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Turning to face Eoin, I offer him as true a smile as I can muster, but there’s an inkling of disappointment that it’s him and not Rainer.
Eoin chuckles. “The wine is quite fun, actually.”
He smiles, full on, with a chiseled jaw, twinkling honey-brown eyes, and golden-kissed curls—a few shades darker than my own ashy curls, and bordering on light brown. He has the sort of tanned skin that outdoor servants get in the summer—bronzed—but he looks nothing like a servant in his white button up and tight fitting brown pants and brown lace-up boots. His pointy ears sport golden jewels, and he’s much fancier in appearance than he was the last time I saw him.
“I was only asking if anyone has yet told you how stunning you are.”
“Oh that’s—that’s sweet,” I stammer, blushing.
“It’s the honest truth.”
He reaches up and brushes a lock of hair back from my face, and I bite my lip to keep a goofy smile from gracing my lips. I’m not at all used to the strange, ethereal beauty the fae possess. Felix wasn’t ugly by any means, but my stomach never felt like it was being flipped inside out when I looked at him.
“You look wonderful yourself,” I tell Eoin.
“We do make a darling pair tonight, if I might say so myself.” He leans in, lowering his voice. “And I’ve thought of a way you can pay me back.”
“Pay you back?” I jerk. “Pay you back for what?”
“I’m surprised you forgot so quickly.” He chuckles. “You agreed to pay me back for being kind to you.”
“Oh.” My face falls. “You were serious about that?” Of course a faerie expects to be repaid for being kind. Everything is manipulation or a bargain here.
“I did say I knew of a way you could make it up to me.”
When I go rigid, he seems to notice my change in demeanor and playfully bumps my shoulder.
“Hey now, I had only intended to ask you to dance. Nothing nefarious, I swear.”
“That’s it?”
“Dance with me.” He puts a hand out. “We’ll call it even.” The crinkle at the corners of his eyes and upturned lips are inviting. “I’m not the Prince of Fear, I will not use and abuse you. Unlike Court Umbra, we like humans just fine.”
He’s right… he’s not Rainer. That fact has the opposite effect of what he intended. I really want to go find him.
“Will you excuse me?”
Without waiting for an answer, I turn on my heels and try to look composed as I maneuver through the bubbling crowd, looking for the familiar set of icy eyes I crave.
As I push through the crowd of dancing, twirling fae, I run into both Ken and Das Celyn again, but no Rainer. I even spot Viv—still dressed in her warrior leathers—engaging in a dance with Princess Sennah, who’s dressed dashingly in a floor-length, sky-blue strapless dress with flushed cheeks.
They stare at each other with stars in their eyes and swollen lips.
Viv has been nothing but kind to me the past few weeks during training, and I’m glad to see her so happy. I like seeing her loosen up like this—even if she refuses to lose the warrior garb.
My skin prickles with the sensation of someone watching me. When I glance up, I see just who I am looking for. Rainer lounges at a lazy angle with his ankles crossed and his back pressed against an oak tree, facing the partygoers. His black button-up sits open to reveal his ink as he sips slowly from a goblet. A few males and females bob around him desperate for his attention, but he continues to stare directly at me, ignoring their fuss.
He raises his glass in a salute, one side of his mouth tipping up in a grin that gives me a preview of those dimples.
My chest flutters with excitement. Just as I get my feet moving again, someone steps in front of me, cutting off my path.
Eoin.
“You ran away from me.” He puts a hand over his heart and gives me a flirtatious grin. “Have I offended you?”
I muster a polite smile, biting back the human apology sitting on my tongue. My eyes dart past Eoin’s shoulder, towards where Rainer stood under the magnolia tree. But now the tree stands alone. I scan the nearby folk, and only see the giggling fae but no Rainer.
“Looking for someone?” Eoin asks, following my line of sight.
