She dropped her fork with a loud cling, and I squeezed my eyes shut. This was ridiculous, indeed. But not the fact that I wore sunglasses inside, rather the fact that my mother made such a big deal of it. She was supposed to provide a solace in my state of distress, not call me out on something as meaningless as my looks.

I had single-handedly saved the court, for heaven’s sake!

With eyes still squeezed shut, I pulled the glasses off and set them on the table next to the plate that was placed there by the servant. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I’d looked in the mirror several times since I got back from the infirmary. It was hideous, not at all what Karmuth had called it, what he’d called me…

Swallowing hard, I picked up a fork and focussed my gaze on the plate. Deep breaths, just don’t freak out. As if I’d be the one to freak out now, I’d already gone through that flooding of emotions and stopped short of acceptance. My mother on the other hand?

“Isay! What in the world is that on your face?” Her question was loud and piercing. It also got the entire dining hall to shift their gazes in our direction. She now stood to lean closer to the offending mark.

“What, pray tell, do you mean exactly?” I bit out through my dry throat.

I was barely able to contain the boiling turmoil in my stomach, but Karmuth was right behind me. He was listening, and I was not going to make a spectacle of myself, not before him. He was the only one looking out for me ever since I arrived. I was not willing to lose my only ally in here by throwing a tantrum.

“Your eye, Isay. I mean your eye.” My mother was taking laboured breaths intended to help her keep her cool, but it was clear she was on the very edge, just like me.

“What about it?” I pressed calmly.

“Stop daunting me! Tell me what happened to it.”

“Sit down Siya,” King Grath interfered, as if my change in appearance was not concerning in the slightest. “Give Isay some room to breathe.”

“I’ve given her nothing but space,” she insisted. “Look where that got us. She’s been desecrated!”

I flinched, dropped my fork that I hadn’t been using and stood to be on the same level as her. My mother still loomed a head higher than me.

“If you wanted me to stay your pretty little baby girl, you wouldn’t have brought me here. What did you expect would happen? That I wouldn’t get affected? Then you’re even more naïve than your youngling of a daughter.” Okay. I wasn’t quite staying collected as I’d intended, but how could I?

She riled me up, calling me impure, looking at me like I’d sprouted horns. Maybe the eye was just as bad. Karmuth had said I was beautiful.

I glanced over to him to see his throat bobbing. He wasn’t facing the dining room anymore. Instead, his eyes locked with mine, and I could see the fury burning deep within. It was directed at my mother, just like my own anger.

“Isay!” My mother’s voice boomed over the whole hall.

“What?” I responded, no longer caring who heard me.

“You’re saying I’m wrong? You hadn’t thought I’d be happy here? You thought I’d stay the same as ever, seeing someone die in front of my eyes? Did you ever even think to mention there were monsters outside of the reservation?”

“You’re being immature. The reservation was safe. The delthers hadn’t been a problem for decades. I couldn’t have known they’d attack.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Just like I couldn’t have known I’d be able to tap into their life force and suck it out. How immature of me to not be able to hold it all in and explode. I saved the whole goddamned court, and you have the audacity to judge the way it changed my face.”

“You collected from a delther?” my mother whispered in horror, making my stomach burn hotter.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors around the court. What do you think they’ve all been talking about? Your bravery? If you haven’t heard about what I did then what in the world have you been so worried about? Care to tell me how it is possible I was able to connect to an animal with such ease?”

“That’s enough!” The king finally stepped in.

I took a step back, stumbling on my chair.

“You are quite right about that,” I agreed. “I won’t be dining with you again.”

I marched out of the dining hall, Karmuth at my heels as every single fae in the room followed me with their eyes. I sneered at one of them and he bowed his head, muttering “Apologies, my princess,” under his breath.

When the doors closed behind Karmuth, I could breathe more easily. I didn’t dare to look at him, though, and headed straight for the stairs.

“I’m sorry about that, Isay,” he said quietly. “I’m really sorry. She shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

I halted in my escape to finally look at him. His eyes were intense, his lips pressed to a thin line.

“It’s not your fault.” He couldn’t have done anything about it. What he could do was get me out of here, if only for one night. “Do you think they’ve already left? I think I’ve changed my mind about not going out tonight.”

Chapter 19

KARMUTH

ISAY WAS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING IN THE BLACK DRESS SHE CHANGED into before we hurried out of the palace to where Regar had set the rendezvous.

Everyone but Hiko was already there, and while Ferro gave Isay a stink eye, Regar’s face lit up. I thought I was pleased to have her with me, but Regar’s reaction could contend with mine.

“Look at who decided to join!” he cheered in genuine happiness. “You won’t regret it, Princess. We’ll show you a good time.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ferro huffed.

I really wanted to punch him sometimes.

“I am speaking for myself and Kar.” Regar looked towards Sinister who shrugged. “Ah, everyone but you, it seems.”

Isay smiled. “Well thank you, Regar. I hope you won’t regret having me along. I seem to be more trouble than I’m worth lately.”

I spoke at the same time Regar did.

“That’s not true,” I protested.

“I think not.” Regar smiled sweetly.

She fidgeted with her dress. “It would be great to have a good time for a change.”

Her hair fell over her eye, doing its best to cover the unnatural colouring, but it did not do as good a job as the sunglasses she’d left behind in the dining room. I did not have a second pair.

When she pulled more hair forward, I wanted to still her hands and tuck it all back behind her ear, but I kept my hands to myself.

After Hiko showed up, we left the reservation from the North gate. A car awaited us in the shed built right next to the fence, and while Ferro and Sinister preferred their bikes, the rest of us piled inside. Isay rode shotgun, which is why I was driving.

There were rules about leaving the reservation that applied to the general population of Vindica. The guards by our gates were not letting just anyone walk through, or in our case drive.

Not many Vindicans knew how to drive, making monitoring the gates somewhat easier. Everyone with a pass to our feeding grounds had to be accompanied. It was both a way to keep track of who had travelled to Earth, and how much ecos had been taken.

Those passes were not handed out lightly. Many of the death fae had to file an official request with the king to be allowed outside our borders. Visiting Earth didn’t always mean finding suitable prey, as there were rules about that, too. All in all, everything to do with feeding and crossing over was a hassle to most Vindicans.