“Father, Mother, Gia, Farrel,” I address my family by their assigned seats at the end of the long table. “This is Quinn Prescott.”
My mother drops her silverware with loud clatter. “A human? What have you done?”
Ignoring her panic, I go on, “Quinn, this is my father, Keryth, and my mother, Zella. My sister, Gia and her mate, Farrel.”
“You know our laws,” Mother scolds. “You can’t steal a human. This isn’t the Day Realm.”
“She has asked to come before.” I graze my thumb down Quinn’s forearm. “She was willing.” A half-truth. I try not to think about her request to return her to Earth. Clearly, she couldn’t have meant it.
“I’m sure,” Gia says flatly, feigning boredom. “That’s why she looks like she was just chased by a pack of lycans.”
“Is she all right?” Father asks, ever the gentleman.
“She’s fine.” I give Quinn a hardy pat on the shoulder, but she doesn’t stop cowering.
“You hide your face from us.” Mother again. “Why?”
Quinn lets out a shuddering breath. When she turns toward them and lowers her hands, they all gasp. Even the two servants who are refilling goblets suck in a breath. Dramatic as ever, Gia spits out her drink.
I frown at their reaction. Quinn is gorgeous. I know her, inside and out. She has the softest heart I’ve ever encountered, and her delicate bone structure is one to be envied.
“I’ve never seen such skin,” Gia exclaims, losing her bored façade. “So many speckles. Are they battle scars? Did someone toss a potion on your face? What caused it?”
“I was born like this,” Quinn says, her voice hard. I sense a shift in her mood as she straightens her spine. I feel anger, resentment, and strength. “Gia—can I call you that? You might want to get a napkin. You have a little something dribbling down your chin.”
Gia makes a sound of outrage as she dries her face. “Kirian, she can’t speak to me that way.”
“She can.” My statement is filled with authority and an edge of warning. “She’s my betrothed.”
Gia’s shocked into silence—a very rare occasion. Farrel is wise to stay quiet as well.
“Is she your fated mate?” The hope in my father’s question is obvious.
“Does it matter?” I spread my arms. “Am I not whole, just as I am? Why does everyone else care so much about my blindness? Haven’t I proven myself?”
“Kirian,” Mother sighs heavily, and I can hear her lifting her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “This isn’t about you. A human as queen… it isn’t right.”
“Why not? How could you, of all people, say that? After everything you’ve done to fight for equality—”
“For the good of our people. To better our kingdom. Strength starts at the foundation.”
It’s the same line I’ve heard from her many times.
We learned that lesson the hard way. After an uprising about fifteen hundred years ago, when my father was still king, our livelihood was threatened. We’d been dumping so much time and energy into hunting the coven, we unknowingly neglected our people. Naturally, they fought back. Our family was almost taken out by the lower-class citizens. That’s what happens when forces are joined. A million peasants were no match for our army of fifty thousand. And they didn’t even have to fight. No, they just quit working. Supplies stopped coming in. We ran low on coal, wood, herbs, and food.
Starving wouldn’t have killed us, but it was a miserable existence.
Together, the people of our realm showed us we need to value them more, and we were able to reach an agreement. Lower taxes on the poor. School for all children, no matter their social status. Two festivals within the palace walls every year, and everyone is invited.
“Exactly,” I agree with her. “No one would do a better job of maintaining unity in our realm than Quinn.”
“The foundation belongs at the bottom, not the top.” Gia’s snobby opinion is unwelcomed.
She’s lumping Quinn in with the miners and the mill workers, when the truth is, my bride-to-be is in a class all her own.
Mother makes a noise of frustration. “It’s not about station either. Look at what my brother has done to the Day Realm. Do you really want them to think we’re okay with their customs? Lead by example, Kirian.”
I can’t refute my mother’s concern. King Zarid himself took an unwilling earthling as a bride. Kidnapping is a practice we condemn, so being with a human would raise questions for our people.
I’m confident that’ll change once everyone sees how much Quinn and I care for one another. They’ll know she’s here because she loves me, not because I plucked up some random person against their will.
“Then there’s the matter of the curse,” Father chimes in, clearing his throat. “We realize you’ve been very patient—”
“Patient.” I bark out a laugh, though it holds no humor. “Patient is a child waiting for the solstice. I’ve lived a solitary existence for over two thousand years. I’ve been a good ruler, I’ve defended our lands, and I’ve brought joy to our people. All while living in darkness. Don’t you think I’ve earned the right to choose my mate?”
“What about producing an heir?”
I don’t have much of an answer for that. It’s uncommon for fae to be able to reproduce with someone who isn’t their fated mate. That’s why Gia and Farrel haven’t had kids yet. It wasn’t a fate match, plus Gia was too old by the time they got together. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect Gia became so desperate to be queen she pursued Farrel in hopes that her chance to gain the crown would be better if she was married.
“I suppose I’ll just have to live forever,” I joke wryly. No one laughs, so I get serious. “It
