He frowned. “And that made you sad?”
“Yes, it did.”
“Why?”
I rolled my eyes and then said sweetly, “Do you always ask this many asinine questions, my prince?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that sarcasm I detect in your tone?”
“Me?” I batted my eyelashes innocently. “I would never.”
He shook his head, but a hint of amusement rolled across his features. “So seeing the capital, after not thinking that would be possible, has made you sad. I have to say, of all of the emotions I’d expect a fairy to feel at seeing the richness of our great continent, sadness would have been the last one.”
“Then perhaps you’re not as empathetic as you thought.”
“Or perhaps there’s more to your story that you’re not telling me.”
“And why should I tell you my story?”
He shrugged, the movement causing us to lift slightly in the wind. “We still have thirty minutes until we reach the castle. Conversing seems like a good way to pass the time.”
“Are you getting bored of the silence?”
“Not at all, but I have to say, now that I’ve asked you a question, which you seem Mother-bent on avoiding, I’m even more intrigued.”
A smug smile lifted my lips. “Good. Then I won’t tell you.”
His mouth parted, a look of shock covering his face, before his eyes narrowed. The look was mischievous enough that my stomach flipped.
“And what if I said I’d drop you if you didn’t tell me?”
I immediately curled my arms around his neck. “You wouldn’t.”
He shrugged again, except this time the movement was even bigger, causing us to careen upward at an even faster rate. I swallowed a shriek just as he said, “Wouldn’t I? We’ve already established I’m not a gentlefae.”
Another scowl descended over my face as a dark light entered his eyes. “That’s not fair. You’re threatening me bodily harm simply to get what you want.”
“I never said I’d harm you.”
“You don’t think dropping me would hurt me?”
“Of course not, because I’d catch you before you hit the ground.”
I glanced downward, the land seeming even farther beneath us. “You’re a bully.”
His lips parted, then he laughed. “I’m many things, but a gentlefae and a bully aren’t two of them.”
“Oh really? I completely disagree, my prince. You’re trying to force something out of me that I don’t want to share. That makes you a bully.”
“That doesn’t make me a bully. It makes me a male who knows how to play his cards right.”
“Oh, please. That just makes you a bully in sheep’s clothing.”
“Have I done anything to hurt you?”
“Besides ripping me away from my sister and everything I know and love?”
“Besides that.”
“I think that’s a pretty big one.”
“But an unimportant one.”
“How in the realm is that unimportant?”
“We’re getting off track. I believe I asked you why seeing the capital, which you never thought you’d visit, would cause you sadness and not joy.”
“And I believe I told you that I’m not answering.”
His lips twisted up even more. “Now I’m really intrigued.” His arms loosened abruptly, and I clung instinctively to him, plastering myself to his chest as my face pressed flush against his neck.
His steady heartbeat filled my ears, and the wind died down even more with his body shielding mine. But worst of all, his scent flooded me, and he smelled so rich and decadent. Mother, he smelled good.
I abruptly pulled back, my heart beating rapidly. From fear or from the unfurling sense of attraction that had just sparked within me, I didn’t know. Blessed Mother, how twisted is this? To feel a sense of attraction for the murderer of my family?
I’d completely lost all sense. Cailis would give me a tongue-lashing if she knew.
Trying to calm my breathing, I bit out, “You’re insufferable.”
He grinned. “And you’re a frightened little mouse.”
“You would be too if you didn’t have wings.”
He shrugged, and we once again shot upward. I cursed him several times over, berating him for doing it, which only made him laugh again.
When we finally—thankfully—settled into a relaxed glide once more, he cocked an eyebrow at me. “Surely you know by now that I won’t let any harm come to you?”
I gave him a bewildered look. “I don’t know that. How could I possibly know that?”
“Because if I wanted you dead or hurt or maimed or whatever else your imagination has come up with, it would have happened already.”
“Or perhaps it’s still coming, and it won’t happen until the capital.”
“Why would I fly you all the way across the continent simply to postpone harming you until we reached the capital?”
“I don’t know. Why would you?”
He frowned again as a look of discontent washed over his features. “You truly think I’m going to hurt you.”
“I truly think you’re going to do something to me that will either hurt me or make me wish I’d never met you.”
His frown deepened. “Very well, then forget I asked about why seeing the capital made you sad.”
“I’ve already forgotten, my prince.”
We didn’t speak the rest of the flight, and I was glad for it. Now that the prince had relinquished whatever sudden curiosity had overcome him, he’d returned to gliding normally with no further threats of dropping me.
And since I was determined to look anywhere but at him, I soaked up as much as I could from our bird’s-eye view of the capital.
The closer we got, the more I was able to see that Solisarium was nestled in a broad valley surrounded by hills that rose in gentle snowy mounds and that buildings and homes covered every inch of them.
The entire city was a hodgepodge of streets. Some were parallel and perpendicular. Others were curved and looping around. It was as though the city had been built haphazardly, and I realized that since it had grown so much over the centuries, that it likely had been.
The outer rim seemed more structured, but the inner portion was a winding maze of streets and alleys that would be very easy to get turned around in for someone who wasn’t able to fly above everything.
Snowy rooftops covered every building and home, but snow was less common on the steeper, ice-coated roofs. I marveled that none of the central city’s buildings rose higher than five stories, making the castle at the heart of the capital’s inner district that much more commanding and breathtaking.
My throat bobbed in awe as I beheld it. Even from a distance, its towers, huge turrets, and steeply peaked roofs screamed of wealth and decadence. A solid, thick wall surrounded the entire castle, and its exterior held glistening spears of decorative ice. A shimmering dome of sparkling magic as fine as dusted snow covered the entire expanse. I could only presume that dome was a protection ward that didn’t allow anyone in who wasn’t invited.
I tried to soak everything in, tried not to let one detail escape me, but it was hard as the congestion grew. Fairies flew everywhere, making it difficult to see, and the closer we traveled toward Solisarium’s center, the more fae appeared in the skies.