“Then let it happen,” he says, sitting on the bed and pulling his boots back on.
I slam my lips together in a grim line. Having this argument again is completely pointless. What will be, will be now. There’s no going back.
“Get some rest,” he barks at me. “Anders wants you at breakfast in the morning and then we need to get out of here.”
“Fine,” I bark back and curl up on the bed with my back facing him.
After about five minutes have passed, he says, “I don’t want to fight with you, Aefre. I will take this for what it was and not expect it happen again.”
I stay silent, feigning sleep, still annoyed with him for ruining my high.
When I wake up a couple of hours later, Vito is sitting on the edge of the bed, back ramrod straight. He hears me stir but doesn’t move.
I feel like this occasion calls for an apology, so I bite my lip and say, “I’m sorry, Vito. I took advantage of you and that was wrong.”
He bursts out laughing at my expense and I feel my cheeks tint with pink.
“Oh, Aefre,” he says. “Always apologizing. You pulled back. I took advantage of you.”
“No, that’s not true. I wanted you,” I say quickly.
“I know, but let’s just drop it, okay?” he pleads. The tone in his voice makes me flinch slightly. He is upset and I am such an idiot. I shouldn’t have started this game. Not with him.
“Friends?” I venture.
“Of course,” he says with a wistful look in his eye.
Our moment is broken by a thud on the door and we both look at it. Vito’s face goes grim and he hauls me to my feet. “Breakfast,” he growls and drags me to the door.
“What?” I ask in confusion, pulling my hand out of his.
He opens the door and two of the more menacing Light Fae Guards–Helo being one of them–are waiting for us on the other side. I gulp.
“The Princess is to join the Court downstairs,” one of them sneers and glares at me when I don’t move.
“Can I at least have a shower and get cleaned up?” I ask archly, the disdain and demotion not going unnoticed.
“No,” he states and points his spear at me to get me moving.
I glance at Vito, who gives me an encouraging smile. It’s fake, though, I can tell. Whatever is going on isn’t about breakfast at all.
“Fine,” I say, clearing my throat. I use my sometimes-skewed Dragon magick to bring a hair band to my hand to tie my messy hair back into a tight bun. Makes me look a little neater, but also if I am going to have to fight my way out of here, it also can’t be used as a weapon against me.
Vito falls in line next to me and we are ushered under heavy guard to the dining hall.
As we enter, the hall stills. It is packed to the rafters with Faeries, with Anders presiding over them in a throne-type chair at the front.
“Princess Aeval,” Anders says formally, gesturing me inside and where to sit, which is directly in front of him like an inquisition. “This is an informal inquest into the death of my brother, our late King Kalen.”
Knew it! Dammit!
I look at Vito and I see the fear in his eyes. We are vastly outnumbered, and we still have our rescue mission to complete. Things are going to get ugly. Fast.
“I have already explained all that I can about that,” I say loudly, so that everyone can hear me. “There is nothing more that I can add.”
“No one believes that you had nothing to do with my son’s death,” Pyleah screams at me. “Arrest her at once!”
It riles up the crowd, but Anders brings them to order shortly. “If you will humor us, Princess. Please reiterate, before the Court, the happenings of that day.”