“I— ah. Don’t do that.” I strode to her, keeping my gaze at the hem of her dress so I didn’t have to look at her bare skin or trod on her gown.
“Thank you.” She released the fastening she’d been yanking on.
I forced my gaze up to the zipper, biting back a curse when I saw that it had caught on the fabric at the very base of her spine. Just an inch more and I’d see enough to put me on my knees.
“It’s stuck.” My voice sounded like it scraped over gravel.
I gripped the tiny metal tab, doing my best not to touch the smooth skin that beckoned. The damned thing was stubborn, and it took a few minutes to pull it free of the fabric.
Finally, I managed to slide it up the row of teeth, concealing her back all the way up to the base of her neck.
For the first time in ages, her hair was pulled up to reveal the slender column. She always wore it down—to conceal her ears, no doubt—and the sight of it made my heart race.
It took everything I had not to press my lips to her pale skin. I wanted to sink my teeth into her, just hard enough to make her moan.
I clenched my jaws and turned away, stalking toward the sideboard that held a collection of glass liquor decanters. I chose one at random, pouring a measure of liquid it into a crystal glass.
“Did you find anything?” Sia asked, her gaze burning into me.
I downed the liquor in one gulp and turned to her.
Damn it.
Shouldn’t have done that.
The front view was even more spectacular than the back. She’d taken down her red curls, which now feathered around her face like flame. The gold dress rose all the way to her collarbone, but it was so tight that I could see every inch of her curves. Hundreds of tiny gems sparkled, and she looked like a beam of sunlight.
“Lore? Did you find anything?”
I cleared my throat and set the glass down. “Not much.”
I updated her on the Order of the Northern Sword, and she frowned. “We have no way to contact them?”
“Not yet, but we’re working on it.” I strode to the wardrobe to collect my clothing for dinner. “What did you find?”
“I think the Irish fae aren’t in on it.” She told me about the king’s mind tricks, which I’d heard of but had never experienced. I didn’t know if he was telling the truth, but I could speak to him myself and see if I got a different answer.
I went into the bathroom to dress, then met her by the door.
There were a dozen things I wanted to say to her, but I had no idea how to voice any of them.
I was sure that I shouldn’t voice any of them.
“Be wary at dinner,” I said. “Trust no one.”
She nodded. “And we’ll present a united front?”
“Most definitely.” It didn’t matter how much I wanted to get away from her to preserve my sanity. She was too smart and powerful not to include in this. She was the core of it. We had to work together if we wanted to succeed. I couldn’t do this on my own.
The prophecy made that clear, and so did my experience.
I needed her. I just had to make sure I only needed her for this. When the witch with the deathly magic was defeated, Sia would return to her own life.
I would see to it.
Sia
* * *
Lore and I walked side by side into the massive dining room. Though we didn’t touch, we stood close enough that I could feel the heat of him. I might think of him as the ice king, but he was far from cold. He might want to be, but he wasn’t.
We stopped at the edge of the dining room, searching for our table. Glittering chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, their sparkling lights illuminating the long, white-linen-clad tables. Mountains of flowers and candles decorated each table, enough to make a southern bride swoon with envy. The room itself had the same ornate architecture as the main hall, with a ceiling made of stone arches and glass. During the daytime, it would be beautiful.
We were some of the last to arrive. Most of the other fae were seated at their tables, though a few mingled, drinks in hand. Their clothing was all spectacular.
“It’s like I’m at the freaking Oscars,” I muttered.
“Oscar?” Lore looked down at me. “Who is he?”
“No one important. To this, at least.”
“Hmm. You’ll explain later.”
“You won’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“Well, then you’ll think I’m nuts.”
“Probably.” He smiled, then raised his arm. “Shall we?”
I tucked my hand into his arm, and we approached the table where the rest of our party sat. People turned to look at us, their gazes traveling up and down my dress and his dark suit.