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For her.
For us.
A wall of muscle whips by me—a hairy, shirtless Ken—swinging his untethered, shoulder-length black curls around. Free of all constraints.
“Ken!” I cup my hands around my mouth, shouting so he can hear me. “Hey, Ken!”
“How d’ya do, milady?” He shouts back over the noise. He grins, dark eyes glazed over as beads of sweat drip down his brown chest.
That is exactly what I want.
Not Ken himself. But his attitude. That carefreeness. The all-consuming pleasure without boundaries or self-consciousness. The freedom. Freedom is not a thing nor a place, I’m discovering, but a mindset. I want to be as free as him.
The fruity aroma wafting off his breath hints at how he’s achieved such a state.
Wine.
“What exactly happens if I drink the wine?”
“You haven’t tried it.” He says it matter-of-factly rather than as a question.
“No.”
He laughs, a row of white teeth taking over his face. “Faerie wine is a stimulant. It’ll keep you up and energized, heightening your emotions. It’s probably too much fun for you, little human.”
That’s it?
The ominous warnings were because it’s too much fun?
I grin. “Thanks.”
“Whoa there, slow it down.” Ken wipes the sweat off his forehead with a large green leaf before discarding it onto the ground. He leans in over my shoulder, his hair tickling my collarbone as he whispers. “It also severely lowers your inhibitions and decision making abilities. Rainer has many...enemies. The wine could make you a vulnerable target for anyone wanting to hurt Rai.”
“I don’t follow, Ken.” He bobs to the music and I try to snag his attention again. “No riddles, not tonight, please.”
He must sense the seriousness in my tone because he stops moving and frowns at me.
“It’s not a secret that you, little human, you” —he bops my nose— “are a special guest of Rainer’s. One might take advantage of you with the wine coursing through your veins, in attempts to gain information about Rainer.”
“I don’t know any of his secrets.” The lie tastes like ash on my tongue.
Ken gives me a funny look, waggles his eyebrows, then dances off, clapping his hands over head to the rhythm. He can definitely tell I’m lying. And he’s definitely intoxicated.
His implication does nothing to deter me. They don’t want me to drink the wine because I could put Rainer at risk? It’s not enough to hold me back. I’m putting me first tonight.
I make my way over to a table housing a large, crystalline bowl full of the ever-so ominous faerie wine.
A female with midnight skin and bouncy curls pops up out of nowhere and wraps her arms around my neck in a tight hug. I stand like a statue, unsure of a proper response.
“Huuuuuuuman!” She screeches. “So cuuuute!” Then she trounces away, grabbing the hand of a tall red-haired male before disappearing into the gardens, dragging him behind.
Scooping a generous ladle of wine into a gaudy chalice, I inhale the delightfully sweet scent. Here’s to not letting that dark-haired arse ruin my night of fun. One sip tells me exactly what I’ve been missing out on. It’s delicious, as expected, with strong notes of raspberries and a slightly smoky aftertaste.
No wonder Fern is addicted to this stuff. I glance around the crowd, wondering where she is this evening. Perhaps Rainer keeps her away, for fear of her spilling his secrets. Does she know his secrets?
I shrug, sipping the wine.
Cheers to me and myself.
