Bewitching Monsters

Fae Royalty - Part 1

"You're fae?" Aero demanded as he rushed inside the café and slammed his hands on my table. "Why have you never said anything before?"

"Sweet day to you too," I coolly said. With Caera's loose lips, I knew this conversation was bound to happen. Really, I was more surprised it hadn't happened sooner. I took another bite of my pastry, ignoring him.

Willow walked up, chuckled and sat down. "Sweet day, Witch," he greeted. I bowed my head to him, not wanting to talk with my mouth full. He looked up at his boyfriend. "Sit."

Aero looked between us, exhaled in frustration, then sat down with his arms crossed. To sooth his temper, Willow reached over and casually rubbed the back of his neck. "Sweet. Day," he clipped. "Now answer me."

"Someone's in a mood today. Do you need a timeout? Or perhaps a nap?"

I enjoyed watching him become flustered. "Do not make this about me. You're the one being incorrigible and avoiding my question."

"Considering my moniker, you could have easily guessed, Aero—the air elf." He glared and started to make another quip but stopped short when Willow's grip tightened around the back of his neck. "Besides, I'm only legally fae. I haven't inherited, like, any fae qualities. Anyways. I have a question about the royal feiseanna. Do you get a plus-one or anything?"

"You don't know?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Well... legal fae are invited to the feiseanna, predominantly the Aestival feis."

Damn. That was something I would have to unpack later. "Looks like all my invites were overlooked then."

An awkward beat passed before Willow cleared his throat and continued. "No, each invitation only allows one guest. Were you looking to go?"

"Sorta. I was looking to try to talk with the Queen and King. And since Vernalis is so close, I figured that'd be the easiest—and right now only—way for me to do so."

"What do you need to see the royals for?"

I bought myself time by taking a big bite of my pastry. I didn't like bringing others into my business needlessly. But if I couldn't get into the ball... perhaps they would be good council. "I'm looking to make a high level deal. The Queen and King have the power for what I need."

Aero's brow shot up curiously. "Oh? And what are you looking for?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes," he deadpanned. "That's exactly why I asked."

"Well suffer."

The rest of our lunch date went typically well. But while the conversation drifted from the ball and my potential deal, my thoughts stayed locked on it. The only way I was getting to that ball was to find someone willing to give up their ticket. And I didn't know many fae well enough to be too hopeful.

I returned home no closer to a solution than I had started.

Before I went inside, gold eyes caught my attention. Vérus was appearing more often now. I met his gaze and went over to the tree line. I greeted him with a small bow and gentle smile. How did my dumb ass not think of him before? "Just the fae I needed."

"Oh really?" he purred, tracing my chin as he forced me to look up at him more.

"You hate socializing, right?"

He quirked his head and blinked. Perhaps I was a bit too forward in my phrasing—it was hard to tell exactly how casual I should be with him now. Sure, I saved his tree, but he was still an ancient fae. Where, in all the stars, was the right middle ground between formal and familiar with him?

When he still didn't speak, I continued. "What I mean is—are you going to the royal feis?"

"Ah. That."

Yet again, I suffered through silence. "Well?"

"No."

"I see." What was the best way to ask for the invitation without adding more work to this task? I already made my interest obvious, so I couldn't try playing coy. Not that he'd fall for that. Perhaps I had curried enough favor with protecting his tree that he'd give me this one extra reward. "It's a shame the invitation is going to waste."

The amount of smugness in his smirk and quirked brow and amused eyes made me feel powerless. He knew exactly what I was dancing around. And he was going to make me say every word. How much ego stroking did I just get myself into?

"Vérus," I said, adding a sweet little note in my tone. "Would you be ever so magnanimous and bestow your invitation to the next royal, Vernalis feis to me? Please?"

He circled me like a predator. "You know, Witch. I don't think I've ever seen you this formal before."

Well, you're too much of a bastard to be granted such politeness most of the time, I thought to myself. I curtsied low to hide how much I worried my lips as I held my tongue.

He leaned down and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I rather like you like this."

Fuck it. Nope. I did not have the energy for this right now. I rose back up, not caring that he was still close and I almost clocked his chin with my shoulder. "Goodnight, Vérus." I turned on my heels and marched to my house.

"Not even letting me give an answer?" he called. I went inside without acknowledging him.

I flopped onto my chaise and groaned. I was mentally exhausted. Shadows crept up from below, slinking and swirling like an ink drop in water. Just as I noticed, it surged up to the ceiling. Darkness was all there was. "I'm not in the mood," I groused. There was a hiss before the dark retreated to the pillows by the bookshelf.

"They've been like that all day," Caera said.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. It's going to take longer than I hoped."

"Can the Queen and King not help?"

"I won't get a chance to ask. I can only get in with an invitation—which I don't have."

"Yes, you do." Caera brought over a gold-gilded envelope. "Vérus left it before you came home."

I jolted upright and snatched the paper. That prick... that entire time he had already given it to me? I made a fool of myself for nothing? Wait—how did he know before I got home? I sighed again. "You told him, didn't you?"

Caera's silent fidgeting was all the confirmation I needed.

"Can you ever keep a secret?"

"When you order me to, Mistress, yes," she said cheerily.

"You know what—I'm not letting you help pick my dress now." I smiled when she started protesting and apologizing.

The foyer of the grand palace was overwhelming. I had never seen so many fae before in my entire life combined. While I did my best to learn about all types of magicals, there were still some races here that I had never even heard mention of.

I was in over my head.

I picked at the beading on my purse as the queue slowly progressed. If the bag were of lesser quality, the floor would be bejeweled. The guys had been helping calm my nerves when we first arrived, but they were soon swept away by old friends. It was just me now. And all the eyes on me. My ears burned. My skin crawled. If it wouldn't be such a fight to get to the door, I'd leave now.

"Invitation."

I was at the security point already? Fuck. How did this purse open? When did purses get so complicated? Finally, I got the paper out and handed it to the attendant. I should have taken better care not to wrinkle it.

With a small flick of a finger, a small crystal ball and a needle appeared on a floating tray. "Place a drop of blood on the crystal, please."

"O-okay." No one else had been asked to do this. I did as asked. The crystal started glowing white, then turned purple. Was that good? I looked up at the attendant; they glanced over their shoulder. Was that good?

A second attendant came over and escorted me away from everyone else.