I saw her mother standing along the fence near their house, but Cara must not have noticed. When she grabbed my face and kissed me, I was stunned. The day after our bargain, she had insisted she couldn't kiss someone she wasn't married to.
I still feel her on my lips, even now when I'm in the midst of other Fae. Breena chatters beside me about nothing in particular, only trying to pass the time. Her human pets have bored her so she has them hiding. She'll look for them eventually, most likely after they've died of starvation and reek of shit and piss. Because they'll stay in that spot until they're found, regardless of natural urges or needs.
Frowning, I recall how I tried to have Cara kiss me that morning she denied me. She didn't fall victim to my whim, which is the only reason I told Breena her name. But the question lies off why she wasn't affected when every other creature is?
"Do you remember when Oberon had that affair with a human?" Breena asks suddenly.
"That was over two decades ago. Titania had her banished," I respond, uninterested.
"Wasn't there a child from that union?"
Glancing at her curious face, my brows knit. Her amber eyes look at me pointedly.
"I don't remember. There were rumors."
"Come on, Kailan. There was a child. Oberon searched for it until Titania put a stop to it. How do you not remember?"
"I didn't care. Human and Fae coexist. It's only natural for our species to intertwine every so often." I cross my arms over my chest. Cara had said the same thing in her attempt to convince me to bed her.
The other Fae near us are observing our exchange. The Unseelie are always watching, their keen ears ready to jump at any kind of misfortune, even among their own kin. Especially if it increases their standing in Court.
"True. But when the king of the Seelie Court has an affair, it's kind of a big deal."
"I never cared for the antics of the Courts."
A collective gasp goes around the room. Breena grabs my wrist and yanks me down a hallway, shoving me into her room before saying another word.
"What is wrong with you lately? You can't say something like that with so many ears around. What if word gets back to Tatiana?"
"Let word get back to her. Tatiana isn't the real queen anyway. Mab is. Mab is the queen of all Unseelie. She's only humoring Tatiana until she tires of her."
Breena glares at me. "Then why are you here? Why separate from Mab in the first place?"
"To watch over you." I stare at her, the silver in her eyes shimmering through the amber. I've surprised her speechless so I take the opportunity. "I can't stand any of the Courts. I have no interest in their political whims or why each ruler can't stand the other. I broke away from Mab when you did, to ensure you didn't do anything that would bring her wrath and to get myself out of Court. But this life gets boring, so I figured I'd try something new with you."
"That's why you approached that human? Because you were bored?"
"I approached her because she intrigued me," I explain since I can't lie. I didn't approach Cara because I was bored. I had to get to know her. She interested me from her unusual way of behaving, so different from the typical human. And every encounter since then has only increased the mystery.
"You may not care about the Courts but Queen Tatiana cares about the development of your deal. She could've just killed her, like she should have. Humans in a Fae court, allowed to walk free." She scoffs. "What have we become?"
I shrug, knowing she's not really looking for an answer.
"What are you going to do? You can't abandon the Court now. There's too many eyes on you."
"I don't know yet. But when I figure it out, will you help me if I need it?"
She meets my gaze steadily. "Of course."