Page 21 of Fae Games

“What are those?” I asked. The only swans I’d ever seen in Doolish were white.

“Royal sentinels in their observer forms.”

“Shape-shifters.” I clung tighter to his neck. The only beings that could shift into animals were dark creatures that were supposed to have been banished to the Otherworld.

“Not exactly,” he murmured.

“More importantly, are we in some sort of trouble?” I asked.

“That remains to be seen.”

Prince Caulden flew the rest of the journey in silence, and a cloak of anxiety settled around my heart. If Queen Titania and a bunch of armed guards waited for us at the end of the journey, I wasn’t sure the prince would be able to save me from his mother’s wrath.

He gave me a gentle squeeze around the waist. “Try not to worry.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered. “You’re one of the princes.”

“There have been princes before us, but few survive to majority, and even fewer get the opportunity to bond with a mate.”

I drew in a sharp breath between my teeth. “Why?”

“Court politics mostly related to royal succession,” he said. “Queen Maeve murdered my father’s first mate when she was pregnant.”

“What?” My hands slipped from around his neck, and I clung to his shoulders.

Prince Caulden wrapped both arms around my back, bringing our bodies flush. His heartbeat was so strong, it reverberated against my rib cage. “She didn’t want any additional threats to her continued leadership.”

“Did she try to kill your father as well?” I glanced up at the sky, taking in the fluffy, white clouds far in the distance.

“By the time her assassins reached him, he was within the protection of the United Nations, negotiating this new regime.”

The black swans dove down toward a plateau on the mountains, and a breath of relief eased out from my lungs. Maybe they weren’t spying on us. I wrapped my arms around Prince Caulden and squeezed tight. “Is that why the four of you are destined to rule the courts instead of becoming the king?”

“Yes. His Majesty will have us rule over the dukes when we come of age.”

“How long will that be?” My lips brushed his ear.

Prince Caulden’s shiver against my body sent tingles between my thighs, which I squeezed together instead of wrapping around his hips. “In two-and-a-half years, when we turn twenty-one. He says that not making us heirs to the throne will guarantee our survival.”

I wanted to ask what happened to the other heirs to the throne, but it felt rude to expect him to dredge up something I could find in a history book. Instead, I focused on enjoying the rest of the ride, making a note to ask Mr. Whittaker if there was a library in the remedial building.

“Here we are,” he said.

Below us, the mountains dipped, revealing a canyon filled with streets arranged around a vast square surrounded by buildings that looked carved out of stone.

A gasp slipped from my lips. This was four times the size of Doolish town square but a thousand times grander. “What is this place?”

“Prudence Plaza,” he replied. “It’s where all members of the Royal Court go to relax and shop.”

“This looks like something from the outside world,” I murmured.

“His Majesty fashioned it from St. Marks Square in Venice.” Prince Caulden straightened his wings and swooped down toward the rooftops. “The best part about Prudence Plaza is the glamor that makes it appear like part of the mountain range.”

I held my breath, waiting to see who the black swans had informed of our arrival. Part of me expected a troop of soldiers in white uniforms, each holding balls of magic between their elegant fingers, but as we landed, all I found were high faeries walking in and out of window-fronted stores and vendors selling their wares on the street.

“Perhaps I overestimated my mother’s reach,” said Prince Caulden.

A relieved laugh bubbled up to the back of my throat. “I’m glad it was nothing.”