Zale
Fen pointed at the group of people containing Kyra's soul mate and I couldn't help the burst of laughter. "Well, fuck me," I said.
"What?" Fen asked while I laughed some more, because what were the odds?
"That's the royal family of Huron. The eldest, Castiel, is set to inherit the throne in a few years. Kyra was supposed to marry the younger son, Benny."
Fen spluttered a laugh. "Benny? You mer favor names like Adras and Euripides and Castiel, and that one's name is Benny?"
I had to smile with him, since it was a little funny when you put it like that. "It's a nickname. I haven't had dealings with their family, but it's common knowledge he doesn't like being called his full name, Benicio."
Fen licked his lips and I couldn't resist stealing a kiss. He swatted at my shoulder. "Zale! Focus! What are we going to do?"
Euripides was still just a few steps away, chatting jovially with a duke of someplace or other. I really should have been paying better attention, since these were good contacts to make no matter how they I was making them, but I had been too angry over Euripides acting like he had any kind of claim over me to absorb any names or faces. Gah, he had called me part of his family, I recalled with a barely-repressed shudder. What an ass.
"Zale?" Fen asked, lacing his fingers through mine and squeezing gently. "You probably shouldn't be glaring at your father like that."
He said the words apologetically, but he shouldn't feel bad about keeping me grounded. "You're right. Sorry."
"So, what are we going to do?"
Well, the first step was getting out of the seemingly endless parade of greetings Euripides was leading. I pulled Fen into a nearby alcove and watched as Euripides turned to look at Kyra and at the space I had just occupied. He frowned and looked around, so I ducked further into the alcove. He was obviously upset, but he smoothed his expression and carried on like nothing had happened. As I expected, this man wasn't about to cause a scene looking for the wayward son he'd never bothered to meet before tonight.
Euripides and Kyra moved on and I sagged with relief. "We should have ditched them ages ago," I said.
"Yeah, but now Kyra's alone with him," Fen said, looking guilty.
I shrugged that off, ignoring my own echoing guilt. Kyra had spent decades dealing with her father without any help from me. She didn't need us for this. "Do you know which one's her soul mate?" I asked, turning us back to the only subject that mattered right now.
"No. I need Kyra to get closer to be able to tell."
This party was massive, and if we were going to maneuver so that Kyra and her soul mate could start getting to know each other and maybe spark something, then it was best to start sooner rather than later. Maybe this would be simpler if we came forward and told Kyra what we were doing. We could explain that her soul mate was here and was someone her father would approve of, and take a load of stress off her shoulders. I was sure that's how Fen would handle this, if he weren't leaving the decisions to me.
But.
But, that wasn't what I thought would be best for my sister. I knew from experience how hard it could be to assimilate the idea that someone you just met is your soul mate. I wasted so much time with Fen feeling like he was just another obligation, and feeling like I could arrange our lives however I liked and have him just fall into line. She was probably not as much of an idiot in this regard as I was, but why make things complicated for her?
I always wondered what it would have been like to meet Fen and fall in love with him naturally, over time. I hadn't said anything to him about it, but I felt like we lost something precious by not having that. So much of our courtship had been forced or rushed because I knew we were soul mates.
I remembered the early days with Harlow, when being around him made me feel breathless and the excitement every time he reciprocated my budding feelings had gilded my days. Falling in love with him had been an adventure, full of giddiness and the kind of fear you feel at the apex of a rollercoaster.
It was so different with Fen. I felt drawn to him, of course. But being with him had been like sliding into a hot spring. There was no denying how good it felt, but there was none of the fear. And even though I felt deep affection for him, I couldn't tell if it was love or just the pull of our bond. That doubt ate at me.
I wouldn't do that to Kyra.
She could meet and fall in love with her soul mate organically, with just a little nudge from me and Fen. Maybe someday, when they were deeply in love, I'd ask Fen to explain soul mates to them, and tell them what they were to each other. Until then, let her remain blissfully ignorant. Let her enjoy falling in love the scary way. Let her be kept up at night wondering if he was up and thinking of her, too.
I looked down at Fen, whose bright golden eyes were fixed on mine while he waited for my decision. There was such tenderness in that gaze, such faith and trust...
I felt a little sick to my stomach for wishing any part of our relationship had been different, because how could I regret any time at all with him?
Maybe our relationship hadn't developed the usual way, and we had certainly gone through some rough spots because I was a socially inept idiot, but we were here now. Fen was by my side in a place that had to feel like a lion's den to him, and he could still look at me like that, like I was all that mattered. That devotion and trust made my chest ache with tenderness for him.
I kissed him again, caging him in my arms and pulling him against me because I needed, in that moment, to feel him. Fen was surprised, I could feel it, but it didn't take long for him to melt into me.
"What's that for?" he asked breathlessly when I pulled away to pepper little kisses on his cheeks.
"I'm glad you're here with me."
He smiled at that. "I'm always here for you."
"I know."
Never take this for granted, I reminded myself. Fen's devotion was a gift, one I should honor.
"We can't stay here all night," he said.
Somehow, I had completely lost track of our purpose here. "Right. Let's go."
"Where?" he asked, though he followed me out of the little alcove without hesitation.
"We're going to figure out which one is Kyra's soul mate."
I quickly scoped out the party now that we were back in the thick of it. Euripides and Kyra were on the other end of the room from the Huronese princes. If we weren't going to try and wait for them to naturally grow closer to each other, then I knew which group I'd rather approach. I led Fen toward the princes and away from my ass of a father.
I slowed when we approached the royal family and made sure I had my court face on. "Ready?" I murmured to Fen.
"Ready," he whispered back, looking up at me with his heart in his eyes.
I would have given much to have him to myself right then... but it wasn't worth my sister's happiness.
We approached the Huronese royal family and I was prepared to introduce ourselves, when the youngest, who was maybe seven years old, said, "Look, Mama! That man has pointy ears!" in a too-loud voice.
She pointed at Fen and had people around us looking at him, too. I pulled him tighter against my side, expecting that he'd feel self-conscious about all the judging eyes on him, but he was too focused on the child for that. He smiled benevolently and said, "They're pointy because I'm fae."
She gasped in wonderment and resisted when her mother tried to pull her away. "Wow! So, you're like a fairy?"
Fen flinched and I wanted to laugh. He found the term "fairy" offensive, since he thought it made his race harder to take seriously. "Kelsey!" her mother hissed.
"It's okay," Fen said, that smile still gracing his lips.
Honestly, this gave us a better opening than we could have hoped for. "Please don't worry about it," I added with my best smile.
"Well, thank you for your understanding," the king said. "I'm Dwyer, and this is my wife, Selena. These are our children, Kelsey, Castiel, and Benicio."
I watched Benny out the corner of my eye and wanted to laugh when I saw the brief glare he threw his father's way before he put on a more polite expression. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Zale, and this is my soul mate, Fen."
Fen's head whipped toward mine and I knew he was surprised I'd introduce him that way. Mer weren't used to the idea of soul mates and claiming him as mine would only open it up to discussion. But he deserved to be introduced as more than my date or my boyfriend, and I had seen how uncomfortable he still got about being called my betrothed. This was the best solution I could come up with.
"He's your soul mate?" Kelsey asked, tugging at her mother's arm while she stared up at us with wide eyes.
"He is," I confirmed, and found that I was wearing a smile I couldn't quite force down.
"Wow," she whispered, sounding awed.
"It's good to meet you both," Dwyer said after clearing his throat.
"You, as well." I wasn't sure where to go from here. Ideally, we could stick with Castiel and Benny until I could wave Kyra over. I wasn't sure how to accomplish that while she was still so far away and when I really didn't have anything more to say to these people.
Castiel stepped in, to my relief. "I heard the Rellian prince was here. I almost didn't believe it. You don't usually make it a habit to come to these sorts of events."
His eyes were lit with interest, and I understood his statement for what it was: a question he knew better than to ask outright. "I'm here to support my sister," I said. Ordinarily, I wouldn't open up the discussion to my private life, but this was a special circumstance.
A single brow lifted in deliberately-displayed curiosity and I watched as his eyes searched the crowd until they landed on my sister, who still stood meekly in Euripides' shadow. "So the rumors are true, then?"
I nodded, not liking his calculating gaze or his smoothly-polished demeanor. His parents must be proud to have raised such a capable aristocrat.
His gaze flicked to Benny and he said, "You know, our houses were almost bound in marriage."
Benny blushed sweetly, looking down at his shoes. He wasn't the predator his brother could be. I hoped he was the one for my sister. She deserved someone soft.
Castiel still gazed coolly at me, and I knew he brought it up to prod me for information. Dwyer stepped in before I could formulate an answer. "Why don't we sit down? It's getting crowded here."
For a second, I thought Fen and I were being dismissed. Even though I had intended to stick with these brothers until we figured out which was Kyra's soul mate, I felt relief over the idea of gaining some distance from the game of words and carefully-divulged information Castiel had started. But then I looked to Dwyer and saw that his eyes had the same calculating gleam as his eldest son's, and I knew he meant for me and Fen to follow them.
I glanced to Fen to see how he was faring, and he nodded encouragingly with a small, nervous smile. "Lead the way," I reluctantly agreed.
That's how Fen and I ended up sitting at a round table with the Huronese royal family. Our move put us closer to Euripides and Kyra, who were still schmoozing several tables away. I just had to keep these people's interest until they made it close enough.
I inched my chair a little closer to Fen's so I could take his hand. His palm was a little clammy, probably from nerves, but he still looked at me like he always did, like I was the most important thing to him.
"This is a lovely party your father has thrown," Selena said with a polite smile.
I wanted to gag at having strangers refer to him as my father, but instead I inclined my head toward her. "My stepmother is an excellent hostess," I said as though in agreement. Truth told, I was sure this party was largely Euripides' doing, since he seemed to have a hand in everything that happened in Vidonia. But I liked the idea of undermining his power, even just a little bit.
Selena looked uncomfortable and I caught the glance she shot at her husband. "Yes, of course."
"You'll have to forgive us," Dwyer said. "We're more used to dealing with your father."
Blech. I wished people would stop calling him that. Fen squeezed my hand supportively, and my throat loosened enough that I could speak.
"Yes, how is Euripides doing?" Castiel asked.
"Much better now, thank you for asking. He's almost entirely recovered." I couldn't keep a straight face, so I pulled Fen's hand up to kiss his palm to cover my grin. Let them speculate over what health issues Euripides might have been facing. He was probably fine, the bastard, but if people started thinking him infirm, his power would erode.
I think I just found my new hobby.
It didn't take Castiel long to recover from the surprise of my "accidental slip." "I'm glad to hear it," he said. "And your sister?"
Here's where I had to be more careful.
"Kyra's wonderful," Fen said eagerly. Looking at him, it was easy to see how earnest he was. Unlike the snakes who infested events like this, Fen meant every word he said. He didn't have a disingenuous bone in his body, and it showed. To hear him was to believe him. With those two words, he talked her up better than I ever could have.
Holding his hand wasn't enough. I kissed his temple, making him blush.
"It's so nice you two found each other," Benny sighed dreamily.
Statistically speaking, this table already accounted for more soft hearts than should be found in the entire room. Benny seemed a little like Fen, too pure for politics. I really hoped he was the one for Kyra.
"So, this is where you've gotten to," Euripides' booming voice said from behind me.
My body locked up for a moment before I reluctantly turned to see him staring down at me with the kind of expression a sitcom dad wore after catching his teenage daughter sneaking out at night. I half expected him to try and ground me.
Everyone stood to greet my snake of a father, so I reluctantly stood with Fen, too. Kyra came to my side as though for shelter. Her posture, this meek deference that was so unlike her carriage when she was away from Euripides, felt all wrong. "Sorry," I whispered to her.
"It's okay," she said. "He was pretty mad, though."
I glanced at where Euripides and Dwyer were talking, then at the brothers. Benny looked small and intimidated, sort of like Kyra. Castiel, however, stood tall and his eyes still had that calculating gleam as he looked from my father to Kyra to me.
And I realized something. Kyra needed strength. She needed someone who could play against Euripides and win. She needed someone to help her stand tall. Benny didn't know the half of Euripides' venom and he was already bowing before it. When Fen whispered in my ear, he only confirmed what I already knew.
"It's Castiel."