Chapter Twelve

Salome

Adaba stuck close to Gareth’s horse as we weaved through the greenery. The sun beat down on us, and sweat trickled down my forehead. Everything spoke of summer: the flowers, the warm breeze, butterflies flitting overhead.

Adaba whinnied beneath me, and I scratched his neck. I glanced over my shoulder then frowned. To the southwest, the skies darkened as if a winter storm moved in. I shivered, glad we were headed away from it.

The horses in front of us came to a stop as we approached a large clearing. “Here we are, the border of Summer,” Nevin said as he and the others dismounted.

He walked back to me, clutched my waist, and helped me down. He offered me his arm, then led me toward a white oak gate that stood at least twenty foot tall. Carved into the wood were trees, suns, birds, and flowers.

Holy fairytale setting.

This was even greater than the summer estate that butted up against my grandma’s property, where Nevin had invited me when I chose Gareth to be mine. Speaking of which, my gaze shifted as I tried to find Gareth. He fell in behind us.

“You can walk with me, you know.” My eyes met his as I glanced at him over my shoulder.

He smiled, but it seemed forced. “You are Nevin’s guest here. He wants everyone to know it.”

“But I’m your girlfriend. I’d rather be with you.”

“It’s tradition, Salome, as his guest and—might I add—his savior, he must be the one to lead you in,” he responded as the large gate swung open.

I gasped when I saw inside. Great white oaks reached to the sky. Stairs wound around them, leading to houses in the trees. Waterfalls cascaded down mountainsides, splashing into streams that carried boats with Fae in them.

Pink petals blew across the marble roadway. Fae gathered along the roadside to watch us pass through. They bowed and cheered. Nevin waved with one hand, while he placed the other at the small of my back.

The sound of wind chimes carried on the breeze, bringing back memories of Grandma’s house. Trees billowed back and forth. My gaze took in the sweeping gardens, full of wildflowers of every shade imaginable. Gardens opened into courtyards filled with statues and water fountains.

It was like I’d stepped into a Tolkien novel. We made our way under a stone archway, which had two ornate oaks carved into it. On the other side we approached white marble stairs inlaid with gold.

“Holy crap,” I said.

My mouth hung open as I gawked at the palace, built right into the trees that surrounded it. It had archways that seemed to touch the sky and balconies overlooking pools of splashing water. Tiny fairies flew by my head, chittering as they darted into the trees above. Beautiful, tall Fae moved with grace, making way for Nevin.

He leaned over, his breath fanning out against my face. “So, what do you think?”

“It—it’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like it…”

“Nor will you ever again.” He chuckled, ushering me up into the palace.

Everything was light, pristine, and open. At the center of the foyer was a fountain that sprayed water several feet into the air. Four staircases went off the main level—one in each direction—leading to a balcony that wrapped around the room above. My head tilted back, and I caught sight of the ceiling. Scenes of Summer and entwined lovers were etched into the gleaming wood tiles.

“I can’t believe you live here.” I spun to take everything in.

Nevin stood, watching me. “Now you know why I was so eager to get back home. My kingdom is everything to me. Not just the palace, but the people—the warmth.” He caught my hand, tugging me toward one of the staircases. “Come along, I’ll show you to your room.”

One of the guards approached him and handed him an envelope. “Your Highness, a message came in this morning while you were gone.”

My gaze flitted over the familiar handwriting. “Is that from my grandmother?”

Nevin tucked it away. “Yes, but I’ll read it later.”

“Why are you corresponding with her?” Alarm bells went off.

“She’s likely just asking how you’re doing.” His posture went rigid as he caught Gareth’s eye but said no more.

“What the hell is that about?”

Gareth glanced at me and gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. “Not here.”

Nevin’s guards dispersed, leaving only me, Gareth, and him. When we reached the balcony area, two halls branched off in different directions.

“I’ll see you later.” Gareth kissed my cheek. “I promise, we’ll speak later.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“My room is in a different wing than yours.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze.

“You’re not serious?”

“Yes.”

“But I thought we’d be together, or at least near one another.”

“Here, we don’t share rooms unless we’re wed. Besides, we had separate quarters in my estate.”

“I know. It’s just I’m nervous being here. You’ll still be able to come see me, won’t you?”

“Of course. Don’t worry so much. I promise, you’ll grow to love it here as much as we do.”

“We’ll meet up with him for dinner,” Nevin said beside me. “Now, let’s get you to your room so you can freshen up.”

We walked down the narrow corridor. Wind sneaked in through the opened windows above, bringing with it the scent of roses.

At last we stopped in front of a blue door with a golden crown and flowers painted on it. Nevin twisted the handle and it swung open. “Here you are. If you need anything, my room is right next to yours. The maids have already prepared a basin of water and a clean dress for you.”

“Thank you,” I said, stepping around him.

He stood, staring at me for a moment before he closed the door behind me.

Holy shit.

My eyes widened as I took in the ginormous canopied bed. The light blue curtains billowed back and forth as air blew in from doors that led to a private balcony. An ornate white marble fireplace sat against the back wall, with two plush, wine-colored chairs placed in front of it.

Scenic paintings decorated the walls—pictures of lovers and gardens. Two mahogany armoires stood at either side of the bed, a chest at the foot of it. My gaze settled on the open bathroom right off my room. A golden tub the size of a hot tub took up the better part the bathroom’s space.

Damn, this place was made for a queen. After checking everything out, I found the bowl of water and scrubbed my face and arms. Later, I planned to soak in a steaming bath, but for now, I quickly changed out of my grubby clothes and put on the pale blue dress that’d been laid out for me.

I had just enough time to run a brush through my hair when I heard the knock on my door. When I answered, I found Nevin waiting for me.

“Shall we go to Gareth’s room for a bite to eat?”

My stomach growled in response. “Yeah, I can definitely use some food.”

We left my new room and headed back the way we came. When we got to a door with swords carved into it, Nevin stopped and knocked.

From inside, Gareth called us to come in. His room was smaller than mine, but still large. Where I had pictures on my walls, he had weapons. His four-poster bed took up the far back wall; blue velvet blankets and pillows covered it.

“Why don’t you take a seat?” Gareth pulled out a chair at the table, already laden with food: tiny elegant sandwiches, soup, fruit, some type of red drink filled crystal goblets.

“Thanks.”

Nevin sat next to me, but before Gareth could join us, his door burst open and a tall blond woman barged in.

“Gareth! I heard you were home.” She rushed forward, to throw her arms around his neck. Her long hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. She wore tight breeches and a tunic, which showed off her fabulous figure.

I instantly hated her. Who the hell was this chick? Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Or a lover? My stomach clenched as I fisted handfuls of my skirt and my eyes narrowed.

Gareth glanced at me and grinned. “Jealous?”

“Damn straight.”

“Well don’t be.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Salome,” he said with a smirk. “I’d like you to meet my sister Gwenn.”

“Sister? How did I not know you had a sibling?”

He shrugged. “It never came up.”

Gwenn turned to stare at me. She frowned. “So, this is the human you left us for? Hardly seems worth the time.”

“Gwenn that’s e—”

Nevin glared. “You will not talk about her that way. Have a seat and keep your mouth shut.”

Her jaw tightened, but she did as she was told. Gareth joined us as well, plopping down across from me.

“Don’t worry. She’ll grow to like you.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Nevin cleared his throat. “We have a very important matter we need to discuss regarding the kingdom.”

Gareth tensed, his hand tightened on the edge of the table, and he averted his gaze to the nearby window.

“What’s wrong?” My pulse thundered in my ears. I didn’t like how on edge he seemed.

“Whatever he has to say, know that I had nothing to do with this decision.”

My eyes widened. “Is this what you meant when you said we’d speak later?”

“Just listen to Nevin. He’ll explain everything. This affects you. It affects all of us.”

I definitely didn’t like the sound of that.

Nevin studied me for a moment, then said, “You’ve done so much for our kingdom, Salome. You freed me from the Winter Curse, along with several of my troupe. You’ve given my people hope again. They speak of how you defeated the witch and stood up against Winter. I’ve not seen them this happy or optimistic in years.”

Embarrassed, I stared at my plate. “I’m glad to have helped.”

“But it’s not just that. I felt power coursing through you when Grisselle cornered you in the woods. And Adaba told me how you scared off the Kelpie with magic.”

Wait, wait. Was he confirming I really did have magic? But before I could ask anything, he went on.

“You are strong and powerful. Your grandmother wouldn’t confirm anything for sure with me, but she did say you belonged here in Faerie.” Nevin slid his chair back, stood, and then came to kneel before me. “You’ve done more than help us. In fact, it is these very reasons why I want you to be my queen. The Queen of Summer.”

My mouth went dry, heart clamoring like a drum set.

What?

Maybe I’d heard him wrong.

But three pairs of eyes watched me expectantly. Oh hell. He was for real.