I studied her face for any ounce of malice, but found nothing. Every word that came from her mouth felt genuine. But if what I saw between her and Malachi earlier was what I thought it was, Kara was just pretending to be nice to me. If anything existed in both the fae and human lands, it was jealousy.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kara. And yes, this party certainly does not disappoint after everything I’ve heard,” I said, matching her politeness.
“This must be quite a change from home,” she continued. “I can’t imagine leaving fae and continuing life in the human lands.”
Was that a diss? Or was she being genuine?
“The human lands weren’t much, but they were home.”
Kara took a sip of her drink and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. Her dress was even more scandalous than my own, exposing most of her tanned skin. “Rewyth can be tough at times, but it’s home. If you find yourself needing a friend here, I’m never too far.”
I hid my shock as much as possible. Not only was she a fae interacting with a human, but she clearly had some sort of past with Malachi. Nonetheless, I needed as many allies as possible.
“That’s very kind of you, thank you. Although I’m not entirely sure how much freedom I’ll be permitted here,” I said.
Kara laughed. “Malachi can be possessive, that much is true. But you’re a smart girl, Jade. I can tell. You’ll figure it out.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “You sound pretty confident for someone who just met me.”
Kara leaned in to whisper, “You remind me a lot of myself, Jade. But I must warn you– Malachi isn’t the brooding, obedient prince everyone takes him for. He’s a crack of lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm. Be very careful.”
I didn’t have time to question what she meant. She winked at me and disappeared in the crowd, her dress flowing on the ground behind her.
Okay, this night was getting weird.
What in the Saints did that mean? Adeline had told me I could trust Malachi, but Kara was telling me the opposite?
I caught myself frowning and straightened immediately, replacing the slip of emotions with a delighted, ignorant mask.
Kara wasn’t going to mess with my head. I knew what I was doing. I took a few steps toward the massive doorways. It was almost midnight. Adonis would be waiting for me, and after the conversation I just had with Kara, I was desperate.
Nobody seemed to be paying attention. Everyone was busy dancing or drinking until they passed out. I dipped my head and slipped through the doorway, into the dark hallway.
A few rings of laughter echoed against the stone walls. I froze, but nobody approached. I kept my ears peeled for any sign of approaching footsteps.
Saints. Would I even be able to hear a fae if one tried to sneak up on me?
I walked slowly, but my shoes still clicked on the floor. I knelt down and slid them both off. My plan wasn’t about to get ruined because of some stupid high heels.
The floor was cold against my feet, but it was refreshing. It was like a wave of cool water rushing through me, electrifying my senses.
I didn’t so much as breathe as I snaked through the shadows, counting the doorways as I passed them. Adonis would be waiting here, I just had to make it a few more feet until–
A strong hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways, sucking me into a shadow-filled doorway. I would have gasped if it weren't for a strong hand covering my mouth and forcing away any scream for help.
I fought to get free in the dark hallway we were pulled into, but the arm that wasn’t covering my mouth pinned my arms to my sides and forced me against his body.
“Be quiet, dammit!” Malachi’s voice whispered roughly in my ear.
I needed to scream out. I needed to get free. I needed to do something–anything. Because I wasn’t going to die here. I wasn’t going to let him ruin my entire plan.
I was seconds away from biting his hand to scream for help when a group of footsteps rushed into the hallway.
“Where is she?” a man asked. No, I knew that voice. It was Adonis.
“She came this way, I swear!” one of the other brothers chirped.
“I told her to meet us here at midnight,” Adonis’s voice echoed through the hallway. I stiffened. Mal’s hand didn’t leave my mouth.
They were talking about me.
“Maybe she’s not quite as stupid as the others,” another one of the brothers asked.
This earned a laugh from the rest of them.
Were all of the brothers out there looking for me?
“Do you think she told Malachi what you said?” The brother asked.