Page 64 of Accidental Fae (Fae War Chronicles 1)
Chapter17
Ember
“Mistress Ember, I am here to fetch you!” a woman calls through the door less than five minutes after I managed to sneak back upstairs. Quickly, I finish fixing my hair then stare at the woman in the reflection.
Whether it’s due to all the running for my life or my increase in appetite, I look—fuller. My cheekbones no longer jut out of my face, and there’s a healthy glow to my cheeks. My body is even returning to its pre-sickness, curvy self after only a matter of a few days, three of which were spent in a dungeon.
So crazy it took being imprisoned to make me look healthy.
“Just a moment!” I call out as I adjust my dress, and using what little cleavage I have to my advantage, I try to appear even plumper than I am. Then, with a deep breath, I turn toward the door, letting my gaze catch the fabric I’d used to take fruit to Rafferty.
Why is the very idea of releasing him thrilling for more reasons than just my own freedom?
Focus, Ember. Eye on the prize.Since the very man holding the key is the same one who hates me, tonight is going to require me dusting off my very rusty—and truthfully not all that great—flirting skills.
And if that doesn’t work? I suppose I’ll be attempting something else, entirely. What? I have no damn clue, but something has to work, right? It has to because the alternative is far too terrifying.
So, after plastering a fake smile on my face, I pull open the door and meet the sharp gaze of the tall woman standing on the other side. Wearing a pristine white dress, she’s woven daisies into brown hair that is secured on top of her head in a tight bun. Not a single strand out of place, she’s a visual representation of the perfection I’m assuming Taranus requires.
Which makes his interest in me all the more peculiar given that I am probably the furthest thing from feminine perfection there is. Guess there is something to be said about power being sexy. And according to his prophecy, I will give him a lot of power.
“You look lovely, Mistress.” She bows. “I am Bea, your new handmaiden.”
“You don’t need to bow,” I tell her. “And my name is Ember. Please don’t call me Mistress.”
Her eyes, one golden and one green, widen. She’s beautiful, this young woman, and it hurts my heart to think she’s trapped here, just as I am. “I truly cannot call you by first name, Mistress.”
“Why not?”
“King—”
“Then how about this: In his presence, you can call me Mistress. But in private, I am Ember.”
“Ember. I can do that.” She smiles softly, her lips turning up ever so slightly.
“Good. Then, shall we?”
She moves to the side, and I shut the door behind me. “Where are we headed?”
“The King wishes to speak to you privately within his chambers before the celebration tonight.”
Icy fear climbs my spine, but I do not cower beneath the weight of her words. The butter knife tucked tightly in the makeshift garter around my thigh may not do much, but I will definitely not go down without a fight if it comes to one. “Do you know why he wants to talk to me?”
“No, Mistress. But I imagine it is to prepare you for tonight.”
“What’s tonight?”
She stops and turns to me, wearing a curious expression on her face. “Your wedding, Mistress. You are to marry King Taranus before the Elder Council.”
“Tonight?” All heat rushes from my body in one wave, leaving me feeling icy to the very core of myself. “That’s not supposed to be tonight.”
“The King wished to be married quickly, my lady.”
“I cannot marry him tonight. I’m not ready.”
The woman’s expression softens, and she steps forward to gently take my hand. “I understand wifely duties might be overwhelming, but it will be over before you know it.”
“I’m not having sex with him,” I shoot back as bile rises in my throat.