indeed best you remain here longer. I’d be happy to give you a tour. And shall you allow me to introduce you to my mother before I take you to Queen Silvara?”

I gave him a knowing smirk. “Yes. We can give your mother the satisfaction of seeing me first. But how did you know I was coming?”

“We have observatory spheres all over the place. We watch the goings-on in Earth, Aisthanesthai, and can even sometimes catch glimpses of the demon realm, Irkalla.”

I gasped, unable to hide my outrage. “You spy on us?”

“Not into your homes and other private quarters, but yes. And when a luminite away from Luminista is dying, we have alert systems to let us know and divert them to a welcome hall nearest to their clan so they may be welcomed by family.” Lucian gave me a devilish wink.

“I happened to be watching Medicia when the alert went off and my mother sent me here to welcome you.”

He opened the door of the welcoming hall and we stepped out into a verdant meadow full of lilac trees, all in bloom even though it was Autumn back home and our lilacs had fallen dormant. I inhaled the intoxicating scent and closed my eyes in pure bliss. “Lilacs are my favorite.”

“Queen Silvara appreciates them as well. That’s why this grove is always in bloom.”

I opened my eyes and returned Lucian’s smile. Part of me was enchanted with the notion of everblooming lilacs, the other part wondered if that would ruin their specialness. For they only bloomed for two turns of the silver moon in Aisthanesthai, and on Earth, a mere handful of weeks.

Lucian released his wings. The feathers were ivory trimmed in dark gold. “Fly with me?”

I let out mine, noting his look of appreciation at the pearlescent feathers limned in a lighter gold. We flew over the meadow, past a village of houses, a forest, and then around a mist-topped mountain. So far, Luminista seemed to be like Medicia, only in perpetual spring.

The Jagwolfe clan’s village was a little cooler than the area we’d left.

The homes, from the grandest palaces to the coziest cottages were all built of stone of various dark hues, with slate roofs.

We landed in front of a palace crafted from dark granite with silver veins. The steps were black marble.

Lucian saw me shiver and materialized a thick velvet cloak. He settled it over my shoulders and my breath hitched at his touch.

As we walked up the steps, the large oaken doors—each with a carving of a leaping wolf—opened and a servant came out.

“Welcome home, Prince Lucian and honored guest.”

Lucian addressed the man in a friendly tone. “Tell my mother that I’ve brought Princess Kerainne Leonine of Medicia to meet her. And have tea and refreshments brought to the parlor.”

I followed Lucian through the doors, past the grand foyer with its black marble floors and giant silver wolf statues, across a grand receiving room with polished hardwood floors and silver mirrors, chandeliers and wall sconces, and through a lushly carpeted hallway full of paintings of the great members of Jagwolfe clan, wolves, landscapes, and dragons.

The parlor was much more cohesive in its décor.

The carpet was a dark plush blue, the walls painted a pleasing grayish blue, covered with wolf paintings, and had the same silver sconces, mirrors, and chandeliers as the receiving room.

A curio cabinet set at one corner, full of delightful animal figurines I longed to inspect, and the great fireplace by the table made me whisper a prayer of thanks to the fates.

It was much warmer and more comfortable in here.

They sat at a dark wood table, and before I could say a word, two more servants bustled in with trays holding a teapot, cups, and all the requisite additions, and the other piled high with cakes, sandwiches, and fruits.

A stunningly beautiful woman drifted into the room.

Her dark blue velvet gown embroidered with silver thread and trimmed in silvery lace, made me shift self-consciously in my bland robe and attempt to settle my hair that was wild from flying here.

The woman’s long curls that were so pale, they looked almost white, were immaculately piled onto her head, with little tendrils caressing her face and shoulders like vines of ivy.

Her eyes were the same stunning cerulean blue as Lucian’s, but they were much colder, and raked over me if judging my every attribute.

“Princess Kerainne Leonine,” the woman said in a stern voice that was more appraising than friendly. “I am Princess Lucinda Jagwolfe. I’ve long wished to meet you.”

I rose from my seat, inwardly cursing myself for not doing so sooner, and curtsied. “Princess Lucinda, I am honored to make your acquaintance. You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you.” Lucinda sat and gestured for Lucian and me to join her. “In Luminista, we are much more capable of creating our palaces to match our vision.”

Unlike Medicia , her tone seemed to say.

I wondered why this woman wanted to meet me so badly when she appeared to scorn me. I’ll admit that I was spoiled and sheltered and used to only being greeted with adoration from all who knew me and kindness from those I’d just met.

I started to ask her what she’d expected of my presence when another luminite appeared in the parlor, eschewing knocking at the door, something I’d been scolded for in my early youth.

But instead of being outraged, Princess Lucinda rose from her seat and bowed low. “Queen Lucretia.”

The Jagwolfe matriarch! I hid a gasp as I scrambled out of my seat to also bow, though not as low as Lucinda had to her aunt. My parents taught me that as a Leonine, low bows were only for the royals of my clan.

Queen Lucretia gave me a knowing smirk and the slightest of nods before taking her seat and seizing the teapot.

She didn’t wait for a servant to bring a fourth cup to the table and instead materialized her own.

Looking at the elaborate cup with its embossed wolf head and Jagwolfe crest, I wondered if she’d summoned it from somewhere, or was able to form it from her magic.

Ignoring her family, Lucretia sipped her tea and inspected me more thoroughly than Lucinda had. “You are as beautiful as the singers claim, and your power seems to be on a great trajectory for your young age.”

“Thank you, Highness.” I sat with the others. “The histories and songs don’t do justice to your power and beauty.”

“So polite, too.” Lucretia smiled and patted my hand while Lucinda and Lucian looked on with approval. “Perhaps you will indeed be the perfect choice for the Jagwolfe-Leonine alliance I desire. Our clans combined could result in the most beautiful, powerful offspring.”

This time, I couldn’t conceal my gasp. These people I’d only just met spoke of me like a prized dragon they wanted to breed. Unable to help myself, my eyes darted toward Lucian. His face and ears were crimson as he coughed awkwardly and stared into his tea.

Part of me was relieved that he was just as uncomfortable with this discussion as I was, while the other part worried that meant he didn’t like me.

“I’m not certain that—” I’d began, but a rumble and flash of light cut of my words.

Queen Silvara and her consort, King Marcel, appeared in the chamber.

“How dare you!” Silvara pointed at Lucian, her green eyes shooting emerald sparks. “You had no right to abscond with my grandchild before I had the opportunity to meet her.”

“He didn’t abscond with me!” I argued and leaped in front of Lucian in case she decided to attack him.

While killing a luminite who is already in Luminista is pointless, that didn’t prevent one from inflicting great pain.

“I wanted to see the Jagwolfe’s kingdom as a distraction.

My mother is having another Yearning, so—”

Silvara’s furious expression flitted to sublime joy. “Another Yearning? So soon! My line must be blessed by the fates!”

“Indeed, it has. Which bring me to why we wished to meet your lovely granddaughter.” Lucretia rose from her seat and whispered in Silvara’s ear.

It didn’t take a High Scholar to know that the Jagwolfe matriarch was telling the Leonine matriarch about her matchmaking plans. Grandfather Marcel gave me a pitying look and shook his head.

Lucian hunched lower in his seat. He still couldn’t look at me.

Silvara glanced at him and chuckled. “An intriguing idea indeed, and one we shall discuss later. Right now, I believe both are too young. And I still think it presumptuous that you brought her here instead of straight to me.”

“The fault is mine, Queen Silvara.” Lucretia spoke in a humble tone that didn’t match the unrepentance in her eyes. “I wanted an impression of the princess before deciding whether or not my idea had merit.”

Had Lucian lied to me? He’d said his mother wanted to meet me and hadn’t said a word about his aunt planning the whole thing. Even worse, he still wouldn’t look at me.

Queen Silvara gave an imperious huff. “Even so, you should have broached the subject with me first. Or, at the least waited a day or two instead of attempting to deprive me of the opportunity to get to know my granddaughter and show her our motherland before bringing her here to your frigid lands. Come, Kerainne.” She grabbed my hand and tugged before addressing Lucian.

“However, you, young man, are permitted to pay court to my granddaughter at my palace, if you wish.”

“Thank you, Queen Silvara,” he mumbled.

As humiliation coursed over me in a thousand hot waves, I doubted Lucian would take the offer and visit me. Not after this awkwardness. And, if he’d been deceiving me about his kindness and only obeying his great aunt, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to see him again.

In fact, I decided that if he did come to call on me, I’d refuse him until he did so on my own lands, in Medicia.