Zoey could not help but gape. She should leave; she was invading their privacy. But she could not tear her eyes away from this scandal unfolding before her.
Rane cupped Kismet’s cheeks with both hands and pulled her into him. Her hands were tangled in his shirt, and a soft moan escaped her lips. Rane opened his eyes and reached for the door, with the intention of closing it, but he saw Zoey. The color drained from his face, replaced by a look of horror Zoey had never seen before.
“What is it?” Kismet asked and then turned around. Once she saw Zoey, she clasped her hands over her mouth and jumped away from Rane. Zoey turned around and left quickly. All this time, Zoey had thought Kismet had a crush on Caynin. When Zoey and Caynin had been practicing sword fighting, Kismet had stared at them, and Zoey had thought she was jealous. But she had been watching Rane, who had shown up to talk to Caynin. At the feast, Zoey had caught Kismet staring at the elevated table. She had thought Kismet was staring at Caynin, while she had been staring at Rane, who had been seated next to Caynin. Also, Rane had left the feast early. Now that Zoey thought about it, she hadn’t seen Kismet after she tried to give Zoey the cupcake. Maybe they had left the feast together? They were having a secret affair.
Fata were territorial and valued their partners’ feelings. Rane hated Zoey and would love it if something bad happened to her. That was why Kismet had thrown her to the leopards and left the Black Illusion in her room. She had done it to please Rane.
Had the two of them laughed together after she had run through the castle, half naked? Had her humiliation brought them joy and laughter? At first, she had been furious with Kismet, and she had been powerless. She did not have any proof that Kismet had left the flower in her room, and she had nothing to hold over Kismet’s head. But now she did.
Oh, it truly was scandalous! Rane was a Waerie – it was his duty to protect Caynin. It was forbidden for him to have a female. He had not danced with anyone at the feast, and she had thought it because he was too focused on Caynin, when it was because he was loyal to Kismet and dancing with another would make her jealous.
“Zoey! Zoey! Wait!” Rane called.
She did not look at him and continued walking. Almost instantly, he was in front of her, leaving Kismet alone in his room.
“Zoey, listen…”
She could not stop herself from grinning. All this time he had treated her so poorly, and now she had all this power over him. How the tables had turned.
His eyes were worried as he grasped her shoulders. For a moment, she thought he would shake her, but he couldn’t hurt her. Caynin would be upset if he did.
“Don’t touch me.” Her command was powerful, unwavering.
Hesitantly, he removed his hands from her shoulders. She enjoyed telling him what to do and that he obeyed. Rane had the same desperate expression he had the day when Caynin’s leg had been stuck in the bear trap.
“You can’t tell him,” Rane said, desperately. “You’re not a killer.”
At dinner, Tarragon had explained that if a Waerie were to mate with a female, she would be executed, and he would be exiled.
“I am not going to kill her,” Zoey said.
“But if you tell Caynin, he will have her killed, and her blood will be on your hands.”
The way he was twisting the situation angered her. She had not done anything wrong, nor was she responsible for Kismet’s actions. “If you two weren’t sneaking around, she’d never be in danger. Don’t try and blame your shitty choices on me.”
Rane said, “I’ll stop being mean to you.”
“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”
“What do you want then?”
This was her chance to ask for anything she wanted. She could ask Rane for protection – she could never have too much of that. She could ask him to help her find a way out of the curse. She could tell him she would ask something of him in the future. She could blackmail him. But Zoey could still feel his boot on her face. She could still feel that fear and embarrassment.
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said.
“Then I’ll have to kill you,” Rane said.
Unexpectedly, he slammed her against the wall. He had one hand on her jaw, and he could snap her neck like a twig.
“Caynin will know!” Zoey said, instead of screaming. She doubted anyone would come to her aid. Rane held her but was hesitating in killing her. How would he cover up her death? Was he willing to lie to Caynin?
His hesitation gave Zoey the time she needed to stick her hand into her pocket and pull out the iron knife. She slammed it into Rane’s shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. He released her, stepped back, and clasped both hands over his sizzling shoulder while he cursed.
Two Fata appeared around the corner, wide eyed and curious. Zoey pulled the knife free, bolted past them, and dashed into the gardens. Rane did not follow. There was no way he would kill her out in the open.
Zoey stopped and tried to catch her breath. She touched her jaw, where Rane’s hand had been, and shuddered. She still clutched the knife in her other hand and put it back into her pocket.
She wanted nothing more than to tell Caynin about Rane’s secret. If Rane was exiled, it would surely make her life easier. Also, if Kismet died, she was not going to miss her.
Zoey headed toward her own room, and when she pushed open the door, she was surprised to find Caynin sitting on her bed. Her first instinct was to tell him what had happened, but she stopped herself when she saw how sad he looked. She closed the door behind her and sat down next to him on the bed.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
He reached for her hand and took it in his. He must have much on his mind – there was a Prenumbra on the loose, killing his Fata. She had been so self-absorbed, thinking about petty things such as Rane and Kismet, when he was dealing with an actual crisis.
“There’s not much to say,” Caynin said. If he had not come here to vent, was he here for comfort? He sniffed the air. “Is that blood I smell?”
There was no point in hiding it. She took the iron knife from her pocket. It was covered in Rane’s blood. Caynin looked at it but did not jump away like he had the first time. Had he predicted that she’d eventually stab someone?
“Yes.” She drew a deep breath. If she wasn’t going to tell him, Rane surely would. “I stabbed Rane.”
Caynin gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” she said placidly.
He was astonished. She expected him to be furious and to punish or threaten her. To her amazement, he started laughing.
“You never cease to surprise me.”
“Likewise,” she said as she watched him laughing. “Aren’t you angry?”
Caynin shook his head. “He had it coming.”
Zoey was not angry anymore, and she was thinking clearly. Rane had been scared when he spoke to her. He had manipulated, pleaded, and bargained to make her keep his secret. His last resort had been violence, and yet she had still escaped. He must be so embarrassed.
There were more important things to do than to ruin someone’s love affair. Maybe she should have made a deal with Rane, now that she had decided not to rat him out, and make Caynin punish him. Rane being bested by a human was punishment enough.
***
Caynin stayed in her room for a long while to take his mind off his worries. Zoey helped him do just that by telling him about her childhood. She told him stories about her and Violet building castles out of pillows and blankets while pretending to be princesses. She told him about her friendship with Eric and how they used to stay up to watch scary movies together.
“You must miss them a lot,” Caynin observed.
She nodded, suddenly looking away from him. She had told him these personal things with the intention of lifting the mood. Yet, she was now overwhelmed by sadness.
“I do,” she said. “I’m sorry I was so angry at you for compelling them.”
“No one likes to be controlled,” Caynin said. “I understand why you were angry.”
“You were only trying to help,” she said.
A moment of silence stretched between them before Caynin said, “You’ve not told me much about your parents.”
Caynin had shown her his stress, his fear, his vulnerability. He had placed his trust in her, and she had decided to do the same thing. So, she told him about her father and mother, that her mother liked painting and gardening and did not have anything in common with Zoey. Zoey looked nothing like her dad, with his pale skin and green eyes. She told him about her family vacations and how her parents always made her feel loved and wanted.
Now Caynin was sad.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I told you, you could never go back.”
Yes, she could never return to the human lands. She could never again hug her mother or kiss her father goodnight. She would never again drive a car or watch a movie.
“It’s okay,” she said. This conversation had become so personal, and Zoey surprised herself by how much she trusted Caynin. She had told him so much and did not see the point in stopping now. “I’m adopted.”
“Excuse me?” Caynin said, surprised.
She bit her lip. “My parents can’t have kids. They adopted me when I was a baby, and later, they adopted my sister. My parents told me I was adopted last year, and we decided to tell Violet when she was older. I’ve never looked into my real parents. I have no idea who they are.”
When her parents had told her the truth, it had come as a big shock. But, after a while, she had calmed down and realized she didn’t feel abandoned, lost, or lonely. She had two loving parents who had cared for her, her whole life. They would always be her parents. It did not matter to her that they weren’t blood related.
“What about your parents?” she asked Caynin.
“They died on Erken,” he said.
Zoey imagined Caynin’s parents to have been extremely wealthy and have high expectations of him. They must have taught him how to be a prince, how he was expected to walk, talk, and act. When she considered him, she could only conclude that, if they were still alive, they’d be extremely proud of him.
Caynin rose, and she realized the conversation was done and it was time for dinner. Caynin helped her off the bed and together they went to the dining room where Tarragon was already waiting for them. He greeted them warmly, and Zoey thought she could be roasted by the heat that his greeting generated. She would never be comfortable with the male and had a feeling he was only tolerating her because he was a guest in Caynin’s castle.
Caynin sat at the head of the table, and Zoey sat down next to him. As always, the table was set with beautiful silverware, and the food was ready and mouthwatering. Caynin and Tarragon started talking about the preparations for the Red Festival that would soon take place.
“It’s not the only big thing that will happen soon,” Caynin told her.
Her heart did a little dance. “Are you saying I will have my second trial any day now?”
“I’m saying it might come unexpectedly,” he warned.
She was unsure what he meant by that. She couldn’t help but be scared because she did not know what the trial would entail. Would it be as easy as last time? She wanted to ask Caynin more, but he was not allowed to tell her anything.
It took Zoey a moment to realize someone was missing. Where was Rane? Since Tarragon’s arrival, he had started joining them for dinner again. Had he and Kismet run away as a romantic gesture? She brushed aside the thought. Rane was too realistic for that.
Zoey was halfway through her meal when Rane entered the dining room. He wore a new shirt, and she assumed he had disposed of the blood-stained shirt. She could not see his wound. Had it already healed? As he approached the table, he glanced warily from Zoey to Caynin. Did anyone else notice how stiffly he walked?
“Rane!” Caynin said enthusiastically. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to join.”
“I thought so, too.” Rane took a seat next to Tarragon.
Rane’s nerves must be eating him up. Zoey smiled as she pictured him afraid, like she had been, wondering if she was going to tell Caynin about his lover. Was he relieved or waiting in anticipation?
Rane was tense at first, but he relaxed after a while. They all made small talk, and for once Rane listened when she spoke. If he was not interested in what she was saying, he was doing an excellent job at pretending to be.
When they were done eating, Zoey left the table first. As she was the only human, she was the only one who was tired. After excusing herself, she headed down the long hallway. She stepped into the gardens when she heard Rane call her name. She stopped and waited for him to join her.
He stopped in front of her and looked her in the eye. “Thank you.”
His sincerity was genuine, the intensity in his gaze obvious. He meant those words with all his heart. She smiled back and watched him return to the dining hall.
He must have accepted that she was not going to tell Caynin. Rane was one of the more powerful Fata in the kingdom; it couldn’t hurt to have him on her side. They were still far from being friends, but at least he did not hate her anymore.