Rude.
“There,” I utter more to myself than anyone else. “That’s what I was trying to do.”
“Did you hear me?” Tristan grouses.
“Oh my god, there is no need to repeat yourself. I ignored you just fine the first time,” I grumble, rubbing my temples. The water orb sloshes back down into the small water feature.
“What do you want?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm and level.
Tristan folds his arms and stares at me, long and hard.
“Don’t be dramatic,” I huff.
“Honestly, it’s a wonder she hasn’t accidentally wrapped the lot of you in vines yet, with all the noise you’re creating.” Zaria laughs from her spot by the balcony doors.
The room goes quiet, all eyes turning to her. I can’t help the small smirk that tugs at my lips at her comment.
“Don’t tempt me,” I quip, waving my hand as a small tendril of energy sparks in the air. The faint golden glow dances around my fingers before fading away, but it’s enough to make them all pause.
Scarlett’s expression softens. “Sorry, E.” She gives me a sheepish grin. “Didn’t mean to make it harder for you.”
Kian strolls over, drawing my attention, his lavender eyes narrowing on me. “Something is different with you. What happened?”
My face instantly heats, and I take a step back. “Nothing.”
“You’re lying,” Tristan accuses.
“Fae can’t lie,” I respond, my defenses rising.
“With you, that’s debatable,” Kian argues, raising his eyebrow. I narrow my eyes at him, his lavender eyes searching mine for answers.
“Didn’t you have something to tell me?” I deflect, rounding on Tristan.
“Well, I only wanted to say Coraline is here to see you and drop off some of her specialties.”
Surprise has my eyes widening. “Really?”
“Who’s Coraline?” Mia walks over, her fingers sliding through her long, dark brown hair to braid it over her shoulder.
“She is a purple-haired pixie who bakes the most delicious treats.” I bite my lip as my mouth begins to water. “I hope they taste good.”
“Coraline’s baking always tastes good.” Kian’s frown looks personal.
I hold my hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying, since Maxon’s been gone, everything tastes like cardboard.”
“What’s cardboard?” Tristan asks, wrinkling his nose.
“Never mind.” I sigh. “It would be good to see her.”
“I’ll get Lutin and Senka to bring her up,” Tristan offers, turning for the door.
I watch as he pokes his head out and speaks to Lutin, I’m assuming, and then shuts the door. My attention goes to Kian, who is staring at me oddly.
“What?”
His head tilts and steps closer. “How’s the headache?”
His question takes me by surprise, even though it shouldn’t. He’s always been attentive. And being the first day of the new moon, I should be crawling out of my skin, right?
Taking a breath, I glance to the side at Mia. She just looks at me expectantly.
“They have gone,” I reply carefully.
Kian takes another step closer. “The jaw pain?”
“Also gone.”
His eyes move over my face and trace the mate mark. “What happened last night?”
Mia steps between us, her hands on her hips. “What’s with the questions?” she snaps.
“Yeah. If you want to ask her something, don't beat around the bush,” Scarlett adds walking over and opening up the balcony doors.
“Beat around the bush?” Tristan echoes.
Kian ignores everyone else in the room, his intense gaze locked on me, sharp and probing. “Did you feed?” His voice is low, but there’s an edge to it that makes my heart race.
Heat floods my cheeks, my mind flashing back to the memory of last night. I can’t hold his stare any longer, so I drop my eyes to the ground.
“Don’t do that,” he snaps.
My fingers curl into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms.
“Do what?!” My response is harsh, my voice trembling with a mix of embarrassment and rising frustration.
“Hide!” Kian bellows, his voice echoing through the room.
“Hide?” I echo, staring at him for a moment. “Why are you getting so worked up?”
“He thinks you fed from another.” Zaria sighs.
My eyes widen. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I had a dream last night, okay? But I think it was real!”
“What do you mean?” he demands, his voice quieter now, but no less intense.
“I woke up in a meadow.” My voice shakes as the memory rushes back. “Maxon was there. We . . . ” My breath hitches, and I force myself to keep going, my pulse pounding in my ears. “We had sex. And we fed from each other.”
The room goes deathly silent at my confession. Tension hangs in the air like a storm about to break.
“Are you sure?” Tristan’s voice breaks the tension, his frown deepening as he steps forward, concern etched across his face.
I swallow hard, my throat dry. “I don’t know. It felt real. I could feel everything—the blood, the connection, him . . . It was too vivid to just be a dream.” I glance between Tristan and Kian, my mind still spinning. “And I have his bite mark on me.”
“Show me,” Kian demands.
Embarrassment surges through me, heating my skin until it feels like I’m burning from the inside out. I shake my head vigorously, taking a step back. “Nope, not happening.”
“Why?” His eyes narrow, suspicion threading through his voice.
I shoot a desperate glance at Mia and immediately, she jumps up, hooking her arm through mine.
“Talk’s over,” Mia declares. “She doesn’t have headaches anymore, her jaw pain’s gone, and she had an amazing sex dream with her mate. It’s done. Let’s move on.”
Her bluntness makes my cheeks burn even hotter, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over me.
“I’ve never heard of those kinds of dreams. We should ask Nolan or Raiden,” Tristan muses.
“No!” I don’t know why I am so embarrassed about this, but the thought of talking about my time with Maxon with others just makes me uncomfortable. “Look, if it happens again, I will find out, but for now, just forget it.”
Before either can argue, there is a knock at the door. Scarlett skips over, red hair bouncing behind her, and swings the door open.
“Come in. You must be Coraline.” She steps back for her to enter.
Coraline flutters into the room. Her wings are just as beautiful as I remember, with their rainbow hues catching the light. Her pink, jewel-like eyes lock onto mine as she gracefully takes flight toward me. She’s no bigger than Nix, but her aura makes her feel bigger.
“Your Majesty. I’m so sorry to hear about the king. I bought some of my most popular sweets to try to lift your mood.”
I smile softly at her, remembering how fond Maxon is of her. “I appreciate it.”
Mia shrieks and jumps back as Nix comes flying into the room through the balcony window like a bullet.
“Coraline!” Nix yells, with excitement, colliding with Coraline in a burst of fairy dust. Both fairy and pixie are laughing when they pull back.
“I haven’t seen you in so long. Where have you been hiding?” Coraline asks, cupping Nix’s face like a mother would.
“Lurking in the shadows, biting unexpecting people.” She grins, flashing her teeth.
“I believe that,” I mutter.
“What brings you to the castle?” Nix asks.
“I brought Her Majesty some of my baked goods, to lift her spirit.”
Nix’s eyes light up, reminding me of the last time she had sugar, and I cover my mouth to hide my smile at her excitement.
“I love your sweets,” Nix whispers, her hands folding under her chin.
“I’ve brought plenty for everyone,” Coraline replies, smiling at us all in turn. Scarlett and Mia walk over to the wooden crates Lutin and Senka brought in and placed on the table before slipping back out into the hall.
Scarlett sniffs the air. “They smell divine.”
“Are they made with magic?” Mia lifts what looks like a slice of strawberry cake from the crate.
“Yes. I pour my love and magic into everything I bake. Sometimes potions, too, depending on what the customers want.”
“Like love potions?” Scarlett snorts, taking a bite of a chocolate croissant.
“Exactly.”
Scarlett’s green eyes widen, and she chokes, looking at me for clarity. Giving her a shrug, I turn to thank Coraline, but jump in surprise as she hovers less than a foot away from my face.
“Do you have a plan?” she questions, her voice quiet and urgent.
I frown, caught off guard. “A plan?”
Her eyes flash with a desperation that’s almost painful to see. “To get the king back. You must have a plan.”
Something pulls inside me at the vulnerability in her gaze. I force myself to nod, keeping my voice steady even as it softens. “Yes, I have a plan,” I whisper, trying to put conviction behind the words.
Her pink eyes shimmer, and with a gentle touch, she traces the mate mark on my face, her fingers lingering. Eyes return to mine, steady and full of conviction. “You two are fated mates. You’re in each other’s blood, bones, heart, and soul. You will always find each other. I believe that.”
Her words wrap around me, a balm for the gnawing doubt that has been tearing at me.
“I sure hope so,” I murmur, my voice catching.
Her fingers slip away from my face, leaving a warmth that lingers.
“Well,” she continues, her expression softening slightly, “it’s past the time of the new moon, and you’re not in a cell being driven mad with the need to feed from your mate, so I take it you found each other when you needed to.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I draw in a sharp breath. “How do you know that?”
She gives a small smile, one filled with centuries of knowledge. “I’m over five hundred years old, Your Majesty. I know a few things.”
I blink, my mind spinning with the weight of her words. “Do you know of the Skythari Nomads?” I blurt, the question slipping from my lips before I can stop it, too desperate for answers.
“Everly!” Tristan snaps from the corner, cutting through the tension. “Raiden will be pissed if he finds out.”
I ignore him and look pleadingly at Coraline.
“Yes, they dwell deep in the Ethereal Mountains. They also cannot be found unless they wish to be. Why do you ask?”
I bite my lip, anxiety bubbling up as I glance between Mia and Scarlett.
They both give me a subtle shrug, neither of them offering advice.
It’s clear—this decision is mine alone. Should I share what the Witte Wieven told me?
Can I trust Coraline with that kind of information?
Maxon is fond of her, sure. But trust doesn’t come easily for me, especially not now.
I chew on my lip, bringing my gaze back to Coraline, who is patiently waiting.
“I was given some information," I offer cautiously, my voice tight with uncertainty. "And I need to find the nomads.”
Coraline’s eyes narrow, a subtle movement that somehow makes her pink irises glow even brighter. “Information by whom?”
“Everly,” Tristan snaps.
My heart races, my pulse thudding loud in my ears.
“It doesn’t matter who told me,” I reply.
Coraline’s stare doesn’t waver. “Then what did they tell you?”
Too late to back out now.
I swallow hard, the words burning at the back of my throat. The verse, cryptic and haunting, has been burned into my mind since the moment the Witte Wieven whispered it to me. Every syllable, every twisted word has taken root, growing in the deepest corners of my thoughts.
“Through caverns deep and shadows wide, The Skythari Nomads dwell where beasts do hide.
To earn their trust, a bond must form, In Ethereal Peaks where magic storms.
The beasts will guide your path they know, but only through trust can you truly grow.
To reunite with what you’ve lost, seek the creatures, no matter the cost.
Shadow’s hand will search in vain, for only the beasts can break the chain.”
Coraline’s eyes expand the longer I talk, and her wings sag. “That’s a lot of information that can be interpreted in many ways, Your Majesty.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“Well, the clearest thing is the Skythari Nomads. If you’re able to find them and gain their trust, they possess beasts that are unwaveringly loyal. They will be the key to finding our king.”
“So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!” Scarlett comes to stand next to me, bumping my shoulder.
“Yeah, I want to meet this amazing mate of yours.” Mia grins.
“I think you're all forgetting that Everly is being crowned queen tomorrow,” Tristan snaps angrily.
“And we aren’t simply knocking on someone’s door, this will be a long journey through the snowy mountains, looking for a race that doesn’t allow any outsiders,” Kian adds.
Coraline flits up to my face, her small form radiating confidence as she taps my nose lightly. “I believe in you,” she says, her voice unwavering and full of faith. “You’ve got this.”
Her words settle over me like a cloak, warm and steady, banishing the chill of doubt that’s lingered in my mind. I take a deep breath, pushing down the last remnants of fear, and straighten my back, feeling my resolve harden. “You’re right. It’s time to stop waiting and start acting.”
I turn to Tristan and Kian, who stand nearby wearing expressions that are a blend of anticipation, concern, and something close to admiration.
“Tristan, let Raiden know I want to meet in the war room in thirty minutes.” Tristan’s eyes flash, and he gives a sharp nod before he strides off.
I turn to Kian, who’s watching me closely. “Kian, go find Fenris. Tell him I want him there as well.”
Dipping his head, he leaves the room without a word.