Chapter 3
Iknew right away that I’d embarrassed Incendis even more, but when he nodded, it felt right that I’d asked. A virgin fae prince? Sure, some people might think that was great and be really into it.
I was not one of them.
I’d never been anyone’s first anything. While I remembered my firsts and might be able to do better than was done to me in ways that mattered to me now, I wasn’t sure I wanted an impulsive hookup and wish fulfillment session to be someone else’s first time.
I still believed that losing your virginity should be special.
“Um, you know what?” I took a step back from Incendis and cleared my throat. “Maybe this isn’t the time for this. Um. I mean, we probably shouldn’t be so hasty.”
He nodded at the floor and tried to casually hide his erection. He was unsuccessful. That anaconda could not be contained and was heading down the leg of his pants.
I almost changed my mind.
But then I remembered why I was here.
“You know, we should probably keep things between us on a more professional level. I’m here to help you and your kingdom, right? So—”
“Court.”
“Court? Oh, right, not…not kingdom.”
I stood there feeling so awkward when he caught himself on fire again. He did it without a word or a gesture, just the sudden sound of a flame igniting and there he was, burning again. Was that more embarrassment? Was he feeling defensive?
He walked over to the door, opened it, and said, “Could you escort my guest to a room for the night? Please see to all of his needs.”
If that was what I wanted, why did I hate that I was getting it? Literally, I walked out of the room feeling like I’d just been dumped, fired, and evicted. It was even worse when I looked back and he’d already shut the door.
Okay, but seriously, this was the right thing to do.
A prince like him could be a virgin on purpose.
What did I know about fae traditions? Maybe their royals of all genders were supposed to do the old-timey purity thing?
If we slept together, it could mean we were married here!
I didn’t know. And I didn’t have to agree with it to respect it.
Which was totally what I was doing, being respectful. Gentlemanly, even.
“Here we are, sir,” my escort said as they opened a door several down from Incendis’s.
“Thanks.”
I went inside and found a room just as lavish as his but a lot smaller and done in lavender. Lavender. That was not a shade in my color palette. I opened my mouth to ask for any other room, but then didn’t want to add being a pain in the butt to embarrassing a prince all in one night.
“Is there anything else I can provide for you before you retire?”
“Uh...” Everything I could think of in that moment was something I seriously doubted they had here, like my lounge pants or my nighttime skin products. “Um, no. I think I’m fine.”
“Have a good night, sir.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
They closed the door, and I was alone.
Everything about this felt like the wrong move. But why? I didn’t know the customs, I barely knew him, and jumping in like he was any ol’ trick was a bad idea. Incendis was…special.
With a groan, I flopped onto the cold and empty bed.
I still felt unsteady in the morning. Normally, I was very confident in my decisions.
Even when I was impulsive, I was trusting my gut and that thing was never wrong.
Become an accountant? Show me the money!
Piece my ears and my nose? Boy, look at me sparkle!
Jump into the fairy ring with Wally? That’s what we do!
So why was it all screeching tires and record scratch when I had the chance to fuck a fae prince? Because stopping and saying no had been the right move. My gut had said so.
My brain just needed to catch up.
A sharp series of knocks on the door had me sitting up with a gasp. “Yes?”
“Good morning, sir,” came a muffled low voice. “May I enter?”
Oh, was this one of those valet types come to help get me ready for the day? I was totally naked under the covers but didn’t see anything I could put on quickly, so I stayed where I was.
“Come on in!”
The door opened and a skinny older man with stark white hair in a bun at the nape of his neck walked in with two younger men. Those two held silver trays with a stack of clothes on one and a pair of heeled shoes on the other.
“Welcome to the Autumn Court, Mister Darcy,” the older man said with a grin. “I’m Lars and this is Sherman and Landon. We’ve come to prepare you for the day.”
“Oh, well, thank you. I can take a shower and dress on my own, though.” I gestured to the end of the bed, hoping Sherman and Landon would set their things down.
Lars gave them a nod, and both men marched into the bathroom with their trays. I heard water start running, and gulped a bit.
“Uh, I’d rather not have an audience while I—”
Lars waved that away. “They’ll just get things going for you. Like you were meant to last night.” He walked over and leaned against the bed post, crossing his arms, while I blinked at him. “So what gives? Why aren’t you in the prince’s bed right now?”
I drew back. “I hardly think that’s any of your business.”
“Don’t get snotty with me, kiddo.” He wagged a finger at me. “You’ve got a job to do, and that was a perfect opportunity to begin. What happened?”
“Sir—”
“Lars.”
“I— Fine. Lars, what I do or don’t do with His Majesty is still none—”
“His Highness.”
“—of your… What?”
“His Majesty would be for the king. His Highness is for the prince.”
Like it fucking mattered?
“Again, fine, but you can’t—”
“’Course I can. He’s not ugly, ill-tempered, or stupid, so why aren’t you—”
“He’s a virgin!”
And I probably shouldn’t have said that, but this guy was really irritating me.
Lars groaned up at the ceiling. “Damn. Of all the things…” He sighed and shook his head. “I suppose I should’ve guessed, but I had no idea.”
I frowned at him, confused about why we were even having this conversation. “Seriously, why is this any of your—”
“Well, you’ll just need to go a little slower then, hmm? Woo the boy. That can be part of your strategy.” He winked at me.
“My strategy? Look, he said I’m here to save the king— Court, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m very good at analytics, so I’m going to observe how things work around here and see where tweaks might be made to improve things.”
Yeah, there was another reason not to seduce Incendis. I hadn’t even thought of that one last night, but he was sort of my boss at the moment and fucking the boss never worked out for anyone. I definitely knew that.
Lars clapped and the other two came out of the bathroom holding empty trays by their sides. The water wasn’t running anymore, making me wonder if they’d filled the tub for me.
“Excellent,” Lars said. “You observe Incendis and see what’s wrong with him. Add fixing his virginity problem to the list.”
“Virginity isn’t—”
“One of these two will wait outside for when you’re ready to go down.”
They trooped out of the room, closing the door behind them, and left me sitting there blinking, dumbfounded all the way down to my bare toes.
“The fuck just happened?” I whispered to myself. I glanced back at my dead phone because now would’ve been the perfect time to call a family meeting with my besties and ask them what the hell I was supposed to do.
I tossed back the blanket and got out of bed. “Fix his virginity problem? Where does that guy get off talking like that?”
In the bathroom, I did indeed find the tub full, something that smelled like bergamot perfuming the air, and a few candles lit around the room. The whole space was cozy with a slightly citrusy and tea-like scent. Okay, I could get used to starting the day like this.
Minus the interrogation, of course.
I slipped into the bath and relaxed back, just giving myself a minute.
Part of me felt a little proud that I’d been accepted by the staff, which I liked.
While another part of me felt like I needed someone to fetch me a manager.
Who talked about their prince like that?
It was almost like Lars thought of himself as a big brother—or maybe a meddling great-uncle—to Incendis.
The kind of person who pushed in and “fixed” things whether they were broken or not.
Since I’d washed last night to get the day of hiking off me, I only did a cursory scrub now before getting out again.
I felt loose limbed and a little ready for a fight.
For a moment, I boxed myself in the giant mirror above the sinks.
I’d take on whatever was wrong with this court and Lars, if I had to.
Dressing was interesting. The clothes were the same sort of thing Incendis had put on last night, with a pirate shirt, vest, and trousers that were just long enough to cover my knees.
Garters around my thighs held the hose in place, and the shoes added two inches to my height.
I felt fancy and rather dashing thanks to everything being in shades of burgundy that crisply framed me and my golden hair to perfection.
If someone gave me a wide-brimmed hat with an ostrich feather in it and possibly a sword, I’d be roguishly dangerous and able to conquer the high seas in under an hour.
Out in the hall, I wasn’t sure if it was Landon or Sherman who’d stuck around to escort me, but I thanked him regardless.
“Are you taking me down to breakfast?” I asked as we walked the length of a long hallway.
“Yes, sir.” He glanced back at me. “Unless you’d prefer to speak with His Highness first?”
“Is he not at breakfast?”
“He’s been up and working for several hours already, sir.”
“Really?” I couldn’t tell what time it might be, but the sun was only just cresting the trees outside, so that made me think it was pretty early.
“He wakes well before dawn every day.”
“Huh.” Was that normal for princes? Well, maybe not modern day ones who were basically just rich boys with nothing to do. But a working prince? One who lead a people? Maybe it was normal.
I just wasn’t a crack-of-dawn kind of guy.
“Let’s stop in and see His Highness first,” I requested.
Landon or Sherman changed his route right away and took me through what looked like a grand foyer between a massive staircase and a pair of tall and very wide doors.
Every surface was a gleaming white marble with wooden beams, railings, and crown molding that was so dark it might actually be black.
Did I like that things were so stark and austere out here while the rooms were so colorful?
I wasn’t sure. It made me wonder if Incendis had designed his personal space, while he’d only inherited everything else.
We walked into a room that was huge but also crowded with tables and a variety of people working at them.
The bustling activity made me think of a newsroom after an important event, everyone scrambling to do their part to scoop the story.
I half expected some old guy with a cigar clamped between his teeth to be barking orders at everyone.
But no, it was only Incendis dashing between every group. He appeared flushed and flustered as he spoke in a way that seemed urgent.
“Has something happened?”
“No, sir.”
“Is this just a normal day?”
“Yes, sir.”
Good grief, everyone in here looked like they were planning a war or how to recover from one. Sweaty brows, pinched faces, accusing fingers, and not one single person walked anywhere—they ran.
“Did His Highness eat breakfast?” Because, if he hadn’t, I was going to drag him out of there and feed him something.
“Yes, sir. He had egg on toast and a glass of water.”
Minimal and boring.
“And does he always run around like this?” He was literally circling the room like the second hand on a clock.
“Yes, sir. He’s always very busy.”
Stressed and worried.
“Since the curse?”
“Oh, long before then.”
As I watched Incendis flit around the room yet again, I started to think my mission might just be to slow him down and stop him from working himself to death. I was actually very good at planning relaxing vacations. Very, very good.