There’s a bar along the right wall with a female bartender serving frothy liquid in a clear mug to the one customer they have.
The man—a thin fae with long stringy hair—does a double take when Kirian walks through the door.
“Your Majesty,” he slurs, before dropping to the floor.
And I don’t mean he’s kneeling. No, he fell over. He’s struggling to get back up when Torius gives him a hand.
The bartender’s reaction isn’t much different. She has absolutely no chill. Her eyes are wide with shock at the sight of Kirian and Damon, and she sways unsteadily on her feet while giving a curtsy to both kings. Losing her balance, she tries to straighten herself by grabbing onto something under the bar, but a clatter of falling dishes follows.
Ignoring the mess, she stands and sends the men a too-wide smile. “Your Majesties, what a pleasant surprise.”
Kirian gives a nod of acknowledgement before escorting me to a vacant table on the other side of the room.
Sore for a variety of reasons, I wince when I sink to the hard seat. The benches are made from halved logs. There’s exposed bark on some areas, and the dark wood is a contrast to the bright white walls. The floor is covered in some kind of lighter stone, and stardust lanterns hang over each table, restaurant style.
Charming. Rustic. I like it, but I wish I had a pillow to sit on.
“I’ll go put in our order at the bar.” Kirian leans down, placing his mouth by my ear. Some of his long hair tickles my nose, and I have the urge to spear my fingers through it. “Just a warning—there’s probably only one meal on the menu. That’s typical with these places.”
“Good thing I’m not picky.” Whatever they’re cooking, it smells delicious.
“I’ll see if they have anything for dessert. If you haven’t noticed, butterscotch pudding has become a staple in the Night Realm, thanks to you.”
As he pulls back, he runs his nose along my jawline. His crisp smell engulfs me, and I can’t help letting out a dreamy sigh.
I’m dazed as Kirian struts away, and I watch the way his glutes flex with every step in his leather pants.
Damn.
Such. A. Great. Ass.
What? The curse never said anything about admiring either.
The guys look like giants towering over the lone drunken fae as they order drinks for themselves. Motioning to his mug, Kirian asks me if I want one, but I’m guessing it’s beer. I’m not a fan. I’ve sampled my dad’s favorite dark ale before. Yuck.
“Just water for me,” I say with a shrug.
A waitress comes bustling through a swinging door on my left, and she’s got a metal cup in her hand. “I’m already on it.”
She places the beverage in front of me, and I give her a smile. “Thanks.”
“No prob,” she responds, and there’s something different about her. Something familiar.
I study her face. Her high cheekbones, straight nose, and brown eyes. “Have we met before?”
She shakes her head, and her long brown ponytail swishes with the movement. “I don’t think so.”
“What’s your name?”
“Brittney.”
“That’s a very… human name.” And that’s when it clicks. She’s not fae. I lower my voice. “You’re a human, too?”
Snickering, she takes a seat next to me.
“Well, not anymore.” She tucks a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear. Her pointy ear. Which means she’s been here for a while. “And you don’t have to whisper. It’s not a secret. Half of the women in this village are originally from the human realm.”
My jaw drops. “Seriously? How?”
Her amusement slowly drains away as seriousness takes over. “The Day Realm. One night, I was taken from my home and put up for auction there.”
I gape at her. “Auction?”
“Yep. Like cattle. I was being sold as a mate.”
“That’s—that’s terrible.”
A memory from yesterday flashes through my mind—when Zella said something about how the Night Realm doesn’t steal humans.
Then the realization hits me like a ton of bricks—the Day Realm does. They’re human traffickers. Whenever Kirian’s told me the kingdoms don’t see eye-to-eye, that’s what he was referring to.
Holy shit.
Brittney toys with a string on her dark-blue apron. “It would’ve been awful if Toby hadn’t found me. He’s a toymaker from here. He just happened to be there that day selling his puppets. He bought me, and the rest is history.”
She doesn’t sound upset, and I’m baffled. “How can you be happy with someone who paid for you?”
Wide-eyed, she shakes her head. “He’s my fated mate. We both knew it as soon as we saw each other.”
I blink. “But you’re human.”
Hiking a shoulder, she smiles again while rubbing her slightly swollen belly. “I didn’t know it at the time but getting kidnapped was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Very rudely, I stare at her rounded stomach. Either she’s packing one hell of a food baby, or she’s pregnant.
Then I think about all the families I saw here. There were a lot of children at those dinner tables. If what Brittney says is true, then the women who used to be human aren’t having any trouble with fertility.
Obnoxious giggling draws my attention to the other side of the room, and jealousy spikes when I see the bartender flirting with the men. More specifically, Kirian. She’s looking right at him as she twirls her white-blond hair around a perfect finger. I can tell she’s fae. The unnaturally bright green eyes give it away.
“Don’t worry about her,” Brittney drawls, keeping her voice so low I almost don’t hear it. “Adina’s unmated, and she hits on everyone. I mean, literally everyone. Even me sometimes, and I’m as taken as can be.”
Brittney’s right, because two seconds later, Adina turns her attention to Damon. Raising a pair of scissors, she offers to even out his hair for him. Begrudgingly, he agrees.
“Speaking of mates,” Brittney starts, “I hear you’re engaged to the king.”
Surprised, I glance back at her. “News travels fast.”
“Yep. A messenger sprite flew
