Page 101 of A Touch of Poison
Or perhaps I was just drunk and overcome by the view.
Still on the edge of tears, I didn’t want to encounter anyone from Dawn in the grand hall. Even though these were joyful tears, precious tears, they were still a weakness—a badge of my heart. Unsafe.
So I skirted the palace, aiming for the side entrance.
What I’d seen tonight had opened a dam in me, because I had to pause for another glimpse of Tenebris. Below, the water in the ravine glimmered with blue light, softening the rocky outcrops with its dim glow.
As I looked out over it, a prickle worked from the nape of my neck down my spine.
I wasn’t alone.
I whirled, reaching for my pocket, ready to draw my pistol.
Beneath a low holly tree, a shadow unfolded.
Bastian?
But as the figure emerged, I realised it was a woman’s, curved like a full moon. Tight curls surrounded her face.
“Your Majesty.” I bowed, getting my hand far from my weapon. One thing Albion and faerie had in common—monarchs and drawn weapons didn’t mix. At least, not if you wanted to keep your head. “I’m sorry, I thought I was alone.”
“So did I.” She smiled, and the soft light from the crescent moon above caressed the fullness of her cheeks and lips. “But it seems the Stars have gifted me tonight. It’s past time we got to know each other better.” She beckoned me closer.
Perhaps it was my poor track record with queens… Perhaps it was just the fae alcohol. Either way, I hesitated, my feet wanting to continue indoors. But, another commonality between us and them—you didn’t deny a queen.
So I approached, trying not to fidget under her scrutiny, which left me feeling like a child being checked for flaws in their attire.
Her head tilted as she narrowed her black, pupilless eyes at me. “What sort of woman has so bewitched my Shadow that he’d break a sacred contract?” A momentary flicker of tension around her eyes and mouth. Was she irritated? And if so, at me or Bastian?
I swallowed and bowed my head.
Sacred contract? What was sacred about a lifetime chained to a man with no choice and no escape? Fae really were full of shit.
Good gods, I had drunk too much. I was in danger of my tongue running away with me. After pressing it to the roof of my mouth for the count of three, I trusted myself to speak. “I didn’t know how Your Majesty’s people felt about marriage contracts, and Bastian didn’t know I was bound by one.”
“Hmm.” She nodded and settled back against the tree trunk, indicating I should join her.
I obeyed, looking out over the River Velos, the bridge over to our left. “I must thank you for the ball. I never dreamed I would have a royal event thrown in my honour, never mind by the Night Queen herself.”
She chuckled, soft as the dark clouds skimming overhead. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“It was… enlightening.”
Another low laugh, then we stood in silence for a while.
She wanted to get to know me, yet she wasn’t asking many questions and I knew better than to volunteer information. Even though she was Bastian’s queen, I still heeded his warning.
“Did you know rings have a symbolic significance to fae? I’m not sure it’s the same for humans.”
Under my glove, the ring Bastian had given me weighed suddenly heavier. “Really?” I kept my tone light. Had she spotted it?
“Circles have no beginning or end. Like the Celestial and Tellurian Serpents biting each other’s tails in their mating dance, they stand for eternity. We give them as a token of love everlasting. As a mark of belonging.”
My throat went tight and I barely stopped myself tugging on my collar. “Really? How fascinating.”
Out the corner of my eye, I could see her studying me. My pulse grew heavier, harder, like a drum marking time for an army. Why did this feel like a battle?
“I suspect that’s what Bastian thought of you. A fascinating, flame-haired human. Even better that he was away from home and most of his usual responsibilities. I dare say he saw the whole trip as a chance to relax… blow off some steam.”
