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Chapter seven

Y sabel discovered that not only was I invited to stay for as long as I would like, but “the king” has requested my presence at the ball. If it weren’t for needing to ask Loughlan about the monsters, I wouldn’t have gone specifically to spite Nickolai.

The dress I’d ogled hung from my body like it was made specifically for me, with a single leg slit and a sweetheart neckline adorned with two wisps of fabric that hung loosely on my arms. The top half of my hair was swept up into a braided crown, leaving the other half down in long curls.

Staring through the mirror, it was bizarre to see me in clothes I’d only ever dreamed of wearing.

Other than my all-too-familiar too-slim frame with only a hint of muscle and curve in my hips, I didn’t even recognize myself.

Any sliver of confidence I felt was hidden behind the sad and hollow darkness of my eyes that hadn’t changed in months, except to express my anger.

I could paste smiles on my face all day, but they never quite reached my eyes. I wasn’t sure they ever would again.

A guard dressed in a crisp white and black uniform bedecked in gold buttons and ropes that hung from his shoulder pads guided me through the palace.

Ysabel fortunately wasn’t finished getting ready, giving me time to find and speak to Loughlan.

With each step, miniature butterflies did a whole circus of acrobats in my stomach.

I’d never been to a ball before. Never even seen what they looked like.

The few staff who had seemingly dressed casually earlier now dressed in their best attire as they mixed with the rest of the court.

Blends of vivid colors and sparkles wandered about the corridors until they all filtered in through two sets of double doors.

My jaw slightly dropped as I followed them into the ballroom.

Slim trees were somehow placed around the dark edges of the room—which was lit by glowing orbs along the ceiling in a variety of blues and soft pinks.

The light reflected off the water within the moat separating the square floor space in the center that was only connected by two little bridges on the sides.

It was beyond anything my mind could have imagined.

Flowers and foliage joined the many luminescent things, filling the room from floating on the water's surface to being on every table.

Which included the largest table opposite from the doors where Nickolai sat next to a few others.

He was dressed in a black metallic suit that appeared to be molded to his body and topped with a crown of gold branches linked together from emerald settings, and his eyes were locked solely on me.

I dropped my chin slightly to avert my gaze before remembering that he was the one who should be averting his.

He should feel horrible for what he did, not me.

Lifting my chin again, I steeled myself and stared right back at him.

I watched him blatantly drag his eyes up my body until they eventually met mine, and it became a contest to see who would break—one I did not plan to lose.

We stared for multiple minutes, my peripheral filling with people pointing and looking between each of us.

My center began to feel warm, making me nauseous at the way my body reacted to him.

This was ridiculous. Almost five years of life-altering events and new relationships, not only for me but probably for him as well, and here I was acting like I was eighteen all over again.

Salivating through my hatred for a fucking fae.

At last, the man with dark wavy hair, who I’d still yet to learn the name of, came up behind Nickolai—whispering something in his ear that startled him enough to draw his attention away.

The sudden breath I took felt like I had been holding it that entire time.

Casting a look around the room, I found everyone still stared at me whispering to those next to them.

I chose to ignore it and focused on my reason for coming.

My feet, clad in dark red heels to match my lip stain, carried me throughout the room, straight to Loughlan, who stood near the first bridge—appearing to be in a deep conversation with one of the guards.

The end of their conversation reached me through the soft melody of the orchestra music once I was within a few feet of them.

“—go investigate and get back to either me or Nessy as soon as you know anything,” Loughlan barked.

The guard nodded before throwing a cautious glance at me and taking off.

Loughlan stiffened, annoyance already filling his features as he turned.

Other than the strong smell of rich cologne coming off of him, he didn’t appear as dressed up as everyone else.

He had the same cargo pants as earlier, and the sleeveless tunic from before was now replaced by a long-sleeved one, layered with a worn brown leather jacket.

Either he just got back from doing something and he didn’t have time to change, or he wasn’t one to dress up for this kind of thing. “Come to start another fight?”

So much for niceties.

“Don’t know yet, depends on if you can answer a few more questions quick enough—Let’s dance.” My stomach did another anxious flip from being so bold.

He lifted his eyebrow slightly, confused by my audacious question as well, but it soon after returned to normal as he relented—offering me his elbow.

I quicked a glance at Nickolai, who stopped talking to the dark-haired man, a muscle ticking in his jaw, that in turn caused the corner of my mouth to lift.

Once in the center of the room, Loughlan stepped in front of me and began to lead us through the new melody.

“Are you going to ask me anything, or did you just want to dance with me?” he asked, not bothering to look me in the eye as he stared at something over my head.

He seemed mad, and who could blame him? I beat up his king and then slipped through his grasp to try to attack again.

“What was that about with the guard just now?” I asked, unfazed by his attitude.

“Nothing of your concern,” he replied gruffly.

“Okay. . .” I drawled—my curiosity increasing at the way he answered. “I assume there is a wall to protect the city.”

“There is.”

“How come I couldn’t see it?”

“It’s pretty far out to allow the people of the city a chance to explore some of the forest that surrounds them,” he clarified.

“Is it all well guarded?”

“Do you even have to ask that?” he gave me a rushed, questioning glance before returning his gaze back behind me.

That explains why no one in the city was rushing inside at sunset.

There was no sugarcoating my last question, so I craned my neck to look up at him better, “What do you know of the monsters appearing in the day?”

He froze, now looking directly at me, unfazed as I accidentally stepped on his foot from the sudden stop. “What are you talking about?”

“The monsters have been coming out in the day for months now,” I repeated, brows furrowing. The look on his face was recognizable as the one so many others had given me. “You seriously have no idea what I’m talking about?”

I could feel my anger rising. I thought at least the kingdom would know about what was going on. How in three months could there be deaths right under their noses that they had no idea about? Even if no one believed me, there had to be other witnesses, other reports and rumors about it.

Something.

“How do you know this?”

“I have seen them.”

“Are you sure they weren’t just hallucinations? Perhaps you forgot to eat one day and saw something that wasn’t there.” His accusation was a slap in the face. I’d grown to expect the reaction that I’d gotten so many times before, but this was an outright stab at my physical and mental capabilities.

My anger reared its form once again in the swirling of the red mist. Taking a step back, my voice suddenly became a yell, “I have been fighting and killing the damn beasts for months. Trying to save the people this kingdom should be protecting!” His cheeks darkened, but he grabbed my wrist and walked me out through one of the side doors hidden by the trees.

I fought against his grip, which in turn had him tightening it.

Loughlan brought me to an office with a large oak desk full of papers and leather furniture around a small table near the fireplace.

The theme of white walls and gold accents with crown molding made up this room as well.

Once we were inside, he let go of my arm and held the door open.

I began to question what he was doing but stopped as I glared at the man who followed us.

Nickolai sauntered in, and Loughlan bowed, but I remained standing. “Quite the show,” he said sarcastically. “Care to raise your concerns to me instead of raising your voice in a room full of my court?”

The terseness in his tone made my blood and center boil.

Before I could think about the fact that he was the king or that he could order his men to kill me with a look, I pointed my finger at him and shouted, “How in the fuck do you not know that the beasts are coming out in the day, in your court !”

His jaw was set, revealing his anger—but it did nothing to hide the shock in his eyes. He looked to Loughlan for confirmation, who shrugged with wide eyes, and with a curt nod toward the door, Nickolai dismissed him.

“How do you know this?” Nickolai questioned calmly, turning to face me once again after Loughlan had left.

I threw up my hands, “I have been fighting them!” The more I said it, the more ridiculous it started to sound.

His gaze was questioning, accentuated beneath thick dark eyebrows.

Of course he didn’t believe me. If a five-foot-nothing human girl told me that she was killing the monsters in the forest, I would have a hard time believing her as well.

But that didn’t change the fact that it was true.

And they haven’t known about any of this for months.