Chapter 42

42

KASSANDRA

I ’m not surprised when Blaze escorts me to his personal chambers and then leaves for a meeting with his father.

I am surprised when he turns towards the nearest guard—a tall, older fae with burnished red hair that flickers like firelight and hazel eyes—and snaps, “Guard her with your life. But she is not, nor will she ever be, a prisoner here. She can go where she wants to go.”

The guard seems just as shocked as me—his mouth opening and closing repeatedly—but nods adamantly.

After Blaze leaves, I make quick work of studying Blaze’s bedroom—though it’s actually a series of small rooms, all connected by a sitting area in the center. The second largest room boasts a four-poster bed and an auburn canopy that may have given it a feminine feel if it wasn’t for the fur rug on the floor and the antlers mounted above the fireplace. Various weapons, most of them swords, line the wall in an artistic display that screams Blaze.

Another room has a claw-foot tub and a chamber pot. The water in the basin appears fresh, and it still emanates steam. The final room is an office that superimposes as an armory. If I thought Blaze had a lot of weapons in his bedroom, that’s nothing compared to this room. Swords, axes, daggers, and katanas line the wall, their blades gleaming silver in the flickering torchlight.

I timidly reach for the nearest blade and run the pad of my thumb over the edge. There’s a sharp prick, and a tiny bit of blood drizzles to the ground.

Definitely not just for decoration.

A map of the various kingdoms rests on the desk, surrounded by ledgers written in small, neat script. I don’t believe the handwriting is Blaze’s, so I guess it’s his father’s. I try to peer at one of the pieces of paper closest to me, but the writing is too tiny for me to decipher.

I decide to take the moment of solitude to wash. I no doubt stink to high heaven, and a fine layer of sweat coats my skin, causing my dress to stick to my curves.

I wash quickly and then step out of the tub, searching the tiny bathroom for a towel. When I find one, I wrap it around my shivering body, surprised by how soft the material is against my raw skin. It feels as if I’m hugging a cloud.

I eye the discarded dress with a scowl before deciding I’d rather walk around naked than put back on clothes covered in dirt, sweat, and grime.

But when I step out of the bathroom, I’m surprised to find a dress waiting for me in the center of the sitting room. A young female—no older than fifteen—glances up from where she’s rearranging the mismatched gloves.

“Oh! Hello!” She blinks up at me, and I realize she has the widest eyes I’ve ever seen. Bug eyes, Madam Herra would say. Wide and guileless. Fair hair, lighter than my own, frames an oval face and slightly pointed chin. She wears a modest orange dress that comes all the way down to the tips of her fingers, obscuring them from view. “Hi! You must be Kassandra! Oh wow. You’re really pretty. I always knew Blaze would marry a pretty fae, but I never expected her to look like you. No offense. You’re just so…little. That was rude, wasn’t it? I’m sorry! My sister always says I put my foot in my mouth.”

She pauses, breathes dramatically, and then thrusts a hand in my face for me to shake. “I’m Bailey! But you can call me…well…Bailey.” She pouts. “There’s no way to shorten my name to make a pretty nickname. You can’t really call me Bail, can you? That just sounds weird.”

She drops her hand back to her side when she realizes I’m not about to shake it but doesn’t seem perturbed. If anything, her eyes glimmer with excitement.

“Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m here, standing in your room like a creeper.” She cants her head to the side, and a strand of that moonlight-colored hair falls in her face. “Well, surprise! I’m your official lady-in-waiting while you’re staying with us.”

She bounces on the tips of her toes and claps her hands together. A wide, beguiling smile blossoms on her face. “This is my first ever official duty, though I’ve been training since I was a toddler! Usually my sister helps with guests, but she and Blaze once?—”

She cuts herself off abruptly, wrinkling her nose, but I don’t need to be a genius to fill in the blanks.

I know Blaze has a past. And I know that past involves females. How could it not, if what he said is true and he’s lived for hundreds and hundreds of years? He’s an attractive man, practically exuding raw sexuality, and a female would be blind not to notice it. To notice him .

Gaia knows it’s impossible for me not to.

I’m just happy I didn’t have to come face-to-face with one of Blaze’s ex-lovers. I have a feeling Blaze specifically requested this tiny fae as my lady-in-waiting for that purpose alone.

She’s probably one of the only faces in the castle he hasn’t slept with.

I wait for the bitter twinge of jealousy to pierce my side, for ice to trickle through my veins, but it never comes.

Maybe because I trust Blaze.

I don’t think he would hurt me. Not like that.

Those females may have had him in the past, but I have him now . And not just a version of him. Not just the mask he dons like a second skin.

I have his smiles and his glares. His laughter and his sadness. His protectiveness and his cunningness.

Blaze is more than what he shows to the public. There are facets of his personality that even I have yet to uncover.

But…

But I want to uncover them. I want to know everything there is to know—every piece of him, from the torrid to the broken to the great.

Bailey groans dramatically. “Look at me? Putting my damn foot in my mouth again.” Horror abruptly splays across her face, and she places both hands over her mouth. “Oh my Gaia! I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have sworn! Dammit! I mean…darn it!”

I laugh silently and wave my hands in the air to garner her attention. “It’s fine. I swear all the time. Do you know Falkan?”

Immediately, her hands begin to twist in the air, a flurry of rapid movement that’s almost as fast as her mouth. “Of course I know Falkan! Most of us do. Blaze sent an envoy back a few weeks prior and demanded that all the staff learn at least basic Falkan.”

Blaze demanded that his staff learn Falkan?

For me?

An indecipherable emotion punctures my heart, and my breath quickens. Heat suffuses my body. Some of the armor around my heart crumbles like it was made of nothing but papier-maché.

“Now, can I help you look even more beautiful than you already do? Pretty, pretty please?”

The dress is gorgeous. Ethereal. I feel like a…a princess. Maybe even a queen.

The black, silky fabric has a slit up my thigh that nearly reaches my waist. It causes the material to swish around my legs like dark liquid. There are no sleeves, but the dress hardens around my chest, supporting my breasts. There, the color changes from a midnight-black to a hot shade of pink. Jewels are embedded in the very center, reaching all the way to my belly button.

Bailey provided me two gloves—one black and one pink. They feel like satin against my skin, soft to the touch.

The entire outfit is completed with a long pearl necklace and two golden earrings that probably cost more than Madam Herra’s entire house. Gaia only knows it’s more wealth than I’ve ever seen before, let alone held.

“Eeep! You look beautiful! Seriously! So pretty! Blaze will be struck speechless,” Bailey squeals as she runs a brush through my golden hair, smoothing it out. “I’m going to leave your hair down, if that’s okay. It’s just so beautiful, I don’t want to ruin it by putting it in a ponytail. Is that okay? Of course it’s okay.” She answers her own question with an indulgent smirk and a flippant shake of her head. “Do you have any plans today? Do you want me to do your makeup? Paint your nails? I can?—”

I wave a hand in the air and offer her a gentle smile. Her cheeks are almost red, almost as if she forgot to take in oxygen during that entire spiel.

“I was actually hoping I could talk to Treyton. I mean, Prince Treyton. He should be in one of the guest rooms.”

Bailey blinks at me.

Blinks some more.

And then begins to blink excessively, as if doing so will somehow alter her vision and transport her back in time.

“You want to see the Spring Prince? Here? Wait… HE’S HERE?” Her voice rises to a scream at the end, and she jumps to her feet, bouncing up and down. “Oh my Gaia! I’m such a huge fan of Prince Treyton. He’s so dreamy.”

She dramatically fans herself, and I find myself giggling softly. I wonder how Treyton will react if I ever tell him that a fifteen-year-old girl has a massive crush on him.

Thoughts of Treyton immediately sour my jovial mood.

I know I need to talk to him, discuss everything that happened, but… It’s hard. So, so hard. Being around him is the last thing I want to do, which makes it all the more obvious that I need to.

“How about I introduce you two?” I tell Bailey with a conspiratorial wink.

Her entire face flushes—from her pointed chin to the roots of her hair. “W-what? I don’t… I mean, you don’t have to… I mean…”

I stand from the vanity and smooth a gloved hand down my skirt. I wish I could feel the fabric against my fingertips. It’s the silkiest, softest material I’ve ever worn in my life.

Maybe I could take my gloves off for just a tick and?—

Or maybe I’m just stalling.

Something akin to dread skitters down my spine. My pulse spikes like a spooked pacon.

As if my thoughts alone have summoned him, Runt pokes his head out from underneath the couch. He disappeared under there when Bailey instructed me to start getting my dress on. Now, he cocks his head to the side curiously as he studies my attire.

Bailey has gone perfectly still beside me as she gapes at Runt. A muscle feathers in her cheek. “Is that…?”

“He won’t hurt you,” I sign as Runt scampers forward and throws himself into my arms.

I hold the pacon tight against my chest, and he nuzzles my chin affectionately.

“That’s so fucking weird,” Bailey breathes, but it seems as if her earlier terror has evaporated. There’s a skip to her step as she throws open the front door, pokes her head out, and barks, “Where in Gaia’s name is Treyton, you heathens?! Your queen demands you bring him to her.” She adopts a more casual tone when she continues. “Or you can bring her to him. Doesn’t matter. She just wants to see him. Okayyyy. Byyyeee.” She shuts the door and then spins to lean against it, her chest heaving. “Wow. That was fun. I think I like bossing fae around.”