Chapter 28
Sage
I gathered what little dignity I could despite Talon’s release slowly seeping down the insides of my thighs, squared my shoulders, and stepped out of the alcove into the hall.
Sir West’s expression remained grim as if he hadn’t just heard me having sex with Talon and it wasn’t a big deal that we’d done it in public where anyone could have seen.
Embarrassed heat flashed through me followed by terrified cold.
I’d had sex with Talon. West had listened to everything, and I’d been too desperate to notice anything beyond Talon and what we were doing.
At least the desire spike or allure or whatever it had been affecting me was satisfied, no longer burning up my insides with a desperate hunger making it impossible to think.
And thinking clearly was what I really needed to do if I was going to face the High Priestess.
Except being able to think clearly meant I knew how horribly that could have gone. Talon could have refused me. Someone could have walked past.
I could have bonded with Talon.
No. I bit the inside of my cheek, desperate to stop my whirling thoughts. Zinnia had put my marks to sleep. Even if I wasn’t human, I couldn’t form a mating bond with anyone. Zinnia had promised.
And I wasn’t going to think about the few marks that had turned green. They weren’t real. Me looking like a fae wasn’t real. It was impossible, a quirk of magic, a strange waking dream.
I bit back a bitter huff. More like a nightmare. Even if I couldn’t naturally form a mating bond, Crane and the other men who’d escaped were out there and I had no doubt their magically induced bonding spell would work on me.
Talon cleared his throat and offered me the crook of his arm.
Right. The High Priestess.
My pulse picked up as we turned a corner into the wide main hall and approached the end where the two heavy doors leading to the throne room stood.
Don’t say much. Keep your expression neutral. Get through this.
I had experience with this. The High Priestess would play her games, but she wouldn’t hurt me like Edred used to… at least I hoped she wouldn’t.
We reached the intricately carved doors with the two guards in gleaming armor standing on either side, their uniforms the green, gold, and white that I now knew indicated they were Knights of the Order of the Sacred Grove.
The guards nodded as we approached and pushed open the doors revealing the massive throne room inside.
The crowd standing before the dais at the front of the room seemed even larger than when I’d first stepped into the throne room…
or was that just because I’d been so stunned and confused when I’d first been presented to the High Priestess that I hadn’t noticed just how many courtiers attended Her Brilliance’s court.
There had to be over a hundred nobles — although I wasn’t sure if they were nobles in the sense of human nobility since I knew next to nothing about the political makeup of the fae realm — and they immediately fell silent the second I stepped into the room even though I was certain they couldn’t see me clearly from that distance.
Talon gave me a look, but his expression was strange and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to encourage me or warn me or something else. Then he stepped away into the shadows at the edges of the room, and my chest tightened.
Swell.
He was abandoning me to the powerful, capricious ruler of the fae realm when I needed support the most. Except from the last time, I knew he couldn’t really associate with me because the High Priestess had already been upset about the leaders of the Black Guard spending time with me.
She’d essentially told them to focus on their jobs and not me, and I was sure they were already risking her ire by ensuring at least one of them was always with me when I was in my suite alone with Sir West.
I sucked in a steadying breath, focused on what was in front of me, and strode forward.
The throne room was massive with half-stone, half-wood walls, a gleaming marble floor, and massive pillars and tree trunks holding up the soaring ceiling.
Large arched stained-glass windows depicted fae women with multiple mates, and flowering vines framed each window, their blooms pulsing with soft magical light.
I walked down the long central aisle, West’s heavy footsteps behind me loud in the hush.
Like last time, all the men — as well as the very few women in the crowd — all wore fine clothes and flashy jewelry that caught the light from the many chandeliers illuminating the massive space.
And just like last time, they all stared at me, their gazes hungry, judging, curious, boring into me from all sides.
The urge to hide squeezed my insides. I didn’t belong here. I was really a human, but I was terrified if I said something I’d be imprisoned and punished, and I couldn’t afford to risk my plan to keep Sawyer safe.
Instead, I kept my pace steady, praying they couldn’t tell how nervous I was.
“—was she really attacked or—”
“—look at her dress, it covers all her marks—”
“—hair isn’t even styled properly—”
“—Talon is never with a woman—”
I focused my attention on the front of the room with its recessed area with the high dais, the spectacular stained-glass starburst window glowing with brilliant light behind it even though it was night.
Beneath it sat the throne, shaped like a starburst as well with golden strips of various lengths protruding from the back, and flowering vines trailing around its base and curling over its arms.
Sitting on that throne, exactly as she’d been the last time, was the High Priestess in her shimmering white gown, her impossibly pale eyes already fixed on me.
This time, she only had two of her mates standing on either side and slightly behind her, the largest one who wore a variation of the knight’s armor except with bare arms to expose the radiant white bands ringing his biceps, and the slimmer one who wore the green and gold tunic.
I stopped in the same spot where Lord Rider had stopped the last time, about ten feet from the base of the stairs of the dais, and knelt with a lot more grace than before.
Zinnia had confirmed, kneeling and bowing low was proper protocol when presented to the High Priestess as opposed to the humans’ custom of curtseying.
I bowed my head and tried to watch the High Priestess through my lashes, not wanting to be caught unaware. Given how Her Brilliance behaved the last time, I wouldn’t put anything past her.
Just answer her questions as concisely as possible. Don’t give her extra information. Keep your expression neutral.
The High Priestess stared at me. That gleam I’d seen in her eyes the last time we’d met flashed across her expression, and I fought to keep my breathing steady while I waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
The silence stretched through the throne room, even the crowd seemed to hold their breath.
Was she going to acknowledge me? She was looking straight at me. Zinnia had said I couldn’t say anything to her unless she spoke directly to me.
Stay calm. Just stay calm.
This was just part of her game.
Besides, if I could submit to Edred, I could submit to the High Priestess.
The silence continued to stretch, longer and longer, until my insides squirmed with uncertainty.
“So, Lady Sage,” she finally said, her tone sharp. “You’ve kept me waiting.”
She sounded angry, which was entirely unreasonable given that I’d only just arrived in the Garden and had come as soon as Sir West had told me… well—
Heat flashed across my face at the memory of what Talon and I had done in the alcove, and I was grateful she hadn’t told me to raise my head yet.
I’d needed to handle the desire spike before I could face her, but had someone told her about that?
Was that why she was angry? Or was this just part of her game?
Whispers and soft laughter rippled through the courtiers, and I couldn’t tell if they knew what Talon and I had done or not.
“Oh, child,” she said in a singsong. “You may raise your head.”
I looked up and met those colorless eyes. Her lips twisted into a smug smile, wicked delight flashing through her expression for a heartbeat.
She knew. Father above, she knew.
Mortification twisted inside me even as I tried to remind myself that the fae didn’t care about nudity and public sex. The things I’d seen in the Garden were proof of that… unless it wasn’t supposed to happen in the Divine Residence.
No. I couldn’t let my thoughts wander. I had to focus on Her Brilliance right now. So she knew. Was she going to say something?
The High Priestess’s expression shifted to something that looked disappointed, and my pulse lurched. She was going to say something.
“I’m told you’ve been… resting in your chambers,” she said, making “resting” sound like an accusation.
More murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“—to ignore Her Brilliance—”
“—ungrateful—”
“—shameful—”
“—how could she?”
The High Priestess made no indication that she heard, and her expression shifted to false concern. “Have you recovered from your ordeal?”
My mind whirled. I had to say something that wouldn’t make this worse.
Except I had no idea what that would be and there wasn’t any excuse I could make. “Yes, Your Brilliance.”
“And my invitation to attend my court?” The sharp edge returned to her expression. “Have you met my courtiers? Found options for advantageous matches?”
My pulse picked up. “No, Your Brilliance.”
The High Priestess tilted her head, feigned confusion softening her features. “Why haven’t you? What could possibly prevent you from enjoying the hospitality I’ve extended?”
Because I wanted nothing to do with her and her court. I couldn’t bond a mate, and I didn’t want one in the first place. Because I was human. And I didn’t trust her!
The words bubbled in my throat, desperate and frustrated, and angry, and I swallowed them back.
I couldn’t say that. I had to play the game, had to stay as uninteresting and boring as possible given the circumstances.
“My healer advised prudence, Your Brilliance,” I said. Zinnia had implied hitting my head had given me amnesia. Maybe if I reminded the High Priestess of that she’d stop pressing. “Because of my head injury, I didn’t want to risk large groups of—”
“Oh nonsense.” The High Priestess waved a dismissive hand. “Zinnia is overly cautious. My gardens host small, intimate gatherings, hardly the overwhelming crowds you seem to fear.”
“I simply feel I need more time—” Come on. Please. Just let me hide in my room until I can figure out how to stop manifesting in the Garden.
“Time.” The High Priestess’s pale eyes narrowed. “Time for what, exactly? To hide in your chambers while my court whispers about your behavior? To make yourself appear… difficult?”
My stomach twisted tighter and I struggled to keep my breathing even.
The High Priestess sat back, that gleam flashing in her eyes again. “Let me be clear, Lady Sage. You’re recovered. You’ve been given adequate time. I’ve provided you with one of my most skilled knights for your protection. My courtiers have shown you patience and respect by allowing you space.”
She wasn’t going to let me escape. Not even with the excuse of having injured my mind.
“Therefore,” she continued, her voice turning to an unsettling purr, “you will begin participating in court life. Tonight, my private garden awaits, where I’ve personally selected a small group of men for you to meet.
And in four days… a ball to properly introduce you to my court.
Surely you wouldn’t refuse such consideration? ”
Maybe I could delay it. I was sure if I could figure out Lord Quill’s meditation, I’d stop manifesting in the Garden. “Your Brilliance, I—”
A darkness filled her expression that sent shivers down my spine.
“This is not a request,” she snapped. “You’ve been given privilege and protection. It’s time you showed proper gratitude.”
My pulse lurched, her tone perfectly clear. If I refused, she’d punish me, to hell with her thinking my spark would be powerful or advantageous or anything else.
“Yes, of course, Your Brilliance,” I said, bowing forward and pressing my forehead to the marble floor.
“Excellent,” she purred. “Rise, Lady Sage. You have men to meet.”