Chapter 27

W hen the entrance hall came into view, I saw streams of fae being shown across the tiles by scantily-clad human thralls. Their outfits were as ostentatious and luxurious as any I had seen in the Gold Court, but darker in tone and decorated with more skulls.

Everyone had a mask on, I realized, as we descended the grand carpeted staircase. I glanced at Frima and Ellisar, who were now both holding masks in their hands. Frima’s was the half skull mask I had seen before, and Ellisars was a simple black eye mask.

“Why don’t I have a mask?” I hissed.

“You and Maz are the stars, as denoted by your lack of face-covering,” Frima said.

As my feet touched the bottom stair, a female in a tight-fitting bodice dress noticed me, and pointed. Within seconds, the entire hall, fae guests and human slaves alike, had stopped what they were doing and were staring at me.

For a fleeting moment, I wanted to turn and run back up the steps. But I swallowed, and forced myself to raise my chin.

The fae were no better than I was.

They were cruel and shallow, and the only thing that separated them from humans was their power, and in turn, their wealth. Which you give them with your staffs. I stamped on the guilty voice in my head.

I would not let them think they were better than me.

I strode across the hall, walking with as much confidence as I could, the heels of the elegant black shoes I’d been given clicking loudly on the checkered floor. Murmurs and hushed laughter followed me all the way to the set of doors Ellisar led us to, set into the space under a long balcony and flanked by two impeccably dressed human men.

The doors burst open as we reached them, and my eyes widened.

It was exactly as Brynja had said. A courtyard set within the middle of the palace.

Smooth, black rock rose on all sides, the walls of the towers and peaks of the palace stabbing at the open sky like the spindles I’d seen in the workshop. The space was large, easily holding two hundred fae and slaves. Twinkling lights danced on chains that were strung between the walls, and it was only when I looked closer that I noticed the candles were held in tiny skulls.

The smell of roasting meat and something sweeter wafted to me, and a calming tune was being played on a harp, though I could see no musicians. The far side of the courtyard was lined with tables covered in platters, and smaller stone pedestals served as tables that folk gathered around. A sizable space in the middle had been left open for dancing, the floor tiled in exactly the same black and white checkerboard as the entrance hall.

A voice boomed out, and my heart rate picked up. “Announcing Reyna Thorvald, the bound betrothed of Prince Mazrith Andask.”

Both the music and the chatter died instantly, and every head turned to me. Ellisar slowly removed his arm from mine, as hundreds of masked eyes bored into me, roving over every inch.

It took every ounce of courage I had to stand there and bear their scrutiny.

“ Gildi .”

I snapped my head to the source of the voice.

Prince Mazrith strode out of the crowd, a wolfish smile on his face. Tonight, he was every inch the fae. His hair was braided back from his handsome face, and the flickering light of the courtyard softened the scars and stubble I knew marked his skin. He was wearing a black shirt made from what looked like silk, and it clung to his muscular chest in a way that made it hard to look elsewhere. Leather trousers and a wide belt, covered in small glinting weapons and his compressed staff, adorned his bottom half.

His bright blue eyes moved up and down my outfit, and if I had been going to give in to my desire to run back up the stairs at any point, it was at the look in his eyes when they met mine again.

The male looked like he wanted to devour me whole.

I swallowed hard, suddenly too hot in the dress that made me look like a warrior queen in heat.

He had warned me of this.

He was going to play the game. Appease the Queen and Court. Act like he wanted me.

But fuck, he was doing a good job of acting.

Desire engulfed his features, his eyelids drooping and his tongue wetting his lips.

“Fae of the Shadow Court!” He whirled, facing the guests. They parted instantly to give the Queen a better view of her stepson. Standing with Rangvald and two finely dressed fae, she was wearing a floor-length black dress, with long sleeves and a transparent lace bodice that went up over her throat. A black gem was set into the middle of her collarbone, glinting when it caught the firelight. Her hair was an elaborate tumble of black curls around her face, and diamonds dotted her brow and cheeks in place of a mask. Her eyes were fixed on me.

“Allow me to introduce you to a most fascinating creature,” the Prince called. “A gold-giver from the Court of our sworn enemies.”

Excited muttering fired around the space at his words.

“In an unexpected, but most welcome turn of events, we are to be married. Let me assure you that this in no way symbolizes a union between our people.” Someone said something I didn’t catch, and his sharp gaze moved to a point in the crowd. “By people I mean gold-fae. Not human.”

I did my best to keep my expression neutral. Defensiveness made me want to tell every accursed person there that I was human and proud, but I kept my lips clamped together as though they were glued.

“As I’m sure you can see, this girl is no ordinary creature. And I plan to exploit her every virtue, whilst depriving her own court of the same.”

A cheer went up from the assembled fae. I felt my eyes narrowing, and took a deep breath.

Play the game, Reyna. He didn’t ask for this party. This is the work of the Queen.

The music started again, something fast-paced and sultry. Masked couples began to twirl around the dance floor, and the Prince swept toward me.

When I looked left and right, Frima and Ellisar had vanished. He caught me by my waist, pulling me tight against his body.

“Every man here wants to fuck you,” he growled.

I froze. “What?”

He moved back, eyes blazing and his grip tightening on my hip. “Are you trying to make my life a living hell?” His lips barely moved as he spoke the words, and from the intensity of his gaze anyone looking on would have thought he was threatening to take me himself.

There and then.

“This is the dress delivered to my room, by Frima. How, exactly, does anyone else wanting to fuck me make your life difficult?” I tried to keep my own expression sexier than my hissed words.

Light flared in his eyes, followed by drifting shade. “I must claim you as my own.”

I couldn’t help my scowl. “I’m bound to you.” I raised my wrist. “You see what you’ve done to me?” Rage was building in place of the nerves. “What the fuck else do you think you need to do to mark me as your own?”

He stared at me a beat, then bared his teeth with a snarl. “We dance.”

“What?”

He took my hand roughly, pulling me into him. “We dance.”