Shadow Faerie

  I blink, not sure what else to say about this half-baked plan that actually worked.

  “Look, it wasn’t my most elegant undercover operation,” Dash admits, “but everything turned out fine. The carriage brought me right into the palace grounds and straight up to one of the doors. It took a bit of work figuring out where to go, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I pretended to be a little tipsy and confused, complimented one of the girls I found in the kitchen, and she showed me where to go. I dropped off the dress with a note saying the pickup went fine, and then hid until the ball began.”

  “Wow. I’m amazed that didn’t go horribly wrong.”

  He shrugs. “I’m good with improvising.”

  My mind backtracks to the beginning of his story. “So they—the people I was staying with—” I don’t want to say the words ‘Griffin rebels’ out loud “—know that you’re here?”

  “Yes.”

  I lower my voice and lean forward. “Do you think they’ll come here?”

  Dash hesitates, then says in a normal voice, “No. They don’t know where this place is. That’s why one of us needed to come with the clothes caster. The Unseelie and Seelie Courts are hidden, so not many people know where they are.” The way he’s looking at me though, his eyes boring intently into mine, strongly suggests he lying. It also suggests he’s not entirely convinced someone isn’t listening to us.

  “Crap,” I whisper to myself. The Griffin rebels probably do know how to get to the Unseelie Court, and once they realize Dash isn’t on his way back with me, they’ll probably come straight here and do everything they can to get us both out. And while I’m sure they’re all amazing magical fighters, the chances are high they’ll wind up injured, dead or imprisoned.

  “Em?” Dash asks after several moments of silence on my side.

  “That’s, uh, that’s good that they won’t be able to find this place,” I say loudly. Too loudly, probably. I make an effort at sounding normal. “I know they would only be trying to help, but as I said to you last night, I’m not in need of any help.”

  Dash raises an eyebrow. “If you didn’t want anyone’s help, you probably should have mentioned that before you ran away. We would have stopped working so hard to figure out the mystery that is your life.”

  A shard of guilt stabs into my chest and twists. “I’m sorry. But I—”

  “You asked for our help, remember? Or at least …” Lines crease his forehead as he frowns. “We offered, and you said yes. Something like that. So you can’t exactly blame us for looking into your family history.”

  “I know, I was only going to say that I assumed you guys would forget about me once I was gone. You have plenty of other people to help, don’t you? And—wait, what did you say about my family history?”

  He sighs. “We tried to find out about your father. Since your mother isn’t awake to shine any light on your strange situation, we figured your father might be able to help—if we could find him. The only thing you mentioned about him was that he paid the medical bills for your mom’s hospital, so Chase went there to take a look at the records. He’s the only one who knows how to use a computer,” Dash adds with a roll of his eyes. “He grew up in your world, in case you didn’t know. Anyway, he said your mom’s file had some kind of glamour over it. He could see Chelsea’s details and all your mom’s details, but anything related to the person who first checked her in and was paying for it every month was just … blank. The humans working there would probably see something when looking at it, but Chase couldn’t see anything.”

  “So … no one was actually paying for her?”

  “I don’t know. The point is, it was a dead end. We couldn’t find out anything about your father.”

  My shoulders sag a little. “It’s okay. That’s why I’m here, remember? This union is going to lead to Mom’s mind being healed, and all the answers hidden inside her will finally be unlocked.”

  Footsteps cross my sitting room. I clutch Bandit to my chest and stand abruptly—just as Clarina stops in the doorway. “Lady Emerson—Oh!” She stares intently at the floor. “I beg your pardon, my lady.”

  “This isn’t what it looks like,” I say immediately. I’m not actually sure what it looks like, but it can’t be good.

  “I’m sorry, my lady. I knocked on the other door, but—”

  “I didn’t hear you, I’m sorry.”

  “I won’t say a thing, Lady Emerson.”

  “There’s nothing to say,” I assure her with a high, breathy laugh. “We were just talking.”

  “Of course,” she says, bobbing in a brief curtsey and keeping her eyes on the floor. “Please excuse me for interrupting, but Prince Roarke would like to speak with you.”

  My fingers tense around Bandit’s cat form. “Okay. Thank you. Where must I meet him?”

  “He’s waiting outside your rooms for you, my lady.”

  “Oh.” I look at Dash.

  He grins. “Well, I guess I’ll be leaving the way I came in, then. Good thing I enjoy climbing.”

  Fourteen

  I swing my door open and find Roarke right outside. “Uh, good morning. Afternoon, I mean. Clarina said you wanted to talk?”

  “Hello, my love.” He bends forward and kisses my cheek. I freeze and tell myself not to shrink away. “You’ve recovered from last night’s festivities, I see?” he adds.

  I step back to let him in. “No need to bother with the ‘my love’ nonsense. No one else is around to hear you except Clarina.”

  “Oh, but you are my love.” Roarke gives me a sly grin as he walks past me into the room. “Or, at least, I hope you one day will be.” He nods briefly to Clarina as she curtsies and leaves the room. He turns slowly on the spot, looking around, and I almost expect him to walk into the bedroom and start looking for Dash. But then he smiles serenely and sits at the table beside my tray of lunch.

  And at that moment, Bandit, who I’ve managed to keep hidden until now, comes bounding out of my bedroom in the form of a bear cub. He shifts into a wolf, jumps onto the divan, and takes a flying leap into my arms, landing in the form of a blue-haired sloth. I remain motionless, but my gaze snaps straight to Roarke. For once, he appears utterly speechless. I bite my lip, waiting for his response.

  “Is that—is it … yours?”

  “Yes. This is Bandit. He came with when you brought me here, although he must have been in a form too small for either of us to notice.”

  “So he’s been here with you—in your chambers—the whole time?”

  “Yeeees.” My voice is uncertain, almost questioning. “Well, I wasn’t aware he was here for the first two or three days. I think he may have been scared of the unfamiliar surroundings, so he remained hidden for a while.”

  “I see. How interesting.”

  Bandit snuggles closer to my chest and tries to burrow his head beneath my arm. “I hope you don’t disapprove,” I say carefully. “I like having him around. He … he means quite a lot to me.” Instinct tells me I shouldn’t reveal to the man I still don’t trust that I care about anything. He might choose to use that information against me. But if Roarke cares for my happiness the way he claims to, then he shouldn’t mind Bandit’s presence here.

  “Well, I doubt my mother would approve of animals in bedrooms,” Roarke says, his deep reddish-brown gaze fixed on Bandit, “but she doesn’t need to know. And if she finds out and has a problem with it, I’ll remind her how exceptionally rare and valuable formattra are, and that it’s only fitting a princess would have one as her pet.”

  I nod. “Cool. Thank you.” Hopefully Aurora feels the same way and doesn’t freak out when she meets Bandit.

  “Anything to make you happy, my dear,” Roarke says. “Now, why don’t you sit here so we can talk?” He gestures to the chair beside him at the table.

  “Uh, before we talk, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.” He smiles at me. “My soon-to-be wife can ask me anything.”

  I cross the room t
o the table and take a seat. I lift my hand and touch the small circular device behind my ear. “I know you put one of these things on Dash, but what if he gets it off? What if the Guild or his friends find out where he is and come after him? I just don’t want anyone else interfering, remember?” To be more specific, I don’t want anyone ending up in some nasty Unseelie dungeon or, far worse, facing the same fate as that man who was dragged through a cavern into the king’s office.

  Roarke examines me closely before answering. “You really didn’t have anything to do with your friend showing up here, did you.”

  “What? No, I already told you that. Did you think I was lying?”

  “Well, I’d be an idiot to believe that you trust me. Perhaps you arranged for a way out before you even got here.”

  “I did not. I told you I didn’t want anyone—”

  “Yes, I know.” He leans back. “Still, I wondered if you might just be a very convincing actress.”

  “But you’re not wondering that anymore?”

  “You still seem genuinely concerned about the possibility of others discovering you’re here. So let me put your mind at ease, Emerson. Even if someone can locate Dash’s whereabouts, and even if they come to the very spot they expect to find him, they won’t see any palace. Only if that person is in the company of one of our guards will they be able to see and enter the palace grounds.”

  “Oh. That’s … convenient.” Kind of like … No, it’s gone. I almost had it, an image of the safe place belonging to the Griffin rebels, but it’s like trying to hold onto smoke. “Well, I feel better now. I’m glad no one will be able to interfere.”

  “Good.” Roarke waves the fingers of one hand through the air, and a rolled-up piece of paper appears in his loose grip. “Now, we have some preparations to make for the union ceremony.”

  “We do?” I never expected to be consulted on any wedding-related details. I assumed the queen and Aurora would take care of all of that. As it’s been pointed out to me many times already, I have no idea what’s appropriate and what isn’t for formal events of the faerie world.

  “You need to memorize the union vows,” Roarke says, placing the paper on the table. “Everything you need to know is on this scroll.”

  I almost comment on how antiquated the use of a scroll is—I mean, come on. Surely folding a piece of paper is simpler and takes up less space—but I’m more concerned about the fact that I have to memorize vows. “So, um, I won’t be able to repeat the words after someone?”

  “For part of the vows, yes, but the words are in another language, so you need to practice pronouncing them correctly. There’s magic involved, so you don’t want to get the words wrong.”

  “Uh—”

  “And the other part of the ceremony is the private vows we make to one another without anyone else overhearing. You’ll have to memorize those.”

  “Oh. Why are they private?”

  His expression becomes bemused. “Because they’re for our ears only.” Beneath the table, his hand slides onto my knee. “The special, romantic things we wish to say to one another.”

  “Oh.” I inch a little to the side, moving my leg out of his reach. “But … then why do we need to say them? You and I both know we’re not entering into this union for any of the traditional reasons. We don’t need to go into detail with anything romantic.”

  If Roarke is bothered by the fact that I don’t want him touching my leg, he doesn’t show it. “As I said a moment ago, our vows involve magic. We can’t simply skip that part.”

  My frown deepens. “But … okay. I just … don’t quite understand. If those extra words are a standard part of the union magic, then why are they private? Do I really need to memorize them?”

  Roarke simply laughs. “Emerson, this is the way the ceremony is done. It’s been this way for a very long time. We can’t just change it because you don’t feel like memorizing words.”

  “It isn’t that I don’t feel like it.” I loop my hair back behind my airs. “I’m just concerned I might forget something or make a mistake. If it’s so important to get everything right, then what’s wrong with repeating after someone else or reading the words off a page?”

  Roarke sighs. “You won’t be reading words off a page, Emerson. That’s not how it’s done.”

  “Okay, okay.” I reach for the scroll and pull it closer. “So, will you explain to me what all the words mean, or am I expected to recite nonsense I don’t understand?”

  The corner of Roarke’s mouth lifts. “It’s a good thing I’m the one teaching you these words. Anyone else would be highly offended.”

  I lean back and unroll the paper, revealing far more foreign words than I’m comfortable with. “Aurora wouldn’t be offended.”

  “True, but Aurora will only learn the private words when it’s her turn. It isn’t appropriate for her to know them yet.”

  “Ah, more inappropriateness.” I let out a long sigh. “I would ask why it’s inappropriate, seeing as this is a standard part of every ceremony, but you’ll probably just tell me ‘this is how it’s done.’”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what I’ll tell you.” His eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles. “I’m so pleased to see you’re learning.”

  I lean back in my chair and begin reading the vows out loud, doing the best I can with the unfamiliar combinations of letters. After about three words, I’m aware that I’m probably massacring the faerie language. Roarke waits until I reach the end of the first line before putting me out of my misery. “Okay. I see this is going to take longer than I thought.” Another twist of his wrist produces a quill. He hands it to me. “I’ll pronounce each word, and you can write it down in whatever way makes sense to you.”

  We get about halfway through the public portion of the vows before a quick knock interrupts us and my door is thrown open. “Sister, dear!” Aurora calls out to me. “Oh, you’re awake.” She stands in the doorway and grins. “Look who I found roaming the halls.” She reaches back and tugs Dash into view.

  “I did tell you I invited him to stay, didn’t I?” Roarke says to her.

  “Yes, but I haven’t seen him since the day we stunned him in Em’s bedroom back in the human realm. I didn’t get a proper look at him then. He’s handsomer than I remember,” she adds with a teasing smile, slipping her arm through Dash’s and pulling him closer.

  “Thanks.” He gives her an equally flirtatious smile. I fold my arms and direct a frown at him, but all he does when he sees my expression is shrug.

  “You remember what he is?” Roarke says to Aurora with disapproval in his tone.

  “Of course I do. And I remember,” she adds in a mock whisper, “that it’s a secret.”

  “We were actually busy with something before you so rudely barged in here,” Roarke comments.

  “Ooh, yes, memorizing the vows. How romantic. Can I take a peek?”

  Roarke swipes the page away from me and promptly rolls it up before Aurora can come any closer. “No, you may not. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you before it’s your turn.”

  “How thoughtful of you.”

  Roarke taps my hand with the scroll. “We can try this again later, my dear betrothed—when we have a little more privacy.” He spins the scroll on his hand and it disappears.

  “The reason I barged in here,” Aurora says, “was to suggest we all go down to the tea together. And I wanted to check Em wasn’t still fast asleep.”

  “Oh, is it time already?” I ask. “I thought the tea was later.”

  “Tea?” Dash asks.

  “Yes, at the queen’s bower in the garden. Mother’s hosting it for those who stayed here after the party.”

  I push away from the table and stand. “Hang on, I need shoes.” Aurora accompanies me into the bedroom to help me select appropriate footwear. I pull the silver slippers on quickly, wanting to give Roarke and Dash as little time as possible in which to wind up fighting.

  Once the four of us are out in the hallw
ay—with several guards striding both before and behind us—Roarke asks Aurora if he can speak privately to her. The two of them walk ahead while I fall into step beside Dash. “I wonder how Jewel would feel,” I say to him, “if she knew the kind of attention you were receiving from the enchantingly beautiful Princess Aurora.”

  Dash sighs. “Hopefully she’d understand, given the fact that we had a conversation recently and I told her I don’t feel the same way she feels.”

  “Oh. Um … well done.”

  “Yeah. It, uh, didn’t go the way I hoped it would.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been awkward. Was she very upset?”

  “Actually, she convinced me to go on a date with her.”

  I almost trip as I look up at him in surprise. “Really? You said you didn’t have romantic feelings for her, and that conversation ended with the two of you going on a date?”

  He gives me an amused look. “Is there something wrong with that? Something about the idea of me going on a date with Jewel that upsets you, perhaps?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m surprised, that’s all. You don’t seem like the kind of person who lets conversations get away from you.”

  “I didn’t let it get away from me. I simply decided to give her a chance.”

  “A chance?”

  “She asked me to give her one date. I told her I didn’t see the point, that I didn’t want to lead her on, and that I was sure of my feelings. She asked how I could be sure if I’d never given those feelings a chance. So …” He sighs. “I thought what if—just what if—she was right. So I agreed.”

  “And?”

  He cuts a sideways glance at me as we reach the bottom of a staircase. “You seem very interested in the result.”

  “Only because I’m trying to figure out if you really are the player I always assumed you to be. If you’re dating Jewel while also entertaining Aurora’s affections … well, that’s not cool.”