Chapter 19
Heart
Damien, Evelyn, and General Savatier were still talking at the edge of the ballroom when a handsome, silver-haired man approached them.
Haydn! He’s alive!
Evelyn took an involuntary step back as her heart leapt to her throat.
Damien threw a protective arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“He was at the bar that night!”
Damien looked at the man, who had started chatting with the general, then back at Evelyn. “Ritter? He helped me pull people out after the explosion.”
“What? No—”
“Princess Evelyn,” General Savatier interrupted. “Have you met our guest from Lochmatten yet? This is High Councilor Haydn Ritter.”
High Councilor?
Councilor Ritter bowed, causing locks of his wavy silver hair to fall out of place. “It’s wonderful to officially meet you, Princess.”
Evelyn barely heard him over the memory of his voice in the bar: “I want to drag you into a dark corner and fuck you until neither of us can remember our names.”
He’s a High Councilor from Lochmatten? He absolutely did not mention that! Is that how he saw through the illusion? Is that how he knew who I was?
Gods, all of them are staring at me. But of course they are. I’m being rude. Say something!
Evelyn looked up at Damien, silently pleading for help.
He squeezed her shoulder before sending Haydn a friendly grin. “It’s good to see you again, Ritter. It’s been a long time since the war. Congratulations on your appointment to Councilor.”
Haydn returned the smile. “Thank you, Fontaine. I had some resistance from Wendell, but you remember how he is.”
“Grumpy bastard!” Damien chuckled. “But he’s been around long enough to have prophesied the creation of the old gods. If I live that long, you bet I won’t have anything nice to say, either!”
All of the men laughed, and Evelyn relaxed a little. “You mentioned a war? Which one?”
“When the Republic of Trasmyr tried to seize Lochmatten about a hundred years ago,” General Savatier explained. “Armies from both kingdoms responded to defend the isle.”
“Lochmatten is peaceful, you see,” Councilor Ritter told her. “We are eternally grateful for the support of Gryon and Carrowmore, since we do not have an army of our own. The conflict lasted less than a year with their help. I’m sure I owe my life to General Savatier and Lieutenant Fontaine.”
Who the fuck is this man? It’s like Haydn and Councilor Ritter are two different people. The man who had me breathless in the bar cannot possibly be the same as this polite diplomat.
“Captain now,” Damien bragged. “You’re not the only one with a promotion, Ritter.”
Haydn tipped his head. “My mistake. I’m sure you earned it.”
The two of them exchanged a look Evelyn couldn’t quite read, like they had an inside joke she wasn’t privy to.
How well do they know each other?
Damien turned back to Evelyn. “Your father was there, too. He led his army from the Fire Court.”
Evelyn frowned. “He’s never really talked about it.”
“Lord Robert mentioned the war earlier, remember? He said you were born right after it ended.” Damien gently tugged on one of her red curls.
“Barbeau hasn’t changed much, has he?” Haydn noted with amusement, watching the rowdy Taste Court.
“I made the mistake of letting him give Princess Evelyn a glass of wine tonight,” Damien said guiltily. “I don’t know what he does to that vineyard of his, but our sweet princess hasn’t quite recovered yet.”
“And King Tristan didn’t put you in chains?” General Savatier asked.
“What can I say? The king likes me.”
“Only the gods know why,” Evelyn muttered.
Haydn gave her a devilish smile. “Fontaine’s charm always wears off after a while.”
“That’s what magic is for, my friend,” Damien said, not taking offense. “Although that’s something the two of you have in common. The princess also has immunity to our illusions.”
“I thought I heard a rumor about that,” Haydn said, not taking his eyes off Evelyn. “Curious how you would end up with so much more than Fire magic.”
“It seems to be a lack of magic, not extra,” Evelyn countered.
“Tell me more while we dance,” Haydn insisted.
Evelyn hesitated, but Damien subtly nudged her forward. “Of course, Councilor.”
Evelyn took Haydn’s proffered arm and let him escort her onto the dance floor. He was well dressed, in a formal white jacket trimmed in gold, and caught the attention of several women as they passed by.
He still smells like pine. And being near him feels electrifying. But I’m with Leo… sort of. I cannot get distracted with this man.
Haydn put a hand on her waist and they began to dance.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Evelyn said bluntly.
Haydn chuckled. “I’ve never received a higher compliment.”
“I didn’t know if you’d gotten out of the bar in time.”
“I left right before you did. My friend had other plans for us.”
“You didn’t tell me you were a fucking diplomat!” Evelyn hissed.
“You never asked.” Haydn shrugged, which was difficult to do while dancing.
“I shouldn’t have had to ask. You should have told me.”
“I wasn’t thinking about my job that night. I was busy imagining what it would be like to fuck you against the wall.”
Evelyn flushed and glanced around them, terrified that someone overheard. “You can’t say shit like that here!”
“You liked it when I said it the first time.”
“No, I didn’t,” Evelyn lied.
“My mistake was bad timing. You had an illusion over you, so obviously you didn’t want to be recognized. I apologize for ignoring that.”
“You knew I had an illusion? How?”
Haydn cocked his head in question. “Can you not see illusions at all? Not even a hint of what they should be?”
“No. Illusions just… aren’t there.”
“Well, that’s very interesting.”
“Why? What happens for you?”
“Visual illusions show up like a smudge on a window,” he explained. “I can see through it, but I know it’s there. Your attempt at blonde hair was like a stain over your real self.”
“What about Auditory illusions?”
“The other senses are simply muted. Quiet sounds, faint scents, subtle flavors. Enough to notice but not enough to enjoy it. And certainly not enough to be seduced by it.”
I’m not responding to that.
“It’s not just illusions that don’t work. Elemental magic doesn’t affect me, either.” Haydn squeezed her hand. “Try to burn me.”
“Ha! As much as I would love to, I’m not supposed to set anyone on fire during a ball.”
“Just do it.”
“Fine, but you’ll regret it.”
Evelyn sent Fire magic through her fingers, expecting his hand to burst into flame. But… nothing happened. It was like a wall blocked her magic from hitting him.
That should only happen with other Fire fae who can’t be harmed by flames.
Haydn smirked. “I told you.”
“How is that possible?”
“Lochmatten secret.”
Evelyn caught sight of Leo dancing with someone new, and another stab of jealousy hit her heart.
All I wanted tonight was to dance with Leo. I’ve spent most of the evening with Damien and now Haydn has reappeared. Will one of my ex-boyfriends from Carrowmore show up next?
“Would I interest you more if I had mismatched eyes?” Haydn teased.
Evelyn glared at him.
He seemed pleased by her anger. “Illusions aren’t the only thing I can see, Princess. Whose idea was it to pretend you belong to Fontaine?”
“I don’t belong to anyone! Damien is my friend.”
“Why isn’t the blue-eyed man the one getting you drunk?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Keeping secrets must run in the family.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He only smiled. Evelyn tried to push him away, but Haydn tightened his grip on her waist. “Don’t cause a scene.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” she snapped.
“You should visit Lochmatten. My ship leaves tomorrow. You could come with me.”
He can’t be serious!
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Evelyn said.
“Why not?”
“I just met you. I don’t trust you!”
“I haven’t lied to you. Can you say that about everyone else here?”
“Even if you haven’t lied, which I don’t believe, you are keeping secrets.”
Haydn nodded. “That’s true. But I’ll make you a deal. If you come to Lochmatten, I will share a secret.”
She scoffed. “That’s hardly a worthwhile promise.”
“Visit the isle, Evelyn, and I will give you information your family has kept hidden.”
My family? He’s making this up!
“You don’t know anything about me or my family.”
“If you don’t believe me, you have nothing to lose. I will not force you to go anywhere and the deal won’t expire. You can come to Lochmatten tomorrow or two hundred years from now. While you are there, I’ll show you a secret that you will care about. All you have to do is say yes.”
“Why?” Evelyn asked. “If you want to tell me something, do it now.”
“That’s not how it works. The offer is a secret for a visit. No risk, great reward.”
Evelyn groaned. “If I agree to this stupid deal, will you let go of me?”
Haydn raised his chin proudly. “I swear I will leave you alone the rest of the night. Just say yes.”
“Yes!”
Light flashed across Haydn’s eyes and pain shot through Evelyn’s wrist. She cried out, but the crescendo of the song drowned out the sound.
Evelyn stopped dancing and looked down at her arm.
A small black tattoo had appeared on the inside of her wrist. It was an outline of a heart, barely half an inch tall.
“What the fuck?”
“Don’t you like it?” Haydn asked innocently.
She snarled at him. “What did you do?”
“Bargains sealed by magic are inked on the skin,” Haydn explained like he was teaching a child that it hurts to touch fire.
“What are you talking about?”
“You agreed to my deal. The tattoo is simply your receipt. Look, I have my own.” Haydn rolled up his sleeve to show an identical heart on his own wrist.
Evelyn wanted to scream. Instead, her brain decided to ask a stupid question. “Why is it a heart?”
“Because a Bargain can get you your heart’s desire.”
Evelyn set her wrist on fire, just for a few heartbeats, but the tattoo didn’t budge.
Dammit.
“Get rid of it,” she told him.
“I can’t. It will disappear when the Bargain is complete but not before. You’ll have to visit me on the isle, Princess.”