Page 59 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

I nodded reluctantly. A tense silence fell, and I looked over to the dancing couples again, having the leaden feeling in my stomach. Flora and Seb were leaving the dance floor now. Flora’s arm was tucked around his, and he looked distracted and upset, like he’d bitten into a cookie to find it was filled with dog shit.

The two of them rejoined the other table. Jasper had wandered off somewhere and Gareth was playing a card game with Red and Savannah. Flora laid her head on Seb’s shoulder as she said something with a flirtatious smile.

Annoyance flooded through me. Really, did she have to throw herself at him so obviously? Was that why she hosted the party, because she was trying to bring us all into her seduction plans?

Seb shook her off, making me smirk. I leaned closer to Freta. “What’s the story there, anyway? Flora is constantly trying to make the moves of Seb, even though he keeps telling her no. So why doesn’t she just go for someone else?”

“Their families have been in talks about an engagement between the two of them for years,” Freta answered. She swirled her wine in her glass and sipped it. “They were originally betrothed as babies, but Court Litherio insulted Court Laurel fifteen years ago, and they broke the engagement.”

“I thought Litherio and Laurel were allies.”

Freta shared a look with Silas and Penry there, making me feel very much like an outsider. Clearly, this was one of those things that shouldn’t have to be said aloud. I bit back on a wave of annoyance.

“They are allies. There are multiple marriages between nobles of Litherio and nobles of Laurel. That doesn’t mean it’s a strong alliance,” Silas explained.

Penry pipped up. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Flora’s family was pressuring her to ensure the engagement moves forward. The best way to do that would be if there was a baby.”

“Not a guarantee, though,” Freta murmured, her gaze briefly turning distant.

I leaned back in my chair, frowning. That was still something I didn’t understand. The population crisis of the fae meant that they had fewer bound fae born every generation.

“Seb!” Gareth roared suddenly. He laughed as he lifted a half-empty bottle in the air. “I challenge you to a duel!”

His voice was loud and boisterous, slurring slightly. He laughed again, then drank a few large gulps of wine. Everyone grew still and nervously started to move back away from the table where the bullies sat. Even Flora, Savannah and Red looked alarmed. I glanced around for Jasper, but he was nowhere to be found.

“A duel, Gareth?” Seb repeated.

“Yes. A forest duel,” Gareth leapt to his feet. “We each pick three of these guys,” he waved vaguely toward the other students, “and they go off into the forest. Whoever rounds up their quarry and herds them back here first wins! Any volunteers?” he demanded, leaping to his feet before Seb could argue. “I will personally pay your family’s rent for three months!”

His gaze flicked to me, but I turned away. To my surprise, Penry stood and lifted her hand.

“My family could use the help,” she mumbled in response to our startled looks.

Gareth picked Penry and two others. Seb picked three students at random, and the six of them took off into the forest. I watched Penry disappear, wishing I had protested.

Freta saw my worry and patted my arm. “A forest duel is sorted without physical contact. It’s a matter of aura intimidation and tracking more than anything else.”

I nodded, worries assuaged a little. Flora looked pissed off, though. She gripped Seb’s arm, speaking to him urgently. When he looked at her, she gave him such a sweet smile it nearly fooled me. But then he shook off her hand and headed off into the forest. Gareth sauntered with him, laughing and rubbing his hands.

The instant he was gone, Flora turned on Savannah. She shoved Savannah’s shoulder, her expression furious. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear that she was lashing out. Eventually, she slumped into her chair, arms crossed in front of her chest. Savannah scowled at the party while Red reached over to touch Flora’s arm. She snatched it away and the three of them grew still.

Jasper wandered back to the party after some time. He claimed a bottle of wine for himself and poured a glass, but he kept himself close to the edge of the clearing. A few of the other high-born fae approached him, but he didn’t so much as look at them.

“For someone who has been disowned by his family, he certainly stays arrogant,” I muttered. Then I straightened as Robert’s sister, Hilda, approached him.

Freta reached over and grabbed my arm, but the two of them only nodded at each other. Silas leaned forward.

“I hear that they have agreed to fight it out during the next binding trial,” he said. “Hilda and Robert didn’t have any other family to avenge them, so there’s been no blowback against him. Hilda has a strong beast, though. I imagine if she ends up beating him, Court Vespa would have her marry into the family to replace him.”

“Even after he was disowned?” I asked, startled. “I will never understand these politics.”

Freta’s hand tightened on mine. “You have to try harder, Z. You’re going to need to navigate the politics of the courts when you’ve completed your schooling.”

I didn’t want to examine that too deeply, so I turned my attention back to Flora. She was speaking with Savannah again, apparently berating her about something. Savannah lifted her hands in frustration and said something that angered Flora, because she ended up with a slap to the face. She flinched back, clutching her face, and turned on her heel.

An idea hit me. With everyone drinking, they would be far less likely to notice things being wrong. I pushed myself to my feet. “I’m going to get more food.” I took a step away, then turned back. “Hey, why don’t you two dance a bit? I think I want to stretch my legs anyway.”

Freta brightened and, seeing her pleading look, Silas relented. As they went to the dance floor, I followed after Savannah as she stormed through the crowd. I used the crowds to weave closer until I bumped into her, brushing my fingers over the back of her hand. Her head jerked toward me, and I jumped back as though startled.