The tables had been placed in a half-moon, overlooking the dance floor with its bonfire center. The tables were covered in rich, mouth-watering food – whole chickens, all sorts of vegetables, beef, stuffed turkey, wine, and desserts. The middle table was elevated on a small stage made from ice on which any human would slip, where Caynin, Valeska, and Rane sat.
Valeska wore a purple dress that contrasted with her long, black hair. It plunged low at the front in a V-shape and the back mirrored it. The material was woven out of millions of small purple flowers with diamond centers.
Rane was dressed in a tuxedo, with pointy shoes, and his hair gelled back to emphasize his long ears. His bowtie was decorated with non-melting snowflakes.
Caynin wore an all-white suit that looked as if it was part of his hair. The collar was high, covering his neck, and a rose peeked out of a pocket on his chest. There was nothing boyish about him, and if it weren’t for the pointy ears, canines, and predatory eyes, he could be mistaken for a wealthy businessman.
A Fata band stood at the edge of the dance floor in the little patch of snow that hadn’t melted. They played the cello, flute, and violin for the crowd. At first, the music was gentle and mesmerizing, and some females were already on the dance floor, moving their bodies with the rhythm. They batted their eyelashes at Caynin and motioned for him to dance with them, but he turned his head the other way.
“Just go dance,” Rane told him.
“You go dance,” Caynin responded.
“You know I can’t dance with them,” Rane said.
“You’re being dramatic. You’re not allowed to mate with one of them. As a Waerie, all of your focus should be on me, but there is no rule against you dancing.”
Rane’s eyes were fixed on the females as he said, “If I dance with that, I’ll lose all focus.”
The queen was unusually silent, and Caynin was about to make conversation when his eyes found Zoey. She had not seen him yet, as she wandered through the crowds. Her long hair was curled, and she wore it over her right shoulder, so that one could see her open back. The dress clung to her like a second skin and looked even better than Caynin had imagined. The silver chains jingled, soft and sweet like a lullaby, and Caynin imagined laying her down on bed and—
“Snap out of it, Caynin,” Rane growled. “She’s human.”
Caynin ignored his friend and did not take his eyes off her. She walked so elegantly, with her head held high and her lips pressed together. He had considered her weak when he had first met her, but he had also seen her courage. He was drawn to it, despite trying so hard not to be.
Valeska rose and cleared her throat, and the music instantly died. Everyone looked at her. Beholding the faeries, with their pointy ears of every size, eyes of every color and skin of different textures, was a marvelous sight. Of course, it wasn’t just the faeries at the feast – the winged leopards were lying down by the bridge, toads as big as hands were swimming in the ponds, sphinxes had come out of the woods, and small griffins from the skies.
“Welcome, brothers and sisters, at the feast before the Red Festival!” The Fata applauded loudly as their queen spoke. “Tonight, we are here to celebrate and prepare for the biggest night of the year. I wish you all a pleasant evening – filled with food, dancing, and entertainment. Which reminds me”—she turned her purple eyes to Zoey—“I’m sure many of you have heard about the human who has been living in the castle. Zoey, step forward.”
***
Zoey hated being the center of attention, but she obeyed the queen and made her way toward the stage where everyone could have a good look at her.
“This human wishes to complete the three Worthy Trials. Should she succeed, she will have our respect and be granted one wish.” The queen’s eyes focused only on Zoey as she spoke. “Well, tonight is her first trial.”
An excited murmur rippled through the crowd, and Zoey’s gut told her the faeries expected her to fail. Their lack of faith only motivated her to succeed. Whatever this trial was, she would do it.
“As you all know, Fata have the ability to control humans’ minds with a form of magic called compulsion. Only humans with the strongest minds can resist. It is Zoey’s first trial to resist compulsion. Should she fail, she will not be able to continue to the second trial. Let the feast begin.” She raised her arms to the sky, and lively music started.
Zoey felt like she was a sheep who had just been thrown to the leopards. As she focused on the trial, she forgot to be scared and wished she had a friend to talk to. Mind control was the first trial, the same mind control Caynin had tried to use on her. Her stomach turned at the thought. How dare he! He had no right, no one had, to poke around in her head.
Zoey looked past the queen to where Caynin was sitting, blue eyes fixed on her. Her stomach flipped, and all resentment faded. She was drawn to his beauty, like an artist to a painting. She also wasn’t cold, despite the snow and her dress’s open back, and knew Caynin had changed the weather for her.
“Care to dance?”
To her right was a male with orange eyes and a toothy grin. She did not know him, and she didn’t want to, either. None of these faeries had bothered to acknowledge her these past weeks, and she was certainly not going to keep them company now.
“No,” she said.
“I’m afraid I must insist.” He stood so close, his body stiller than a human’s could ever be, and his unblinking eyes were growing darker. Was he trying to compel her? If so, he was not doing a very good job.
“No,” she said flatly and turned away from him.
She tried to look like she knew where to go and then laughed at herself. What was the point of trying to blend in? Everyone knew she didn’t belong, that she wasn’t welcome, and only kept alive because of Caynin.
“Zoey, dear,” said a woman with a familiar voice. Someone took her arm. Although the touch was gentle, she recoiled from it.
“Kismet.” Zoey turned to face the Fata and was unsurprised to find Delia next to her. Kismet did not release her arm, but she opened her hand to reveal one of the pink cupcakes – from the table.
“Eat it.” A dangerous glint played in her eyes, although her voice was sweet as honey, and a grin on her lips.
Zoey slapped away her hand, as if she had smacked the grin off her face, and the cupcake fell to the ground. “Leave me alone.”
Kismet and Delia gaped at her as she turned and walked away, without bothering to look back at them. The queen had made it sound as if Fata were good at using mind control on humans. Ever since she had come to the castle, all she had heard was that humans were weak and had fragile minds. She had expected this trial to be challenging and couldn’t help but wonder if there was a catch to it.
Zoey looked at the queen, who was talking to Caynin, and her stomach turned. How could anyone talk to Caynin and manage to keep their hands off him? The queen’s hand rested on the table, close to Caynin but not touching.
Zoey had the urge to go to the table and sit down with Caynin – he was the only Fata here who would talk to her. But Caynin was not allowed to interfere with the trials, and she didn’t want to cause trouble for him, or be in the queen’s presence.
Caynin looked past the queen, to Zoey, and back to the queen again. He laughed at something she said, and when he looked at Zoey again, he was still smiling. He sipped his wine then ran his wet tongue slowly over his lips. Zoey looked away.
Kismet was gazing toward the elevated table where Caynin was sitting. Kismet had a thing for Caynin. How couldn’t she? He was a powerful, beautiful, and intelligent prince. Maybe she had been picking on Zoey, not just because she was human, but because she was jealous that Caynin had spent so much time with her. Zoey scoffed at the thought. She, a human, and Caynin, a faerie prince, would never be...anything.
Once again, Zoey wondered if her attraction was one sided, but when she looked at Caynin, who was watching her again, she decided it wasn’t. She couldn’t gawk at him all night, he’d never let her hear the end of it, so she tried to find something else to focus on. She enjoyed the magical creatures and tried to pet a griffin, but when it growled at her, she decided to stay away.
The temperature had risen significantly since her arrival. Her goosebumps had disappeared, and the fire was burning brighter. Caynin had done this for her. Who knew an arrogant bastard could be so considerate?
Zoey felt awkward and uncomfortable standing between the faeries with no one to talk to. They were keen to stare at her, which made her feel even more like an outsider. But luckily, she wasn’t scared anymore. She instead focused on the dance floor, where the Fata were dancing vigorously. Enough was enough. She was at a party, and parties were supposed to be fun.
She strode over until she was in the middle of the dance floor then started swaying her body. She was not used to dancing to classical music but after a while she enjoyed it. She moved freely and elegantly like a ballerina, although she did not possess the Fata grace. Several other Fata tried to dance with her, but she turned all of them down. They had been mean to her before. Why should she dance with them now?
“Focus on what you’re going to eat,” Fleur’s words replayed in her mind. So, Fleur felt she was not good enough to eat their food. All around the tables Fata were stuffing their mouths with delicious bites and snacks. Zoey left the dance floor and approached the tables, where she reached for a pink cupcake with lots of frosting. She had eaten most of the food that had been left in her room, thus she was not hungry. She bit into the cupcake and savored its sweetness by chewing slowly and enjoying every bite. She could feel eyes on her, but she ignored them. She had as much right to eat as anyone else. When she finished the cupcake, she headed to a table filled with wine glasses. These were already filled with wine, and she took one. As she brought it to her lips a big hand closed around the glass and pulled it away. She was about to yell at the faerie, but then she realized who it was – Caynin.
“You don’t want to drink that,” he said with a smile. Was he testing her?
“Why not?” she asked. “Is it enchanted or something?”
“Something like that.”
She raised an eyebrow and waited until he gave her an explanation.
“It amplifies your feelings.”
“So, if I was angry, and I drank it, I’d be even angrier?”
“Angry enough that you might try and kill someone.”
She didn’t bother to hide her shock. “Then why would you have that wine at a feast?”
“Because not all emotions are negative,” Caynin explained. “It could deepen your deepest desires, make you happier than you have ever been or make you relaxed. It’s like a drug – it will put you on a high, and you won’t want to come down.”
“And you don’t want me to experience that?” She reached for the wine glass, but he moved his hand away. She stepped closer to him, still reaching for the wine, so that their bodies almost touched. She gazed into his baby blue eyes, and he smiled at her playfully. If he wasn’t so much taller than her, she’d have been able to reach the glass.
“It doesn’t work on humans,” he said and downed the glass in one big gulp. He put it down on the table before taking Zoey’s hand and tugging her toward the dance floor.
“I didn’t say you could have this dance,” she pointed out.
“I wasn’t asking.” His feral response made Zoey’s toes curl.
Caynin pulled her into his arms, and before she knew what was happening, they were soaring through the crowds. Caynin was light on his feet, and he guided her where he wanted to go. The world seemed to blur together and fade away, until it was just the two of them breathing and moving as one. He turned her and twirled her until she was dizzy, then he would sweep her up in the dance again. He dipped her and lifted her easily, and that the smile on her face was contagious.
“You’re high of Fata wine, aren’t you?” It was more a statement than a question.
His hand was wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her closer. He pressed his lips against her ear, and she swore he tightened his grip. “Maybe.”
She could feel his breath on her cheek until he spun her outward again, only to pull her back. They danced together until early morning, when Zoey’s feet could no longer take the strain. She stopped dancing, so that she could remove her heels. The Fata were slowly returning to their rooms. A sudden realization struck her that it was not just her and Caynin in the Everwhite Kingdom. The table where the queen had been sitting was empty. Rane and Valeska might have left hours ago without her noticing.
Caynin lifted an empty wine goblet from the table, and it instantly filled with water. He handed it to Zoey, who gulped it down greedily, without pausing to breathe.
“I should probably go back to my room,” she said breathlessly and put down the goblet.
“I’ll walk you there.”
They walked side by side, their fingertips almost brushing. Zoey resisted the urge to take his hand and tried to ignore the electric feeling in her chest. Did he feel it, too? She glanced at his placid features and wondered how he managed to stay so calm.
A low meow made them both turn around to face Chet, who had left his pack and approached them. Caynin held out his arms, clearly expecting his pet to come to him, but Chet swished his tail and sauntered to Zoey, and butted his head against her. She laughed and hugged him, before scratching his wings.
For a moment, all Caynin did was stare.
“Cat got your tongue?” she asked.
“He usually doesn’t let anyone pet him,” Caynin responded.
“What can I say? I’m charming.” She winked.
They left Chet behind and in silence headed through the gardens to her room. She pushed open the door and turned to face him. It felt as if they hadn’t spoken in forever, and she could not help but linger in the doorway.
“Well, goodnight,” she managed to say.
Caynin looked her up and down, and she was surprised when he said, “Goodnight.”
Her heart dropped, and she turned away, only to be pulled back by strong arms. It happened so quickly –one moment she was standing in the doorway, the next Caynin was pushing his tongue down her throat. And she liked it.
She reached for his hair, pulling, begging for more. He wrapped his arms around her waist, making her feel delicate in his embrace. Caynin pushed her into the room and kicked the door shut behind him, without letting her go. She was backing up while he was advancing, until he shoved her roughly onto the bed. She met his hungry eyes then took in his gorgeous, ripped figure before he lowered himself on top of her. She sank her nails into his back as he ran his hands over her body, electrifying her soul with their touch. Caynin trailed his fingers up her thigh, under her dress and then…
Caynin hissed and was off her in a flash. She sat up, about to ask what had happened.
“Iron,” he growled, and she realized he had accidently touched the knife strapped to her thigh. “You brought iron into my kingdom?”
The hurt and betrayal in his eyes made her flinch. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling weak and vulnerable.
“I needed to have a way to protect myself.” She would not tell him that someone had left the knife in her room.
“Is my protection not good enough then?”
“This isn’t personal,” she told him. Surely, he had to know that the other Fata would kill her if he allowed them. And they’d enjoy it. He had told her to find a way to defend herself, and she had. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
From the way he was looking at her, she gained the impression that if she had been anyone else, she would be dead. But Caynin would not hurt her.
It was the look of betrayal, that cut deeper than any words could, that made her say, “I’m sorry.”
Caynin did not respond. Instead, he left the room and slammed the door.