“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shaken.
He squeezed my hand.
Though the moment of lust had passed, I couldn’t seem to rid myself of the light happiness coursing under my skin.
The Gala arched in a wide circle, surrounded by tunnels of flowering vines, which all led to this spot. Breathtaking Faeries twirled in every direction to the delightful music. Each female was petite and graceful, but I appreciated their beauty so much I couldn’t bring myself to be jealous. I was only glad to be near them. Every curious glance in our direction brought a surge of appreciation.
I wanted to stop and watch, but McKale’s incessant pulling kept my feet moving. His grip became so hard that I almost cried out. He never stopped walking, but I followed his stare toward a group of Fae sitting in a lush garden. Fae of both genders were lounging on plush cushions with young men and women, humans, surrounding them: lying at their feet while staring up with adoring eyes, dancing for their masters, feeding the Fae with their fingers.
While all of the Faeries seemed to take a mild interest in McKale and I passing through, the humans never once looked our direction. Their eyes were only for the Fae. The dancing girl, no older than Cassidy, turned our way, but her gaze passed right through us, her expression full of physical bliss, but empty of life.
A revolting tremor shook my whole body and McKale glanced back at me, worried.
Oh, my gosh, was my first coherent thought. That could be McKale or Cass. Or me if I don’t get myself under control!
“I’m okay,” I whispered to McKale, though I wasn’t sure. I struggled to push through the fog in my mind.
McKale gave me a tight nod and turned forward again, pulling us faster to catch up. He kept rubbing his ears with his free hand, I realized he was attempting to muss the affects of the music. I dropped my eyes and refused to look at the Gala revelers. I hummed Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to clear my head of the magical sounds. I’d thought I was too strong and level-headed to be led astray by the land of Faerie. I’d been wrong, and that terrified me. I wanted to call off the whole thing and turn back before I lost my wits again. My breathing quickened.
You can do this, Robyn, I told myself.
I’d been allowing McKale to lead me with my eyes closed, but I opened them when I felt his body go rigid and his step faltered. He righted himself and kept going, tugging me along, but when I dared a peek out at the Faerie I understood. There, in the middle of the revelry, was a hill lined with strange trees. Their trunks were bent in different directions, branches with willowy green leaves swooping the ground as if caught in dancer poses. Through the trunks and branches on the hill was Khalistah, dancing alongside other Fae who held the same regal airs. I felt no appreciation of her beauty like I had the others. All I felt when I saw her was a renewed urgency to ruin her efforts.
The bronze male led us around a mound of earthen steps to the upper courtyard lined with the dancing trees. I dropped McKale’s hand, not wanting to spark the FFG’s fuse any worse than necessary. The entire group of about a dozen Fae stopped as we entered. They stared, unabashed. One, in particular, wore a look of pure shock and malice.
I’d never seen the FFG divulge as much emotion as she did in the brief moment after she noticed us. Her icy eyes flashed from light blue to bright white and my stomach dropped with fear. In an instant her features were soft and languid again. She joined the others as they gathered nearer.
“Has the Summer King sent a couple of Gala gifts?” asked a Fae girl with hair as black and wavy as ink in water. The way it flowed around her reminded me of a mermaid.
“I daresay not, Melindalah,” Khalistah answered. “This is McKale of the Leprechaun and his… betrothed.” Her eyes raked me from bottom to top. At the sight of my binding gown, she covered her lips with two fingertips and a giggle slipped out. “How quaint.”
My face heated and I dropped my eyes to disguise my anger.
Another girl who looked to be Melindalah’s mermaid-esque twin stood on the FFG’s other side. “Is this the one who fancies you to pieces, Princess?”
“The very same, Mirandalah.” Khalistah eyed McKale with a sort of lazy ownership before snapping out of it and linking her fingers in front of herself. “I cannot imagine what brings you into our realm, McKale of the Leprechaun, but I must warn you to be on your best behavior while here. Humans have a tendency to lose memories when they speak unpleasantries among our kind.”
Her warning was clear. We were not to humiliate her in front of her peers, or else.
“Aye, Princess. That I understand. I’ve only come to thank ye for yer time as the clan’s Shoe Mistress. Ye’ll be missed, ye will.”
“Especially by you,” cut in one of the mermaid girls.
McKale cleared his throat. “Aye. And… I’ve come to return something ye left behind when last ye visited.”
He withdrew the golden chain and talisman from his pocket and everyone looked at the Princess, aghast that she’d be so careless. She stared at it, very still, but did not reach for it. In her stance it was clear that she knew, for sure, we were up to something now. For the Leprechauns, a returned gift was like a broken promise. A break-up.
With an uncharacteristic stiff movement she stuck out her hand and took the chain. There was a stillness to her body that made the others stare, wondering what was really going on here.
“You left your heartsong trinket with a human?” one of the girls asked, aghast.
“Do not be ridiculous, Melindalah!” The FFG laughed. “I was called back into our realm and…” Her throat seemed to close up and she gave a dainty cough. “A simple misunderstanding, is all.”