Page 71 of The Chains You Defy

“Yes, that had sometimes happened in the past. You humans are so damn squishy and need to be protected so much more than fae. Although towers are a bit old-fashioned, but come to think about the issue, quite effective.”

The fucker had found a liking to that idea—the approval of this method was written all over his face. Especially since he’d told me—multiple times—he wished to chain me up somewhere far away, so I would be safe. “Don’t you dare. We had this argument more than once.”

“Easy, Nayana. I’m painfully aware that not even the sturdiest wall and the most complicated lock could keep you contained. Also, the notion of you making my life constantly miserable isn’t particularly entertaining. So, you’ll stay precisely where you are.”

“In the Royal Castle in Ivreiana?” Rewi asked.

“No, in my arms.”

“You’re smothering her.” Bryon stepped closer and glowered at the fae prince attached to my back. A cold shudder ran down my spine and alerted me that Dion had turned completely still and unyielding. Even without seeking visual confirmation, I could easily picture the murderous expression his face had morphed into.

“Boy. We’re here to have a celebration before the majority of us will march right into a place out of your worst nightmares. So, if you want to join this party, you’d better play by my rules, which means—in small termseven you can understand—be good, sit down, and be peaceful. I’m trying, for Nayana’s sake, to accept that some people I despise have to be present. Do the same or leave.”

His tone was icy, but his words surprised me. Yes, his belittling speech was an order instead of a polite request, but his overall behavior was a more diplomatic concession than I’d thought him capable of.

I shot Bryon a pleading look, and he finally nodded, sitting down on a chaise with a sour face. Rewi lounged down next to him, her features dominated by the gleeful amusement she always displayed when Bryon and Dion acted like savages around each other.

Internally, I groaned. My intention was to enjoy this evening, but if my friends kept up fighting, I would become angry and frustrated.

“Come Naya, let’s get you some of that chocolate you’ve been ogling, shall we?” Dion’s voice was a purred caress in my ear.

For once, my excitement wasn’t amped up by his breath tickling me, but by the prospect of the sugarcoated treats I was dying to taste.

“Yes, please.” My mouth was watering in anticipation, and even Dion’s rumbling chuckle couldn’t spoil my glee.

“Naya, Naya, Naya. That sweet tooth of yours—you should have better hidden your vice from me. Nothing can stop me from using this knowledge against you without mercy.”

Oh damn, I was screwed.

A few hours later, we’d filled our bellies with the tastiest food I could have ever imagined.

Thain had lost his Glamour a short while ago because Rewi had been insisting enough, and no one denied my friend anything once she got something stuck in her head. She was sitting between Fig and Ireas and grinned as if she were the queen of the world.

Whenever Dion wasn’t paying attention, I threw side glances at the redhead. Today was the first time he showed his true form in my presence, and curiosity tingled under my skin.

All the soldiers were attractive in their own right, but as with Dion, Thain’s fae appearance was something else. Even if I could never say so aloud—thanks to the prince and his grudge—Thain was extremely easy on the eye. He held himself with a lithe grace without even trying.

In his human Glamour, he was a few inches shorter than Dion, but devoid of the supernatural mask, he’d gained height. His cherry red hair was slightly longer, but he’d kept his usual style, with a few strands gathered into a little bun at the back of his head, the rest flowing freely. Observing his pointed ears, I was stunned by how many piercings adorned them, partly interconnected with chains, some decorated with different precious stones—a true work of art.

As my perusal reached his eyes, I did a double-take. On a normal day, Thain’s glamoured amber irises already held a certain otherworldly quality, and I’d assumed theunusual shade would transfer over, but oh my, had I been wrong.

Even without the telltale glow of the fae, there was no way anyone could mistake the light pink color for anything remotely human. If I took the pearlescent sheen of his skin into account, calling Thain man instead of male could only happen to a blind person.

Bryon and Dion ignored each other as much as possible, and over the course of the last hour, I’d noticed some kind of acceptance creeping into my childhood friend’s eyes, filling me with vague hope.

The prince, on the other hand, had planted himself next to me on a settee not intended for two people, especially not when one of them was an impressive soldier beyond six feet, but at least he’d refrained from hauling me onto his lap. Instead, he’d thrown his arm around my shoulders and kept me tucked into his side. And since he provided a steady stream of sugary treats, I didn’t protest in earnest, even though he was adamant about hand-feeding me.

Well, I wanted chocolate more than my dignity.

My gaze still lingered on Thain, who opened a variety of the stolen—no,borrowed—wine and schnapps bottles and filled glasses with a grin shining on his lips. “Friends, let’s show the humans how we fae party.”

“Are your parties so different from ours? What do yours include?” Rewi asked.

“Drinking. Celebrating. Playing games.”

“You want to play games?” I blanched at the redhead and ignored the growl vibrating through my seatmate, as he was displeased about me interacting with Thain. Pity.

“First, we’ll drink.”