Page 9 of Veil of Shadows (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #2)

CHAPTER 9

The ship’s bow sliced through the waves of the Adriastic Sea as we headed out to the open ocean. Churning sprays of seafoam burst across the bow of the ship, raining everyone nearby in a salty mist. The captain led the prince away from us, gesturing to the sails and mystical engravings carved into most of the ship’s surfaces, protection magic from the sounds of it, as he strutted about the deck.

From what I could hear, the captain had requested the prince accompany him on a tour now that we were underway, and honestly, I couldn’t fault the captain for bragging. The ship was clearly one of the newer vessels in the royal fleet. It cut through the water like a knife, and every surface of its deck and masts looked shiny and new.

Most of the House females trailed along behind the prince and captain, hanging onto every word that Jax said. Phillen and Lars followed too, but Trivan was nowhere to be seen. However, after doing another count of the retreating siltenites, I quickly realized two of the younger House females were also missing, and I figured those two hadn’t set their sights on the prince after all.

“How long will this journey take?” I asked Alec as Jax and the captain strolled across the deck, farther down the portside.

Alec leaned his elbows on the railing and shrugged. “Two days, give or take a few hours.”

I raised my eyebrows. “That’s fast.”

“It certainly is, Gorgeous.”

My eyebrows rose even higher. “ Gorgeous ?”

His lips curved in a teasing smile. “It’s a good nickname, don’t you think? Perhaps that’s what we should call you.”

“I thought”—I lowered my voice so nobody could hear—“Newole would be more fitting. It’s what Phillen called me once.” I thought back to when the burly guard had first said it in Fosterton. At that time, it’d confused me since I had no idea how their nicknames were formed or why he would call me that.

Alec sighed. “Ah, that would be par for the course, but that’s so absurdly boring.”

I laughed, then shivered when a gust of cold wind hit me. I wished I’d worn warmer clothing. Now that we were truly out at sea, the breeze was biting.

“You’re freezing.” Alec clucked his tongue. “How remiss of me.” He pulled his cloak off and draped it over my shoulders.

Warmth flooded me, and in the same beat, Jax’s head snapped in our direction from farther down the ship.

“My prince?” one of the young females called to Jax, her voice carrying on the wind. “Isn’t it fascinating that only twelve crew members are needed to run this entire ship? And to think their fairy with an air element is able to propel the ship if the breeze isn’t sufficing. It’s just incredible, don’t you think?” She continued gushing and placed a hand on his forearm.

Jax’s lips curved in a gracious smile. “Indeed, Lady Aerobelle.”

I cleared my throat and pulled Alec’s cloak tighter around me. “Does, uh, the prince like ship tours?”

Alec laughed lightly. “Doubtful. He’s only doing it to appease the captain. Captain Mezzerack loves the attention the prince always gives him, and he’ll bend over backward for our heir. It can be quite amusing to watch. Of course, obedience is required of a captain on a royal ship when anyone in the royal family demands it, but Captain Mezzerack moves even faster to fulfill the prince’s wishes. Faster even than for the king.”

Jax and the captain moved toward the stern, and the females eagerly followed. I tried not to watch and instead pulled the cloak tighter to fend off the salty sprays propelling us away from the shore. Already, the coast was barely visible.

In the back of the ship, Jax continued to stroll easily behind the captain, his legs dipping and swaying to accommodate the rolling vessel. The females moved just as easily, and I was reminded of how physically agile shifters were.

“Are most of the royal Houses in Stonewild stag shifters?” I asked Alec.

“Most, but not all.” He waved toward the female Jax had spoken with earlier, the one he called Aerobelle. “Lady Aerobelle of House Dallinger is a wolf shifter, as are the rest in her House. Another of the ten Houses are colantha shifters, and one is a cave bear, and then there’s the dragon House, but the rest are all stags.” Straightening, he brushed a lock of windswept hair from my face. “You truly are beautiful, do you know that, Gorgeous? Out here, with the sun on your face, your beauty is captivating. I can’t remember the last time a female enthralled me quite like you have.”

I started at his abrupt change of subject but just shrugged. “It’s my lorafin magic, my lordling. That’s what’s captivated you. Nothing more. The way you’re reacting to me is why my guardian was able to sell me for such a high price.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “You would be worth every rulib.”

I sighed but couldn’t help a light laugh. “And once again, you’re a shameless flirt. You could kill a fairy with how charming you are.”

His grin returned. “Some consider it my greatest attribute.”

“Is that so? I have a feeling all of the females with broken hearts that you’ve left in your wake wouldn’t agree.”

“Who said their hearts are broken? They may be very intact.”

I snorted in amusement. “Which would be even worse as that implies you’ve given them false hope and are still leading them on.”

“Ouch.” He brought a hand to his chest. “Do you always call fae out like this?”

I shrugged and batted my eyelashes. “Just playing along, my lordling.”

His eyes flickered with mischief. “What I would give to take you in my arms right now.” He made a show of stepping closer and pretending to embrace me.

Laughing, I slapped him away.

A loud chuckle reverberated through him, and he dropped his hands. I was about to comment further, but the energy from the back of the vessel soared.

I swirled around, my thoughts racing that something had gone wrong with the ship, but I surveyed the deck, and nothing seemed amiss. But my sweep of the pristine boards and tall mast had me realizing that quite a few crew members and fae from the noble Houses were watching Alec and me. Some cast us knowing smiles, others pressed their lips together before returning their attention to the sea, but that powerful energy I’d initially detected still strummed from the stern even though the ship sailed just fine.

Craning my head, I searched for where the energy came from.

But only Jax and the captain stood in the back. Jax’s midnight hair ruffled in the wind as they slowly made their way along the starboard side. Jax walked stiffly and glanced everywhere the captain waved, but surges of palpable energy rose from him.

With a start, I realized the energy was coming from Jax .

The females continued to trail behind them, but they’d put more distance between themselves and the prince, some even wincing when his potent magic hit them. Phillen and Lars were no exception. They stayed stoic, following as well, but even though both guards rested their hands casually on their sheathed swords, every time Jax’s aura crashed into them, their jaws ground together.

The captain, however, merely grimaced and continued his tour, even when Jax’s aura rose like the growing ocean swells, cresting right over him.

With a tight smile, Captain Mezzerack waved at the mast. “And have you noticed the threading in the sails, my prince? We used steel woven fibers that can hold a thousand stone per inch. Even our air elemental fairy’s power cannot snap those threads.”

“How interesting.” The prince dipped his head. “Tell me, how fast has this vessel been clocked?”

The captain beamed. “At full throttle, she travels at fifty-two barimums .”

The prince raised his eyebrows. “That’s fast.”

“Indeed, the fastest in the royal fleet.”

Frowning, I gazed up at Alec. “What’s going on with the prince? He’s been acting aloof all morning, and now he’s having power surges. And if I didn’t know better, I would say that he doesn’t even like you from how he’s been behaving, yet you’re supposed to be good friends, right?”

Alec grinned, his smile growing broader with every second that passed. “Why, it’s quite simple, Elowen. He’s jealous.”

My head snapped back. “Jealous? Of what?”

“You and me.”

My eyes felt as though they popped out of my skull. “You and me? What in the realm are you talking about?”

Alec leaned his forearms on the railing, still grinning. “I didn’t believe it when the others told me that they thought the prince had fallen for you, so I decided to find out for myself, and alas, how right they are.”

I could only stare at him. My stomach was doing strange flips over and over, making it impossible to speak.

Alec continued, seeming to take my silence as encouragement to embellish his theory. “I knew the best way to find out if what they were claiming was true was to flirt mercilessly with you. And while the prince knows that I am indeed a shameless flirt, I’ve gone a bit over the top with you. But if he’d actually developed feelings for you, I knew he would react. And if he hadn’t—” He shrugged. “Then he wouldn’t care, but lo and behold, the boys were all right. The prince looks on the verge of losing his mind, which means, I fear our prince is smitten with you, Elowen.”

My flipping stomach didn’t stop, but I somehow managed to get out, “So...you’re not usually this flirtatious?”

He laughed. “I’m definitely a flirt, but no, I’m normally not quite this bad.”

“And the prince typically doesn’t look at you with murder in his gaze?”

“No, actually, this is a first for us, and dare I say, once he admits to how he feels for you, I’ll likely have to come clean and apologize about my dastardly behavior to make him jealous.”

“But, he, I mean, he’s going to...” I gestured to the females trailing behind him. “He’s to marry one of them. How could he have feelings for me?”

“Hmm, indeed. ’Tis most unfortunate, but he’s only to marry because his parents are demanding it. Royal protocol requires him to marry a female of royal birth or noble standing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy you until then.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Enjoy me. Until then.” My mouth opened and closed like a fish, and my cheeks heated. I slapped him on the chest, my ire rising, but Alec merely rubbed where I’d hit him, and his grin grew. “You’re saying I should be his mistress?”

He laughed and slipped an arm around my waist, then leaned closer to my ear to whisper, “If you would like, I have a feeling he wouldn’t object.” He pulled back and straightened his lapels. “Anyway, on that note, as much as I hate to leave you, I best go below. I have to meet with Trivan to discuss a few things to come.” He winked. “Come find me if you get bored. We can continue driving the prince crazy if you’re so inclined.”

Before I could say anything further, he strolled away, his walk easy despite the rolling vessel. At the back of the ship, Jax watched his friend retreat with narrowed eyes.

Swirling away so I couldn’t see either of them, I tried to calm my breathing. Alone with only the sea before me, I leaned against the ship’s railing and gazed at the turbulent water. Still reeling, I tried to understand the full meaning of what Alec was claiming.

Jax has feelings for me? Yet he was to marry another.

I darted a glance toward the back again. Jax’s energy was still palpable, surging toward me regularly, but I did my best to ignore it. It was quickly becoming apparent that our journey back to Faewood was going to be entirely different from our travel to Stonewild. Jax was no longer traveling as the Dark Raider. His more relaxed demeanor was gone. On this trip, he was every inch the royal, and according to Alec, he had feelings for me. Me!

I nibbled on my lip just as a spray of salty seawater misted across my face. That strange flipping motion returned in my stomach, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the beginnings of seasickness or the mind-blowing claim Alec had just dropped on me.

I gazed down at the water and could have sworn a face stared up at me, but the Lochen fairy was there and then gone so quickly that I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it. But it was common knowledge that the Lochen fae trailed ships just to ensure the land-dwellers meant them no harm.

“Stars Above,” I whispered to myself.

Another spray misted over my face when the ship plunged down a wave’s trough. Using the feeling to distract me and stop my turbulent thoughts, I closed my eyes. The ship rose and fell beneath me like an undulating carpet, and refreshing splashes of ocean water settled over me like a fine veil. I was still cold, but at least Alec had left his cloak with me, so I let myself enjoy the moment, getting lost in the rhythmic feel. If nothing else, it helped to distract me from Alec’s ridiculous claim.

“Have you traveled much by sea?” Jax’s quiet question had my eyes snapping open.

The crown prince stood right beside me, somehow having masked his aura on his approach. He leaned against the railing only a foot to my right, and for once, his energy had calmed.

Behind him, Lars and Phillen stood a respectful distance away, but the captain was long gone, and the following females were back with their families, although more than a few watched us from afar.

Apparently, the tour was over, which left me relatively alone with a prince who Alec claimed had feelings for me.

I straightened and wondered how long I’d been standing idly while he’d observed me. “Um, no, my prince. Actually, this is my first time. I’ve never been on a ship before.” I avoided the urge to fidget, but Alec’s words kept pounding through my head.

Jax’s attention swept over my face, his eyes hooded. “Ever?” He arched an eyebrow, then cast a look at Alec’s cloak slung around me. I could have sworn his jaw tightened.

I shrugged. “Performing a calling at sea would prove difficult, and since my entire existence and reason for traveling was to perform callings for my guardian, our travels always remained on land, so no, I’ve never been on a ship.”

His eyes darkened. “Of course.”

I shifted my attention away from the hypnotizing waves and cocked my head. “Alec said he had to speak with Trivan about what’s to come. Is something specific going to happen?” I glanced around, but other than the fawning House females standing on the other side of the deck, watching our every move, nobody was paying us any attention. And from the distance the females stood, I doubted they’d overheard me. Besides, I was desperate to keep our conversation away from what Alec had just dropped on me. A mistress. Me . And to Jax nonetheless.

Despite our relative privacy, a shimmer of magic abruptly fell around us. The ocean spray misting across my face stopped, and the rolling waves grew silent. My fingers automatically reached out, but I encountered a solid wall of air.

“If we’re to have this conversation here, it’s probably best to keep it private.” Jax’s tone and demeanor didn’t change, and it hit me that he’d just cast a silencing Shield around us to stop anyone from overhearing our conversation. Yet he’d done it while keeping the same expression and posture. It would appear to others as though nothing had changed.

Stars and galaxy, the absolute power of this male...

Despite knowing the precaution was necessary, I couldn’t stop from saying, “You’re quite good at leading a double life, aren’t you?” And does that double life also include harboring feelings for me you’re too hesitant to voice? Of course, I kept that question to myself.

He shrugged. “I’ve had some practice.”

My stomach coiled, and I was reminded of the many masks he wore.

“But to answer your earlier question, Trivan and Alec are planning out which Finals we should watch, to maximize our time searching for Bastian while making it appear as though we’re only there for fun. In case anyone asks what our plans are, we’ll have a believable agenda outlined.”

My brow furrowed, and it struck me that it was smart to keep his plans so close to the truth. It was harder for one to get caught up in lies if the truth and lie were near the same. “And at the council meeting this morning, was my presence in the palace brought up at all?”

He dipped his head. “It was, by one councilor.”

Heart thumping, I gripped the railing again. “And how did you explain my presence to them?”

“Similar to what I told you. I told her that I met you during my recent hunt in Fosterton, and that I invited you back to the palace with me.”

“Hunt?”

“It’s an excuse I often use when I disappear for days, weeks, and on occasion, months at a time. Didn’t you know? The boys and I are all avid hunters, and of course, my guards always have to accompany me. We often disappear in the kingdoms to hunt game, and it can be quite dangerous.” His smile turned devious. “Hunting has been our favorite hobby for many full seasons.”

“Hunting is how you explain your time away when you’re conducting raids?” My eyebrows shot up. “And nobody’s ever questioned that? But you don’t return with any wild game, do you?”

“On the contrary, we always return with several kills.”

My jaw dropped. “But...you didn’t hunt anything while I was with you.”

“No, I didn’t, but Alec and Quinn conducted an actual hunt while we were visiting with you. They had a dozen fimiquails for us to share with the chef when we made our official appearance last week.”

“Quinn? Who’s he?”

“You haven’t met him yet.”

“Oh...I forgot there’s still one more in your group, but fimiquails ? Where in the realm did they get fimiquails?” The elusive and exotic bird was considered a delicacy and very hard to find. The birds were similar to dillemsills in that they could disappear. Frowning, I ran my finger along my collar, and a wash of its magic pulsed through me despite its repressed state.

Jax cocked an eyebrow. “Quinn harbors Mistvale magic in addition to shifter power. His magic is particularly helpful when hunting elusive animals.” The prince’s gaze dropped and lingered on my collar. “Is it bothering you?”

I started, taking a second to understand the abrupt subject change. “Are you referring to my collar?”

A pulse of energy swirled around him. “I’ve noticed you’ve been tugging at it.”

“No, it’s not bothering me. It’s just a nervous habit.”

“You’re nervous?”

“No, I mean . . . it’s just a habit.”

His eyes glittered, their endless depths threatening to pull me in despite my better judgment telling me to tread with caution around this contradictory male, but before I could say anything further, a bell rang on the ship.

“Fine fae of Stonewild Kingdom, lunch is being served below,” a crew member called and then bowed toward the prince. “Please join Prince Adarian for a relaxing afternoon and evening as we venture south to the exciting Match Finals.”