Kalina ~ Book Four

Under the fading sunlight, Evergreen glowed as Sylvie and her mates walked up the castle stairs, followed by Fae of all kinds.

The Gala doubled as a mixer, and the variety of Fae already there had her mind reeling. She had seen most of them at Katarina’s funeral, but it still always amazed her how different they looked from the evergreen Fae—How beautiful.

The sun courts Fae's red, orange or golden skin held its own illumination, their veins glowing as if made of sunlight. The Moon court fae were smaller, thin and fair, their pointy ears and feline eyes making them stand apart in the colourful crowds. Only one or two ice fae flitted past; their iridescent wings with snowflake patterns were enough to make Sylvie stop and stare.

She was a descendent of Stone Court Dryads, and compared to the others, she felt unbearably plain. Despite her feelings on the matter, though, she was getting a hell of a lot of stares as she climbed the stairs.

“Come, Princess,” Kian spoke softly in her ear, taking her trembling hand. Elias’ cool hand on her lower back sent chills up her spine while Rowan’s fiery heat by her side warmed her back up.

She’d be fine.

Probably.

The drugs rattled and rolled in the purse draped over her shoulder, and she swallowed. Kerensa better take the fall if everyone gets pissed.

Kian’s calming energy drenched her, and she breathed evenly from her nose.

“I’m okay,” she said lightly, squeezing Kian. She hadn't been back at Evergreen in person since Kerensa’s crowning, and as far as she knew, neither had he.

They pushed through the giant open doors, and Sylvie marvelled at the row of ornate chandeliers guiding them down a wide hallway. Highly decorated Evergreen Fae took coats and bags and offered drinks, all of which Sylvie politely declined and continued to the Grand hall. By the looks of it, Kerensa had completely redone the place.

Yes, for her, it had been hundreds of years to Sylvie’s ten, but Evergreen court was almost unrecognisable.

The one thing she was comforted in was the wild tendrils of plants vining across every wall, window and ceiling. The floor underfoot was polished stone, but it accommodated dark brown tree roots that crossed and weaved through it.

Sylvie tuned into them, letting their light fill her eyes. With it, she followed the roots to the hall, where a huge tree burst from the centre of the room and created a natural roof of greenery. Her heart panged with familiarity, and she froze.

It had been centuries, so it made sense. But she could still hardly believe it. The tree she felt such a connection to, where she had first learned of her dryad abilities. The first tree to pull her into its embrace. This was that tree—or at least its child, grown from the heartwood of the base cut away by Lazuli.

“It’s her.”

“Who?” Rowan asked from her side, gazing up at the tree from the doorway, too. They looked like a pair of gawking tourists while Kian and Elias moved them to the side of the door.

“It is,” Kian said.

Finally, Sylvie drew her gaze away from the tree and found Kerensa sitting atop a large vine-laced throne, her gaze bored but polite enough as she greeted all the incoming Fae. She was as gorgeous as ever. Regal with the vining crown atop her head.

Sylvie continued forward with a racing heart when Kerensa’s gaze cut to her, and she stood with a half smile. The Fae closest to her startled and whipped their heads towards Sylvie.

She bowed to Kerensa, controlling her face despite the grin that wished to burst forth. And Kerensa inclined her head in response. More Fae spun, seeking the object of their Queen's bow and started whispering when they saw her.

Before Sylvie’s nerves could take over, Kerensa swished over in a flowy dark purple dress that doubled as a pantsuit and matched her violet eyes and dark brown skin perfectly. Her braids flowed down her back, almost reaching her calves, and Sylvie subconsciously touched her own hair, spiralling in front of her face, wavy, golden brown, and barely grazing her mid-back.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

They stared at each other, one with tears in her eyes and the other with a half-smile. “Don’t act like it hasn’t been hours since we talked, Hart,” Kerensa said, rolling her eyes and pulling Sylvie in for a hug.

“But it's been years since we hugged,” Sylvie choked out, squeezing her back fervently.

She pulled back and let Kian say hello with a light hug of his own. Elias nodded in acknowledgement while Rowan just grunted. “Any food?”

Sylvie snorted as Kerensa’s half smile turned into a full one despite herself, and she gestured to the wall behind the throne and to their right.

Tables upon tables of food and drinks lined them, all looking more decadent than the next. Kerensa had enchanted the food to be safe for them to eat, and free food was the only reason Rowan came.

He took his leave then, offering a wink to Sylvie and a dip of the head to Kerensa before disappearing through the crowd of Fae. They tended to jump and dart away as he passed. It almost made Sylvie laugh.

Almost.

He wasn’t the big bad wolf like they all thought. No. That was her.

At least, it used to be.

“Do you have the things I asked for,” Kerensa asked with an upturned palm. Sylvie stuck her bag in her hand and turned to see if anyone was watching.

“What is that, Kitten?”

Elias’ voice made her jump, and she replied highly, “Nothing!”

Kian chuckled and trailed a finger leisurely down her bare back, the olive dress only covering the areas that counted. “Just some hallucinogens. You know how Fae parties can be.”

Elias tutted and lowered his hand to her ass cheek, squeezing it. There was a delicious warning in his cool grip. A punishment was still owed for losing their race, and now she would only be racking up the debts. Be careful, it said. She was rather clumsy, though.

“No one’s gonna want me dead for this, right?”

Kerensa pursed her lips and peered around. “No one we can’t take,” she said lightly.

“Fucking hell.”

Kerensa saddled off with the bag and vials, leaving Sylvie to wander with her two remaining mates. The men that started it all.

“I might go and greet the Fae from Sun court. It’s been years,” Kian said distractedly, peering over to a large gathering of sun fae. Their combined bodies gave off enough light that Sylvie had to look away. Elias, too, seemed to be bothered by the light show.

“Go ahead,” Sylvie replied, letting him kiss her knuckles before watching him go.

One mate left.

“Kitten I-”

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine.”

She peered over her shoulder at him and smirked at his smoulder. He did not like to be cut off. Oops. But he was eyeing the glass doors that Sylvie suspected led out onto a balcony and into the falling night.

“Be careful.”

“Always.”

Elias scoffed but disappeared. She inhaled deeply and took a slow walk towards her tree, stroking it lightly as she padded around. Her Dryad vision hummed happily as she spun and swayed to the soft music lilting in the background. She had no clue where the sounds came from, but they took over her body in ways she couldn't fathom. Never one to dance, she wasn’t sure where the moves were coming from, but others seemed equally affected.

She marvelled at the grace of the Fae as she danced with her tree.

“You can drink the red punch,” Kerensa whispered sweetly in her ear before flitting off.

Sylvie used the next rotation to look for her to clarify if the red punch was the drugged one or the undrugged one, but Queen Kerensa was already gone. No punch it was. Just to be safe.

All around, as the music crescendoed, Fae met in a clash of skin and lips. Sylvie staggered back as two Fae from different courts rushed together as if drawn by magnets— the ice Fae flying into the arms of a tall, pale moon Fae.

Their sudden need for one another reminded her of her own mates, and she shook her head, clearing the control of the music and headed for the buffet.

A few times, the music called to her again, throwing her into the waiting hands of a grey-eyed stranger. He spun her so gracefully she couldn't process the shot glass held to her lips, and she downed the liquid that tasted of oranges before she could escape him.

She coughed, wiped her lips as she spun away from the Fae, and jerked her head, looking for him, but he was gone. What the hell was that? She noted dozens of other Fae offering tiny shot vials to their dance partners, and they instantly accepted. What kind of fucking madness-

She finally made it to the food and darted for the red punch, hoping Kerensa meant what she thought she did for once. Pouring herself a huge glass, she downed it, hoping it would dilute whatever fae potion she accidentally drank and rubbed her mate marks. Better to be with the ones she trusted if shit were about to hit the fan.

Elias was at her side in the blink of an eye while Rowan only sauntered over a moment later, hands full of food and a blue drink.

“What is it?”

“This music is weird, right?” Both men said simultaneously.

“Someone gave me a shot, and I don’t know what it was, so I just wanted you close in case I got drugged.”

Rowan nodded, sculling the blue liquid before Sylvie’s brain could catch up. “Oh shit.”

“What?”

“I think you drank the spiked punch.”

Rowan just shrugged. “It should go through my system pretty fast. My- woah.”

Elias exhaled and grabbed him by the shoulder, leading him to the nearest empty egg-shaped lounger, dumping him on it while he stared, mesmerised by the food in his hands. Then, after scoffing every last bite, the hands themselves.

“Do you feel like that?” Elias asked, nodding to their high as a fucking kite mate.

Sylvie shook her head but sat, clutching her stomach, waiting for something, anything to happen. When nothing did, she shrugged up at Elias and stood. “I guess it was just punch.”

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Rowan took her hand and pulled her on top of him as Elias looked on with disdain. “Shifters.”

She sneered at him over her shoulder before accepting a half-dozen kisses on her lips.

“You’re beautiful too, Ro.”

“Really?” His blown-out pupils travelled lazily down her face to the cut in the front of her dress. “I want you.”

“We’re in public!” she hissed as his hand tried to snake into her dress. She shoved him down and sat up, looking around, but everyone appeared to be in a state of undress.

Fucking hell, they’d only just arrived, and everyone was fucked. Maybe the drugs Sylvie got were too strong… But when a tall, light-haired sun Fae wandered up to a dumbstruck Kerensa and touched her hair with a hand that illuminated her face in a gentle orange hue, Sylvie realised what was happening.

The bonded pairs were finding each other.

Sylvie gasped as the Sun Fae buried their fingers in Kerensa’s braids and smashed their lips on hers, the kiss Kerensa returned matching the Sun Fae's energy twofold. The clothes were flying in a blink, and Sylvie had to look away.

She was not nearly drunk enough for this.

“Elias.”

“Yes?”

“I need some blue punch.”

His eyes gleamed as he darted away, returning seconds later with a flute of the liquid.

Kian returned with him and looked over her straddling Rowan, one of his hands stroking the length of her thigh, lifting her dress high enough to show everyone the lingerie Elias bought her.

“Fae parties, huh?” He said with a grin. Sylvie took the blue flute and downed it in one swig.

She was about to show him…