King Torin insisted I didn’t have time to shower. But no doubt, all of Faerie had seen the video of me covered in food and beer, and I supposed their impressions of me could only go up from there. I grabbed my gym bag and followed Torin out of the apartment.
As we went down the stairs, Shalini gripped my arm, whispering, “Ava, I’ll be one of the first humans to ever go to Faerie. This is so much better than a cruise.”
My pounding hangover added an extra layer of surreal to the situation. I bit my lip, trying to think clearly. This was the right decision, right? Really, it didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. A broke person doesn’t turn down fifty million.
When we stepped outside, the sunlight burned my eyes. The reporters had left the shattered camera and overturned van behind, and police sirens blared in the distance—no doubt on their way here. I realized I was shaking as I walked along the pavement. Maybe I should eat something?
“Do you think you’ll get to learn magic?” Shalini asked.
“Common fae can’t conduct magic,” I said. “I mean, I guess the throne can suck some kind of queen energy from me, but I can’t do magic on my own.”
“How do you know you’re a common fae? What if you’re the long-lost daughter of the High Fae king?”
My nose wrinkled. “Then this marriage would be very awkward because Torin would be my brother. And I know I’m not High Fae because they’d never let one of them go missing. A common fae they could easily kick out into the human world.”
Instead of his Lamborghini, Torin led us to a gray Hummer. Flashing us a big smile, he opened the doors for us. For a moment, I imagined that he was actually heroic and honorable, and that he hadn’t just bribed a woman he hated.
Not that I was really in a position to be on my high horse, considering I was gladly taking the bribe.
I slid into the front seat, my gaze roaming over the fine leather upholstery. I ran my fingers across it, dizzy with the thought that I’d be able to buy something like this. Assuming he fulfilled his end of the bargain.
Torin slid into the driver’s seat. I’d hardly buckled my seatbelt when he turned the key and leaned on the accelerator. Nausea climbed up my throat as we started to speed down the road.
Of all the days to get an invitation into Faerie…
I swallowed hard, still trying to come to grips with what was happening. “What exactly does this tournament entail?”
Shalini leaned forward. “May I answer? I’ve been following this for months.”
“Please,” said Torin.
“Okay. There are a hundred women—“
“A hundred and one in this case,” Torin interrupted.
“Right, and they all have to compete for Torin’s hand. This has been a tradition for thousands of years at this point. So, there are several different competitions. After every competition, some of the competitors are forced to leave. And this year, for the first time, it will all be televised.”
I frowned, trying not to imagine all the people who’d be scrutinizing me through their living rooms.
Outside the Hummer’s windows, the world whipped by as we turned onto the highway.
At the bar, he’d been surrounded by his host, with a helicopter following overhead, filming the whole thing. Now, I saw only the usual morning traffic. I had a very strong suspicion that Torin had made this visit in secret.
The Hummer’s motor growled as he pressed the accelerator to the floor, my stomach lurching as he wove in and out of the traffic.
My mouth felt dry and watery at the same time. Glancing at Shalini, her expression told me she felt similarly queasy.
I gripped the door handle. “Torin, do you need to go this fast?”
“Yes.”
“Would it make a difference if I said this kind of wild driving was a breach of decorum?” I asked in desperation.
“Not at this moment, no.”
The car was like a rocket now, barreling over the asphalt. Outside, the buildings whipped by in a gray blur. What was his problem?
“Torin!” I shouted. “You’re going to get us killed!”
Shalini grabbed my shoulder. “Look!”
I followed the path of her outstretched finger. Outside, the blur of concrete faded, the expanse paling. Torin began to slow the Hummer, and the exterior came into focus.
We were no longer on Highway 8. Rather, we were driving down a narrow lane in what looked like the sixteenth century. Thatched timber-frame houses stood clustered by one side of the road. On the other, the sun shone brightly on fields thick with snow until we passed through a small copse of trees. Smoke drifted from chimneys into a frosty sky.
My breath caught with an uncanny sense of having seen this place in a dream.
“Oh, my God,” Shalini breathed. “Ava.”
Around us, the Hummer itself began to transform, making my head swim with dizziness. The seat belts disappeared, and I found myself sitting on velvet across from Shalini. White curtains had appeared in the windows. When I turned to look in the front, I caught a glimpse of Torin from behind, holding the reins of half a dozen horses.
I gripped the side of the carriage, trying to get my bearings. We were traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, and I had a hangover from hell.
Shalini’s eyes looked glazed. “This is real, isn’t it?”
“I think so,” I whispered.
“This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me,” she murmured.
We rode through Faerie’s wintery landscape, passing icy hamlets with steep-peaked houses that cluttered the road, and shops with warmly lit windows. The carriage rolled past forests and frozen fields. Smoke rose from distant chimneys, and snowflakes sparkled in the air.
But that dark cloud of sadness was starting to settle over me, and when I closed my eyes, I was back at home, wrapped up in Andrew’s arms. My chest felt like it was cleaving in two.
Sighing, I closed my eyes, thinking of some of the beautiful photos I’d taken of Andrew, photos I couldn’t see right now. Andrew, lying down in bed. Golden skin, his hands folded behind his head, he smiled up at me. I’d always loved that picture.
There was the image Shalini had taken of us at a party… I remembered that night. He told me I looked gorgeous, that every other guy there would be jealous. And yet, in between those nights, he was snapping photos of Ashley in fields of red flowers… Loneliness was splitting me open, and a wave of tiredness crashed down on me. I wanted to curl up in bed, pull the covers over myself, and never leave.
Shalini glared at me. “No.”
“No, what?”
“I’m not having you mope over this loser when we’re in Faerie.” Her jaw was set tight, and she pointed at the glass. “Look out the window, Ava. You’re missing it. And he’s not worth it.” Shalini’s breath clouded the glass as she looked outside. “I mean, I’d always heard it was amazing, but I never expected it to look this beautiful.”
The thing about heartbreak was that I knew how to cover it up so I didn’t bring everyone down with me. I plastered a smile on my face and stared outside. “It really is amazing. We’re so lucky to be here.”
Shalini leaned in, whispering, “I overheard what Torin said…about Faerie dying? It seems hard to believe.”
My chest felt tight. “I guess that with a queen on the throne, the snow will melt, and spring will return once more.” I shrugged. “And then I return to the human world, where I will get takeout every night and cappuccinos in the morning.”
She stared at me, frowning. “Fifty million dollars, and the best thing you can think of is takeout and coffee?”
“It’s gotten very expensive. Anyway, I don’t really know what to do with all that money.”
“Darling, you’re going on a vacation. The Maldives, or—”
Shalini stopped short as the carriage began to slow. We’d turned off the lane onto a private drive. Enormous trees loomed on either side, and their dark trunks towered far above us.
Between the trunks, I could just make out vast snow-covered fields and the white-capped peaks of a distant mountain range. I hugged myself, teeth chattering in the cold. I’d dressed in running gear appropriate for seventy-degree weather, and the chill bit at my skin.
When I turned to look out the front, my breath caught at the sight of a castle on a hill. The place seemed to exude a malign presence—formed of dark stone and sharply peaked towers, with gothic windows that glittered under the winter sun. My breath misted around my head as I stared at it. Had I seen this place before?
We rolled closer, and my heart started beating faster. Was it possible the king was actually bringing me here for a public execution for the crime of insolence? Treason? The castle loomed over us as we approached.
We pulled up slowly, gravel crunching under the carriage wheels. One of the horses whinnied as we finally came to a stop. Outside my window, fae guards in immaculate white uniforms approached. One of them hurried to the door.
As the footmen opened the door for us, his eyes widened with surprise—likely because I was showing up to a gothic castle in a wintry kingdom dressed in a tank top and running shorts, with the hairstyle of someone who’d given up on life long ago.
The frigid air slid down to my bones when I stepped outside.
Shalini wasn’t dressed any better in a baggy T-shirt, a pair of men’s boxer shorts, and sandals with socks. Still, her smile was gorgeous enough to pull attention away from her attire.
“Miss?” the footman said.
“Ava,” I said quickly. “Ava Jones.”
“All right, Ms. Jones. I can help you down.”
I took his hand, feeling unnecessarily awkward, since I was in sneakers and didn’t really need the help.
As I stepped down, I caught sight of King Torin. The magic of this place had changed his outfit, too. Now, he was dressed like some sort of medieval warrior in black leather armor studded with metal. A dark cloak hung over his shoulders, and there was a rapier at his waist with an obsidian hilt.
He did not look anything like Chad from Hitched and Stitched right now. He looked like some sort of warrior god, more intimidating than ever. Hard not to think of him bluntly telling me that he didn’t like me at all.
When his preternaturally bright eyes met mine, gleaming like a deadly blade, a shiver ran through me. I hugged myself as I shivered in the icy wind. This had seemed like a great idea an hour ago, but now I felt completely vulnerable.
I wrenched my eyes away from him, forcing myself to take in my surroundings. A large stone awning stretched over head—a porte cochère, I was pretty sure it was called, though I had no idea how to actually pronounce it. Gargoyles leered from above.
“We wait here,” he commanded. “I need to speak to someone about your addition to the tournament.”
Footmen lined the wide castle steps, which led to a pair of wooden doors inset with dark metal spikes. With a groan, they swung open to reveal a hall of stunning stonework. Pointed arches soared above us, and candles flickered in high iron chandeliers. Skilled stonemasons had carved wicked-looking creatures beneath the arches—demons and dragons hewn from the rock in such a way that in the dancing candlelight, they almost seemed to be moving. But the most unsettling thing in this place was a set of ivory stag antlers jutting above the entryway, gleaming with ice. I couldn’t explain why, but as soon as my eyes landed on them, a sense of dread slid over me. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew the castle didn’t want me here.
Here, I was an abomination. I tugged my gaze away, wondering if that was the hangover speaking.
It wasn’t, though, was it? I really didn’t belong here, and I had the most desperate desire to run back outside. I felt as if the castle wanted to expel me, to eject a poison from its veins.
Shalini was clutching my arm, and I found myself clutching hers right back.
We’d hardly moved at all into the hall, even if the wintry wind stung our skin in the entryway.
“Ava,” she whispered, “did we make a bad decision?”
“Fifty million,” I whispered back.
The sound of gravel crunching made me turn my head.
A carriage was now rolling over the frozen stone. This carriage was entirely gilded, from the rims of the wheels to the bridles of the horses. A driver perched in the front, dressed in immaculate black wool. He hopped down and began shooing away King Torin’s footmen.
Still gripping my arm, Shalini exhaled sharply. “I think it’s one of the princesses.”
I had the disturbing feeling that I was about to feel a lot more out of place.
We stared as the driver placed a gold step by the carriage door. Slowly, the door opened, and an elegant leg extended into the winter air. The foot, shod in a pearly white shoe, had nearly reached the step when it stopped.
A woman’s voice spoke sharply. “Too far.”
“I’m sorry, madam,” said the driver quickly.
I winced as his knees crunched audibly in the gravel as he knelt to push the step closer. With the gilt step repositioned, he stood, and the woman’s leg extended again. This time, she took his hand and allowed him to guide her down.
The first thing I noticed about her was the dress—a dark swirl of satin and silk that moved like smoke. Not pure black, I realized as she straightened. It shimmered with dark silver and deep red.
When she caught my gaze, I drew in an involuntary breath. I’d never seen a woman like her before. Her hands and forearms were sheathed in silk gloves, but her upper arms and chest were an otherworldly porcelain white. In contrast with her pale skin, she’d painted her lips a deep red. But nothing compared to her hair. It hung down to her shoulders in thick waves, a deep burgundy, the color of a bruised rose petal.
Torin said he’d chosen me because I was someone he could never love, a “lowborn common fae with a slovenly appearance.” And this woman, I imagined, was just the kind of woman he could love. Shockingly gorgeous, and with an apparent penchant for ordering people around. Two peas in a pod.
Her plum eyes swept over me, and I turned to see King Torin stalking closer. His dark cloak trailed behind him as the icy wind swept in.
She lowered her chin. “Your Royal Highness. I didn’t expect to see you until later this evening.”
“Welcome to my castle, Princess Moria.” King Torin’s deep voice echoed off the stone.
“Oh, there’s no need for formality,” Moria laughed. “I believe we’re on a first-name basis.”
King Torin arched an eyebrow. “Is everything in order, Princess?”
“Oh, yes,” said Moria lightly. “It just took a little while to get here. You know how things can be, packing up. My help simply can’t do anything on their own.”
Really, a perfect match for him. But then, if he chose her, he’d have the distasteful problem of a messy emotional entanglement. Couldn’t have that.
Princess Moria’s eyes moved on from the king. I expected her to look at me, but instead, her gaze latched firmly onto Shalini. She stopped speaking, and her nose wrinkled like she’d just sniffed a fresh pile of dog shit. “Oh! How open-minded of you to allow humans into Faerie. Things really have changed, haven’t they?” Her gaze swept down my body.
“She’s not the only one,” said King Torin. “We have a few with the news organizations to film the competitions.”
Moria’s eyebrows rose. “She’s a reporter?”
“She is my counsel,” I said with a smile. “My advisor.”
Finally, Princess Moria’s gaze moved to me, and an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. Her eyes were a plum color, like venous blood. They narrowed as she assessed me. Her gaze swept down, and a look of horror crossed her features as she took in my appearance.
“Your advisor?” she said, not bothering to hide the incredulity in her voice. “You’re competing in the tournament?”
“I am.”
She laughed again, trying to make it sound light, but I could hear the strain in her voice. “Most open-minded, indeed. And to offer her your carriage, King Torin, when such an unfortunate creature could not afford her own. I admire your generosity to those in need.”
Ouch.
“Princess Moria.” King Torin bowed slightly. “The opening ceremonies are to begin in twenty minutes.”
If Moria sensed she was being brushed off, she didn’t let on. “Of course, Your Highness. I look forward to spending time in your company once again.”
