24. Unintentional Observations

Chapter 24

Unintentional Observations

A few strides into the hallway, the king intercepted my path, forcing me to stop and face him. His gaze was sharp with concern as he searched for answers. At the risk of fracturing under the barrage of unspoken questions, I turned my head away.

“Nyleeria?” he whispered, that same concern probing for a response.

“Please, not right now,” I said, looking up at him.

His jaw clenched and the lines between his brows deepened. After a moment, he silently threaded his arm through mine, escorting me back to the celebration, and my knees almost buckled into his sturdy grip.

Mercifully, we didn’t have to make our way down the grand staircase again.

The king held on to me tight enough that, as we reentered the room, I doubted he’d let me stray from his side for the rest of the evening. I wondered then what it must’ve been like for him when I’d disappeared. How he would have ached to protect me with a spell, just like that place deep within me had wanted to be unleashed. Both of us had resisted the urge, knowing what it could cost us. I brushed my thumb in a long, soft stroke across the back of his hand, knowing the toll such restraint would have taken on him, and his own thumb echoed in response.

As we walked further into the festivities, whispered murmurs followed us. Some stole quick glances, while others unabashedly looked me over, assessing. The more brazen of them even wrapped their powers around me, us, searching for answers. They all coiled away empty-handed as I forced myself to outwardly ignore the intrusion.

Caius made a toast in gratitude to his guests, the Mother, the stars, and whatever else they prayed to. I was half there, half back in that bubble of terror.

“You’re freezing,” the king whispered, looking down at me.

“Am I?” I asked, already forgetting what he’d said, and then the cheers and clapping of the crowd jostled me into the present.

After the speech, we made our rounds, meeting various courtiers. The introductions felt like a blur, and my focus eluded me much like an unspooling thread slipping through desperate fingers. While I performed the necessary pleasantries, the lively, curious woman I’d been an hour before had fallen silent, sullen, even. I was grateful to the king for carrying the lion’s share of the conversations and prompting me when required.

“I’m sorry?” I said, forcing myself to focus on Fiora, her beautiful voice pulling me out of my haze.

“Your last dance partner of the evening has been patiently waiting,” she repeated, gesturing behind her to a stranger with his back to us as he took in the flow of dancers.

“No,” the king said flatly.

Fiora gave him a stunned look that seemed to hold a silent warning. I desperately wanted to refuse, to remain within the king’s protection, but we didn’t know what the consequences would be if I refused a high lord—besides, what were the odds something else would happen ?

“It’s fine,” I said, squeezing his hand in reassurance before I released myself from his ironclad grip.

He went to object, but before he could I offered Fiora as much of a smile as I could muster, and said, “Would you mind taking me to him?”

As we approached, the stranger turned to me, and my heart stopped. He was, without a doubt, the most stunning man I’d ever gazed upon—human or fae. He took me in, and something about his gaze stripped me bare.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Fiora said with a wink and left my side.

“Hi,” I said, my flittering nerves trying to jump into my voice.

“Hello, Nyleeria.” His sensuous, full-bodied voice caressed me out of the daze I’d fallen into. I was wide awake and fully in this moment, with him.

When the song ended, he held out his hand, and said, “May I have this dance?”

Wordlessly, I slid my hand into his. He smiled down at me and threaded his fingers through mine before leading us forward.

This dance floor, where so much had happened, felt like it held a lifetime of events—but as we entered, that history eddied from my mind.

I wasn’t sure if it was tradition for us to perform the dance alone, but even with all eyes on me once more, it didn’t seem to matter with him beside me.

The music was intimate and slower than before. We swayed as one, parting only briefly, always finding our way back to one other. My dress, and perhaps even I, flourished with every movement as the silken steps slid us across the full expanse of the marbled tile. This was, by far, my favorite dance of the evening.

“Have we met before?” His voice enveloped me with the warm comfort that soothed away every last fear while igniting something deep within.

I swallowed. “No. I would’ve remembered.”

He stared down at me, smiling—not assessing me but taking me in. Similar to how I’d caught the king looking at me from time to time, but still different in a way. Stars, he was beautiful.

“What did you say?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

A puzzled look crossed his face before his features settled back into a soft smile.

Dancing with him was markedly different than the others. His silent commands weren’t demanding. In fact, I couldn’t even discern if he was giving me cues—my body just moved with his, like autumn leaves yielding to gravity.

“I didn’t expect this,” he said.

Still holding his gaze, which I could get lost in for all time, I asked, “What didn’t you expect?”

“You.”

That one word, spoken from his lips, shifted the world’s axis and gravity seemed to pull harder on us.

In the following silence that filled the space between us, I unabashedly took him in.

I’m not sure what expression stared up at him, but he asked, “What is it you see, Nyleeria?”

“It’s more of what I don’t see.”

He raised a brow, more intrigued than questioning.

“Well”—I took a breath, not sure how to explain—“with the high lords, the fae, it’s clear what court they are from. Caius, Myron, and…” I choked on the unspoken word.

“Amos,” he supplied, darkness filling his eyes.

“Yes. They are literal personifications of their courts. But you, you look nothing like how I’d characterize autumn.”

He chuckled softly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean… I’m terribly sorry if that’s rude.”

“And how would you characterize autumn?” Again, there was a playful curiosity to the question.

“Well…” I shut my eyes for a moment, imagining, still swaying with him. “I think their hair would be…the deep-auburn hue of fres hly turned leaves, still supple as they cling to the last dregs of life. Their eyes would perhaps be the beautiful golden color found at the tail end of an autumnal sunset. And their skin…a russet color, like the vestiges of summer that haven’t quite let go.” I opened my eyes and smiled at him, then added, “And a lot less grace on the dance floor.”

He smiled broadly, then said, “My high lord will be disappointed to find out that he’s so predictable. You’ve got him pegged, even down to the dancing.” He winked.

“Wait, you’re not a high lord?”

“I am not the high lord of the Autumn Court, no,” he said, flashing a conspiratorial grin. “He’s attending to business and sent me in his stead. He’ll be along tomorrow, I believe.”

“Then who the hell are you?”

He laughed in earnest. “I’ll give it to you, Nyleeria. Caius was right, you aren’t afraid of us at all.”

I scowled at his evasiveness and the implication that they’d already discussed me.

“My name is Endymion. I’m Autumn’s second-in-command.” He dipped his head in introduction.

I pulled away slightly to take him in. It was strange; the energy thrumming through him was that of a high lord—stronger, even—yet his power didn’t feel like it hailed from the Autumn Court. Although, this was all new to me, so what did I know?

“The way your eyes lay me bare, Nyleeria, you’re going to make me blush in front of all these guests,” he said, and although he was joking, he seemed just as stripped by my gaze as I was by his.

“You’re a warrior; surely, you can handle the assessing gaze of a human woman,” I crooned.

A flicker of surprise lit his eyes but was gone so swiftly that I doubted many would have noticed.

“How do you know I’m a warrior, Nyleeria?” The whispered words in my ear…my name on his lips… My body responded to him as if his hands had slid up my bare sides. I shook it off and focused on answering his taunting question .

“It’s your hands and your stature that give you away,” I said, launching into my assessment, the one I’d unwittingly formulated the moment we’d met. “You’re not truly comfortable here—surrounded by allies, yes, but not friends. It was evident in the casual fighter stance you held while you watched over the dancers. You’re right-handed with your sword, but a southpaw with your fists. No matter, as the sword is your weapon of choice. I’d say broadsword, by your size, but my knowledge of fae weaponry is…well, I have no knowledge of it, if I’m honest.” His mouth quirked up, and I continued. “You haven’t been off-balance once as we’ve been dancing, even if something I’ve said has caught you off guard, which leads me to believe that your fighting stance is in your blood. You’ve told me you’re second in command, meaning you were most likely born into this life and trained from a young age. Whether from choice or circumstance, I don’t know. I’d guess you’re over three hundred years old, but that’s just ballpark, and I’d say you’re no older than five hundred because you’re too intrigued by me to have been disenchanted by humans, which you would be if you were older. Weapons aren’t allowed here, but you have a dagger, maybe three inches in length, cleverly hidden beneath your belt. I’d wager good coin that you have at least one more in your boot. You weren’t expecting to be close to someone who would notice, or you would have taken greater care to hide it, or kept my hand from dragging across your body during the last promenade.”

He looked at me, astonished, recalculating who I was. I was shocked myself. I’d never cataloged that much information on anyone before.

He swallowed. “Is that all?” The words gruff.

“Your calluses confirmed what I’d already known when you took my hands.” I rubbed my finger along his palm, feeling those small, rough patches scratch across my skin. He interlaced our fingers, halting the movement.

Another tug at the corner of his mouth. “Is my secret safe with you?” The words were a playful taunt .

I knew he meant the blade, but I couldn’t resist indulging in a good banter once it started.

“You mean that you’ve fallen for me in one dance?” I teased back. His smile widened, going almost predatory. “I think we can keep that between us.” I gave him a saccharine smile.

He emitted a low chuckle, and the beautiful, fulsome sound rumbled through my core.

“I think you’ve made me fail my mission, Nyleeria.” That playful edge was still present in his words.

“Oh, pray tell.”

“I was supposed to learn about you, but I fear I’m leaving this dance with more questions than answers,” he said, and although his tone was light, they rang true.

“A lady must always keep a male on his toes.”

Mischief played in his eyes as the dance came to a close.

He took my hand in his and pressed his silken lips against the back of it. Leaning in, he said, “I look forward to dancing with you again, Nyleeria.”

A promise rang in those words, and I sensed he wasn’t referring solely to the dance floor, but also to the playful banter we’d exchanged. In that moment, I acknowledged that a part of me already yearned for our next encounter.

I stayed at the party for another hour before excusing myself. It had been a long day, and I feared my decorum was about to fall below acceptable standards.

The king remained behind with Nevander, while Tarrin escorted me back to my guest suite.

Once we were well clear of prying eyes and ears, Tarrin stopped and turned around to face me. He took me in, searching for evidence of what Amos had done.

“I’m fine,” I said.

Rage filled his eyes. “Nothing about what happened to you tonight was fine, Nyleeria.” That rage dulled to shame. Shame that he hadn’t been able to protect me, that he hadn’t fulfilled his duty.

I laid a hand on his arm. “Tarrin, we knew something like this could happen. Possibly worse.”

He placed his hand over mine, and I could see thoughts of retribution simmering in him. Without another word, he turned, and I continued to follow him down the hallway.