Chapter 37

Béke Day Nine

The grand ballroom at Ryza Citadel had been transformed into a gaudy, garish show for the Goddess, complete with the head of the stag bedecked with holly and red berries. Red was the only color that stood out among all the dark tones, and even then, it was the color of blood. Every one of the hundred or so tables was sprinkled with tiny gemstones, and the plates set out for the meal were hand-carved metal.

I hated every bit of it.

Especially because the intention of the masquerade ball was to be anonymous, and every Fae tried their best to be, some even going to great lengths to change their hair and eye color for the evening. As for me, I wanted everyone to see the new king of the Night Realm and show me the respect I deserved.

But there was only one person whose adoration I wanted, and at the moment, she was impossible to find. The ballroom was packed with people, thousands having turned out for one of the most anticipated nights of Béke, and more arrived by the minute. A tug to my left caught my attention, but my view was blocked by heavy silk curtains draping from the ceiling. Cursing, I pushed through the crowd, my jaw tightening as my crown did not automatically part them. I'd at least donned a full-face mask that left my eyes and mouth free, pretending like I cared about the spirit of the event.

The garnet carpet led me to an alcove piled with soft pillows and furs and a large group of partygoers standing in a circle before them. Clustered around them were smaller sets of groups, like the planets orbiting the sun, and I stalked my way past, searching for a petite frame and aquamarine eyes I'd know anywhere.

The string that always led me to Izidora informed me she was nearby, but these damn outfits were making it impossible to tell people apart. If I didn't know what my friends were wearing, I'd never have spotted Endre among the group, presumably with Liliana at his side.

And where Liliana was…

A flash of blue caught my attention, and I ripped my attention to the back of the group, where a pair of icy blues stared daggers into me. I allowed my lips to twitch up at the corners as I locked eyes with the Angel who had sought to keep me from my mate earlier that day. He hadn't bothered to significantly alter his appearance either, his white hair on full display as it swept past his shoulders.

I sipped from my drink and moved out of his line of sight, circling the outer ring like a predator hunting its prey. With Liliana and Zuriel around, Izidora would not be far. Though, I hadn't caught sight of Ruslan yet either. He was arrogant enough that I figured he'd come dressed as himself, maskless and parading himself about for attention.

Before I could slip further into the crowd, a hand caught my shoulder and spun me to face them. "There you are, King Kazimir," High Lord Soma of the Day Realm said, High Lord Domon accompanying him. "You didn't try very hard to hide yourself."

Slipping into my king role, I offered them both an easy grin. "And neither did you."

Both males wore golden robes in the style of the Day Realm, with matching golden half-masks on their faces, accentuating their dark skin.

"Where are Queen Viktoria and King Consort Geza?" I inquired.

"Psh," Domon waved a hand dismissively. "They are trying to blend in. I'll leave it up to you to find them. Quite a challenge, I think."

I seized the opportunity to scan the crowd in the center of the ballroom, not seeking out the Day Realm's monarchs, but rather looking for Izidora and Ruslan. To my increasing aggravation, I found neither. "They must have put a lot of magic into their appearance," I teased, "for I cannot find a sign of either of them."

The High Lords chuckled beside me. "Will you join us for dinner? There are no place cards tonight."

I sipped from my drink, letting the alcohol burn my throat before responding. "It would be my honor. We shall have to find a table with pretty females to keep us company too."

"Here, there is no shortage," High Lord Soma commented, making an appreciative perusal of the group to our right.

"Lead the way." I swept my hand before me as a gong reverberated throughout the room, silencing conversations and sending bodies rushing to find a place at a table. As the Day Fae turned their backs to me in search of a spot, the grin slipped from my face, annoyance gnawing at my fingertips as I dug them into my palm. I hated that I was forced to sit in their company rather than spend my time seeking out the one person I wanted.

That tug came from my left again, and I whipped my head to the side. But I saw nothing through the throng of people. One by one, they claimed high-backed wooden seats along the massive tables slicing through the ballroom. Each was draped in iron-gray tablecloths adorned with that damn dragon symbol Ruslan seemed to favor. The thought of him with my mate and being unable to find either of them had me yanking back a chair with extra roughness as I settled at a table, surrounded by Fae in elaborate costumes.

Liliana breezed past me on her way to a table on the opposite side of the ballroom. I nearly rose from my seat to follow her, since she would know where Izidora was, but a purring voice to my right froze me in place. "King Kazimir, don't you look handsome tonight." Taya's burgundy hair tumbled down her back, matching the color of the wine in her goblet. Like me, she had not put much effort into concealing her identity, and I wondered if she placed herself purposefully in my path.

My cock twitched against my dress pants at the memory of her lips around me on our first night in the Iron Realm. If her hair were only a little more brown, and her eyes blue instead of gold, she could have passed for Izidora. It was a much better fantasy than the one I'd attempted to play out over the years.

Lifting her hand, I brought it to my lips and planted a kiss on the backs of her fingers, letting my mouth linger for a moment after. "Taya, you look stunning."

She batted her long black lashes at me before lifting her drink and sipping from it. "How fortunate I am to sit next to a king during the masquerade."

"Fortunate indeed," I replied. "Have you met High Lords Soma and Domon of the Day Realm?" With a dip of my head, I indicated the Day Fae seated across from us.

"I have not had the pleasure," she purred. Both of the males introduced themselves to her, while she introduced the females surrounding us; some had mixed blood like her, given the variety of their features, while others were decidedly Iron Fae.

How long had the Iron Realm been up to this shit?

Sure, the females were pretty, exotic even, but the mixing of blood was something no reasonable Fae would want to do, even among the Fae races. It irritated me to no end that I was the only one of the Night Fae who took the slightest issue with what had been happening here. It was one thing when only Izidora was part Angel, but to see more and more crawling out from their hiding places set my teeth on edge. If we were going to win a war against the Iron Realm, these mongrels would pose a challenge none of us were prepared for.

Taya pulled my attention back to her when she ran her slim fingers along my arm. "I loved watching you win all those strength competitions," she flirted. "Makes me think about all the ways you could throw me around."

She definitely put herself in my path.

A sultry smile spread across my face as I perused her form. Her face was mostly covered by a glittering gold mask that matched her eyes, and the dress she wore gave her ample cleavage an extra boost. Her tanned skin was on display through various cutouts in the green dress, though it wasn't like I hadn't seen what was underneath the scraps of fabric already. "I might have an idea or two."

Her eyes darkened with the lust in my tone. She bent her head toward me, the feathers on her mask tickling my cheek as she whispered in my ear. The words spilling from her lips went straight to my cock, along with her hand as she brushed it up my thigh.

But my attention was ripped away when chestnut hair floated through the air out of the corner of my eye. Ignoring the female creeping closer to me, I chased down those tendrils until I saw her.

Izidora and Ruslan appeared together in the middle of the space, making an entrance only after everyone had scrambled to find a seat. The two were dressed head to toe in black, subtly flaunting their mixed blood status with the masks they wore. Ruslan's was in the shape of a dragon's head, with his eyes altered red to match his sigil, while Izidora wore a black lace mask with feathers arcing toward the sky, a black mirror to her own wings. She looked like a fallen Angel standing beside the heavily tattooed male.

I tracked them through the ballroom, those long locks spilling down her back and over a shawl that covered the skin there. She turned her head to say something to Ruslan, and my eyes locked on the shift of her hair and that fabric, looking for the circle I thought I had seen while she stood on the pedestal in the dress shop.

A frustrated growl slipped past my lips as I failed to certify my belief, too far away to get a good look at Izidora's back. "Forget her," Taya whispered in my ear, her nails digging into my thigh. "She can't give you what you're looking for anyway."

"And you can?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth before wetting it with her tongue. "Definitely."