Page 16 of Veil of Shadows (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #2)

CHAPTER 16

The carpet took us to a large inn, located in the heart of Leafton. The prince made a show of our arrival, his earlier concern for his brother entirely masked as he nuzzled my neck when we entered the establishment. His affectionate gesture made it hard to breathe. I was barely able to appreciate the inn’s grand entryway with soaring ceilings and twisting vines crawling up the stone walls.

Several inn employees stood at attention, checking in guests, but Jax didn’t halt and instead strode straight toward the salopas on the ground floor, my hand firmly in his grip. His guards kept pace several steps behind us. Violin music from enchanted instruments played near the salopas entrance and filled the air with beautiful chords.

The prince led me toward a corner booth. The light grew dimmer, the brightness of the entryway falling behind us as he wove us deeper into the drinking establishment.

Even though Leafton had been my home for the past season, while Emerson Estate was being constructed, I was still relatively new to living in the capital. I didn’t know many of the entertainment venues or how to traverse the winding streets of its inner city. Even so, I tried not to look like a gawking spectator.

At the booth, Jax tugged me in with him, and he didn’t stop until he had a clear view of the entire room. With his side pressed firmly to mine, he finally settled while Phillen and Lars stood at attention at each end of the U-shaped booth, not sitting.

“Why are we here?” I asked the prince quietly. I could have sworn that the prince mentioned something about staying at his private residence, not an inn.

“This is where we’ll stay. The Silver Hand is where my residence is. My parents own a suite here.” Jax raised his hand to signal the barkeep. She nodded briskly in return. “And this salopas is where we typically frequent when we’re visiting Faewood. It’s easy to drink as much as we want since it’s attached to the inn.” He gestured toward the elegant bar to our left. Behind it, hovering shelves held decadent bottles and a plethora of alcoholic choices. The shelves were constantly moving, shifting up, to the side, and down as though in time with the music. A huge mirror waited behind them, and I caught sight of my flushed cheeks and excited eyes.

Stars Above. Have I ever looked so alive?

The lone bartender working in the salopas grabbed various bottles, throwing them and twirling them in the air as she made our drinks. The free entertainment garnered a few claps and thrown rulibs in her bowl from those sitting at the long bar.

All the while, enchanted trays waited nearby for her to deposit drinks, which quickly glided away to serve the patrons already seated.

The establishment was only half full, the evening still an hour away, but I had a feeling by tonight this place would be packed.

“Is this where we’re meeting the others?” I asked.

Jax dipped his head and pressed a kiss along my throat. Goosebumps broke out across my skin as he whispered, “We’ll meet them upstairs. We’re simply here to make an appearance and be seen. That’s all. It would be unusual for me not to do this, and since we do our best to keep our activity as close to normal as possible, that’s why we’re here. But after a drink, we’ll head up.”

The feel of his lips on my skin was so distracting that I couldn’t reply. I managed a strangled murmur, but my head didn’t clear until he pulled away.

When my wits finally returned, I realized we were being watched. More than a dozen patrons weren’t even trying to hide their curious stares, and I knew that the prince had just done that intimate gesture to draw even more attention. He wanted our presence here known, and he wanted to be seen in public with only me and his guards while the others remained hidden. Everything he did was smoke and mirrors and a game of deception.

None of this is real. I firmly needed to remember that, but then Alec’s claim again swirled through my mind.

Our drinks floated toward us a minute later, but the last thing I needed was alcohol. I was ready to jump out of my skin after all of the touches the prince had given me today, and adding alcohol to my system would only add fuel to the fire. I felt ready to combust. Explode. I was so ripe with wanting that I feared every male in the establishment could smell my arousal, and alcohol would make me completely lose my inhibitions.

The prince stiffened when several passing wildling males stared at me a bit too long. One of them was an iloseep . His nose twitched, and his eyes turned to slits. His species was known for their sense of smell.

The tray carrying our drinks landed on the table, but just as our drinks floated to our place settings, a dillemsill appeared in a puff of magic, standing right in the center of the table.

I jumped.

“Prince Adarian of Stonewild Kingdom, you have a message,” it chirped.

Jax frowned, but he picked up the small bird with purple feathers and a long yellow furry tail, then brought it to his ear. The bird chirped its message, and Jax’s mouth tightened.

Once the message had been conveyed, Jax set it down. “Thank you.” He inclined his head.

The bird bowed, then began to spin, moving like a mini tornado, and in a puff of magic, it disappeared and traveled back to wherever it’d originated from.

I eyed my drink but didn’t touch it. “Is everything okay?”

He picked up his ale and downed half of it in one swallow. “Everything’s fine.” But his jaw muscle ticked, and his eyes turned into chips of ice.

“Was it about...” I let my words hang, hoping he would know I was asking about Bastian.

But the prince shook his head. “No, it was just a message from my mother.”

“Oh.” I frowned and picked up my drink, my fingers curling around the cool green beverage.

“It seems someone reported to her that I was more attentive to you on the ship than the House females, and my mother felt the need to reprimand me and remind me she expects me to take one of them to the Ironcrest Ball after the Matches.”

“ Oh .” I quickly guzzled a large gulp of my leminai. “Does that mean she’s...angry?”

His lips turned upward in a brittle smile. “How my mother feels about what I choose to do is irrelevant.”

“But is it?” My fingers curled even tighter around my glass, and I downed more of my beverage as I was once again faced with the reality of the prince’s future. He was to marry another. Whether he liked it or not. And the most I could ever be was his mistress.

“Yes, it is,” he replied in a clipped tone.

I started at his harsh words, and for some reason, irritation rose in me. Maybe it was because he was avoiding the inevitable. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t being honest with himself about what would undoubtedly happen next summer. Or maybe it was because I was reminded that I had never been considered worthy of anything but performing callings in my life and certainly would never be considered worthy of marrying a prince.

Whatever the case, I quickly finished my beverage. “Are you done?” I asked a bit sharper than I intended to.

The prince set his drink down. He still had a quarter of it remaining. “No, but I can be. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

I slid out of the booth, nearly swaying when I was upright. As I feared earlier, the alcohol I drank was going straight to my head. And it hadn’t helped that I practically slammed it.

Despite knowing that the drink was likely impairing my judgment, I couldn’t stop the irrational annoyance stoking my insides like a flame, which only made me angrier, then embarrassed, then angry again.

Frustration stole through me that I couldn’t control my reactions to the prince or change what his future held or alter the path in life I’d been given.

It didn’t help that we hadn’t found his brother yet, which meant I would have to continue this charade at his side for who knew how long, even if he did have feelings for me. It was insufferable since I was ready to straddle the prince at this very second, but nothing could ever come of it.

The prince joined me at the table’s edge. He towered over me and inhaled, his nostrils flaring sharply. “Elowen, tell me what’s the matter.”

I shook my head and forced myself to take a deep breath, yet the alcohol kept burning through my veins. “It’s nothing. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, and I think it’s hitting me.”

His frown deepened, but he drained the rest of his beverage in one gulp, then nodded at his guards. “Let’s go.”

The four of us headed back toward the attached inn, and Jax took the lead, his hand once again clasped over mine.

We wove through the dim salopas, out into the grand entryway, then past the inn’s magical lift that would take us up flights of stairs on a levitating platform.

Jax led me to a back staircase, and the old spiral stairs groaned under our weight as we trudged up three stories.

I was winded by the time he reached the top floor, but Jax didn’t slow.

He went to the door at the hall’s end, and with a start I realized it was the largest suite. We were on the top floor, and none of the other rooms had a double-doored entry.

The lock clicked when he hovered his finger above it.

I canted my head. “I take it, this is your residence.”

“It is.”

“But is this normal? To have a private residence at an inn?”

The prince shrugged. “My father always liked this inn, so when he requested to purchase their nicest suite, they obliged.”

“I’m sure the fact that he’s a foreign king had nothing to do with their decision.”

His brow furrowed. “My father has no qualms about taking what he wants and using his status to do so.”

Phillen cleared his throat from behind us. “But the fact that we can use the inn’s kitchens is a nice perk. All you have to do is summon food from the inn, and it appears.”

Lars nodded. “I have to agree with Phillen on that one. Cooking has never been my favorite pastime.”

Jax opened the door and pulled me inside. The double doors had opened to a grand entryway with polished stone flooring, paneled walls, and glittering fairy lights. Just beyond the entryway was a vast sitting area. A large kitchen waited to the side of it, and several hallways branched off in other directions farther down the hall. The halls were long, and I figured those led to multiple sleeping chambers in this massive apartment.

“Will my chambers be down there?” I asked, pointing toward the hall.

“Yes, but?—”

I didn’t wait for the prince to reply. I fled from his sight, and a quick perusal of the rooms showed they were nearly identical. I figured it didn’t matter which one I took, so I closed the door behind me on the second one down and quickly flopped onto the bed.

Alcohol still swam through my system, and even though it was only mid-evening, my eyes drooped, so much so, that within minutes, I was asleep.

I awoke the next day to a knock on my door. Lars opened it cautiously and peered inside. “Elowen? It’s time to get up. We need to get moving.”

Sunlight streamed in through the windows. It was bright enough that I knew it wasn’t sunrise, but it was still early.

“Okay,” I somehow managed, and he closed the door.

My head pounded, and I cursed the leminai I’d consumed at a much faster rate than I should have, but I did as requested and forced myself to get up.

Someone had placed my bag inside my chosen chambers. It sat atop a large chest that hadn’t been in that spot last night. Someone had obviously brought the chest in too. Cocking my head, I opened it.

My eyes widened when I beheld all of the fine clothing. Dresses similar to the green one I still wore from yesterday were carefully packed, but there were other clothes too. Fine slacks, decadent sweaters, loose yet fashionable tops. It was as though an entire mini wardrobe had been crafted for me, but considering we didn’t know how long we’d be in Leafton searching for Bastian, I wasn’t surprised.

If I was the crown prince’s lover, others would expect to see me in a different stunning outfit each day.

Sighing, I chose a pair of slacks and one of the flowing tops. It was crafted from luxurious material, yet once on, it flowed over me like water. Smooth and comfortable.

Some of the ire I’d felt last night lessened. This outfit was befitting a mistress to the crown prince, yet it was also comfortable, and I liked it.

Once dressed, I made my way to the large living area. Everyone was already present.

Tentatively, I met Jax’s eye. His expression was guarded, entirely unreadable. “Thank you for the clothes. They’re beautiful.”

His eyebrows rose. “You like them?”

“I do.”

A devastating smile appeared on his face, and my insides quickened.

To cover up my reaction, I hastily turned away and grabbed some of the food on the counter, then helped myself to a cup of tea.

“First Match Final starts right at eight.” Phillen glanced at the clock. “Best be on our way soon.”

I hastily finished the meal, then we all set out again.

Five days passed of Jax and I playacting at being lovers, attending the Match Finals, watching the competitions, and searching for Bastian.

But no matter where we looked, we couldn’t find him.

I’d told Jax repeatedly that I could venture to the Veiled Between again to ask about Bastian, but the prince still adamantly refused. His concern for my well-being was bordering on crazy.

He wanted desperately to find his brother, yet he refused to even consider putting me in harm’s way, even if I did a calling for one of his friends that meant I wouldn’t be hurt as badly. Apparently, just the possibility of me being hurt wasn’t acceptable.

Jax’s extreme protectiveness made no sense to me whatsoever. I’d been hurt monstrously throughout my lifetime due to callings, yet I’d always survived. I healed quickly, and I’d proven that I was resilient, yet the prince looked positively murderous at the thought of further harm coming to me at his request.

So I finally stopped offering to venture to the Veiled Between. Instead, I helped the others as we kept looking for Bastian while waiting for Lander and Bowan to arrive at the week’s end.

Trivan and Alec traded places regularly as they perpetually kept eyes on the barn, but there was still no sign of Jax’s brother.

By the end of day five, even their determination looked strained. I was guessing that had something to do with the number of pine needles that both Trivan and Alec had to pull from their arses and hair every time they returned from a shift in that tree.

Also not surprisingly, after five days, the mood in our group had diminished.

Trivan, Lars, Phillen, Jax, and I trudged up the stairs, back to Jax’s suite in Leafton near the end of the week. Alec was once again in the tree, watching over the barn even though each day that passed, it seemed less and less likely that Bastian would ever return to it.

Phillen clapped the prince on the back when we reached the top of the stairs. “At least the others are arriving tonight. With more eyes and bodies, we’ll have a better chance at finding him.”

Jax didn’t bother replying but instead strode down the hall to the double doors. I followed behind him. It was now second nature to stay at his side after so many days of pretending we were together.

Yet behind the closed doors of his suite, it was another matter. I refused to share a chambers with the prince at night. And since I was careful to cleanse my chambers each morning of my clothes and scent, none of the inn staff were whispering that we didn’t share a bed.

Well, at least, as far as we could tell.

Grumbling, the prince hovered his finger over the door’s lock, his mood even fouler than it was this morning, and I had the strangest urge to go to him and try to offer comfort, but the second my feet stepped into the suite’s entryway, I drew up short.

Bowan, Lander, and another male I didn’t know stood in the room. And all of them were dressed in black with head bandanas in place. The only thing missing were their masks.

Since it was the first time I’d ever seen Lander and Bowan without their masks on, it took me a minute to recognize them. But Lander had always had darker-brown skin than Bowan, and his hair was longer too. And when Bowan’s earring flashed in the light, it was easier for me to tell who was who. It helped that the males had different eye colors as well. Where Bowan’s eyes were green, Lander’s were brown.

But the new male was someone I could have sworn I’d never seen before. He had light-blue eyes, and a hint of silver-streaked dark hair peeked out from under his bandana. But he didn’t appear old. He looked young, with high cheekbones and firm lips. I studied his unusual hair and wondered if he had distant Solis ancestry.

I had a feeling this was Quinn, the remaining member of their band I hadn’t met yet. But I didn’t have time to contemplate that further because Bowan jumped forward to greet us.

“Finally, they’ve arrived.” An amused smile slid across Bowan’s face, and I blinked. I’d never seen his grin before, but it was just as wide as I always assumed it would be.

The newcomer’s attention drifted to me, and his piercing light-blue eyes looked me over. “Are you going to properly introduce us?”

Bowan laughed. “Oh, right. That’s Elowen, the lorafin we were telling you about.”

The male inclined his head. “I’m Quinn.”

“I kind of figured. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I nearly dipped into a curtsy, my age-old response when meeting new fae, but I stopped myself at the last moment.

Lander, not surprisingly, remained entirely impassive despite Bowan’s enthusiasm. His dark-brown skin shone in the fairy lights, and he didn’t smile. He merely crossed his arms and leveled Jax with a pointed stare, then said in his monotone voice, “About time. We’ve been waiting.”

Jax scowled and firmly closed the door behind us, then cast a solid wall of air around everyone to ensure our conversation remained private. “Why are you all dressed for a raid?”

Bowan rubbed his hands together, his eyes glittering. “We just got word before we left Stonewild that the shipment we’ve been tracking in Ampum is on the move again. It’s passing through just north of here in Possyrose Forest. If we go tonight, we can intercept it.”

“Seriously?” Excitement filled Trivan’s tone, and a sly grin spread across his face. “We’ve been trying to get that shipment for months.” He waggled his eyebrows. “When do we go?”

“You’re going to conduct a raid tonight ?” I hissed, then drew up short just as fast. Ampum? Shipment? Why does that ring a bell? I could have sworn I’d heard something about it before, and then it hit me. My eyes widened even more. I had heard of it. The day I’d done three callings for King Paevin, I overheard lordlings from Faewood’s ten Houses discussing it as I walked by a room they’d been visiting in. They’d been saying they were worried the Dark Raider was pursuing it. “Wait, you’re going after that shipment with gold bars?”

Lander’s brow furrowed. “How do you know about that?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “I overheard some lordlings talking about it several weeks ago in Faewood’s palace. But is that safe? To go now when we’re supposed to be finding Bastian?”

Jax’s nostrils flared, and his hand pressed to my lower back. My body immediately responded, but I tried to suppress the rush of awareness that slid through me. “I agree with Elowen. That’s not why we’re here, even if I do covet that gold. What about Bastian? Any news on your end?”

“Still no sign of him in Stonewild,” Bowan replied. “None up north either.”

Lander’s fingers drummed against his thighs. “Tonight is the most advantageous time for this raid, Jax. It’s the only opportunity we’ve had in months.”

A muscle began to tick in the prince’s jaw. “If we go now, that would require leaving Elowen here. Alone. Not to mention, you both know how I feel about attempting a raid last minute.”

“She’s a big girl. She’ll be fine. Just don’t get captured and interrogated by anyone.” Bowan winked at me, then turned to Jax. “And I know you don’t like last-minute changes considering the risk, but if we can pull this off, the payoff will be worth it.”

Jax’s scowl grew, but since he didn’t shoot them down immediately, he seemed to be considering it.

My heart raced, thinking of what they were contemplating doing tonight. Just as fast, I chastised myself. They’d been doing raids for full seasons. Who was I to worry if an impromptu raid was a good idea or not?

Jax finally sighed, and his aura practically pulsed with power, but from his concerned look my way, I knew he was worried about leaving me by myself.

I offered him a reassuring smile. Well, as reassuring as I could muster considering I was suddenly worried about all of them. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Like Bowan said, I’m a big girl.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“All right.” He nodded curtly, and it struck me that he trusted me.

A tingling sense of warmth bloomed through me. Jax trusted me not to run, never once questioning if I would, and strangely...I liked that. Oddly, it was a pleasant feeling, gratifying actually. Even though I’d been doing my best to keep him at arm’s length all week, when we weren’t pretending to be lovers in public, I couldn’t deny that his trust pleased me.

Is this why he’s always asking me to trust him? Does he feel similar in the times I’ve extended my trust? Those thoughts made me pause.

“You’ll stay hidden from others?” Jax asked me, his eyebrows raising.

I knew his concern was about Mistvale fae. As unlikely as it was that I would ever be captured or interrogated by one, it was the entire reason he’d refused to let me be free.

I nodded. “I’ll stay hidden. You don’t need to worry. No Mistvale fairy will capture me.”

His gaze dipped to my mouth, so briefly that I nearly missed the flare in his eyes. Hunger filled them, and the heat of it hit me right in my center.

He’d been giving me looks like that all week. Each time, I grew flushed, and at this point, I was ready to combust. But just as fast, Jax was pulling black clothing from one of his bags and issuing orders.

“You’ll have to change back into normal clothes,” he told Bowan, Lander, and Quinn. “We can’t leave looking like that since fae in the city will see you. You’ll have to change into your raider attire once we reach the forest.”

“We can actually leave like this,” Quinn replied. “Nobody will see us.”

Jax cocked his head. “How so? I can’t cast an illusion over us. Fae may knock into us on the street. And you know we don’t glamour ourselves when our presence is already known in a city, just in case the glamour fails.”

“We’re not going on the street. We don’t need illusions or glamours. We’re going to travel using these.” Bowan opened his palm to reveal several tiny keys.

The keys glittered like metallic stardust, and my eyes widened. Stepping closer, I had the strongest urge to touch them but managed to refrain.

“What are those?” I asked curiously.

“Portal keys.” Bowan nodded toward Quinn. “He brought them along.”

Jax’s brow furrowed, and he planted his hands on his hips, giving Quinn a heavy look. “Where did you get portal keys?”

Quinn smiled slyly. “From Drachu.”

Jax’s eyebrows shot up. “Drachu? The Lochen fae king?”

Quinn shrugged. “He lost a bet, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. After his raid on our northern coast last week, he deserved to lose all of these.”

Jax gave him a resigned look, his sigh following. “Do I want to know the backstory of how that encounter with Drachu happened?”

Quinn grinned wickedly. “Probably not.”

I eyed the keys again, my interest growing. “What exactly are those?”

“Portal keys are forged in the other realm,” Quinn explained. “Yet some fae in our realm have also acquired them.”

I cocked my head. “What do they do?”

Quinn pinched one between his two fingers. The key was tiny. “They allow one to magically transport instantaneously, like the Solis fae who can mistphase.”

My brows shot up. “You’re jesting.”

Bowan laughed. “He’s not. We’ve had these before, but not this many.” He inclined his head toward a jar on the table that was full of them.

My jaw dropped. “You won all of those in a bet?”

Quinn smirked. “What can I say. I’m good at weighing my odds.”

Bowan laughed and clapped him on the back. “Normally, we don’t have this many portal keys at once, but since Quinn is well... Quinn ...” He shrugged. “At the moment, we do.”

The prince placed his hands on his hips, and a small smile tugged on his lips. My breath caught. He’d gotten changed in the time I’d been talking to the other males, and he looked exactly as he had the night he’d taken me.

He glanced at me, only his eyes visible, and damn my traitorous body, but a pool of desire flared in my core.

His voice dipped, taking on a husky tone, his eyes never leaving mine when he said, “You’ll be okay?” I nodded again, and he added, “If nothing else, those keys will help make this raid in Possyrose Forest faster and more discreet. Shall we then?” he asked the others.

Quinn placed a key in his pocket, then closed his fist around another. He held his free hand out. “Lander? I know you’ve always wanted to hold hands with me.”

Lander didn’t even crack a smile, but he linked hands with Quinn. The others quickly followed, Lars and Phillen too, until all seven of them were in physical contact with one another.

“Alec’s going to be so jealous that he missed this.” Trivan snickered.

“Where is Alec?” Bowan asked.

“In a tree,” Phillen replied. “It’s a long story,” he added when Lander, Bowan, and Quinn all shared confused looks.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Jax asked me again, his gaze still boring into mine.

All I could manage was another nod. Stars and galaxy, what this male did to my insides...

Bowan winked at me. “See you soon, Little Lorafin.”

“Try not to get into trouble,” Trivan added.

“Open key for thou I ask, I need a door for this new task.” Quinn finished muttering the strange words, and in a blur of magic, they disappeared.