The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

ALEX

Frederick takes the chair across from me, nodding to the man behind the bar to request service. The club was busy earlier, but it’s nearly cleared out now. The smell of cigar smoke is heavy in the air, and the combination of it and the liquor makes my stomach roll.

I sit slumped over with my chin resting on the table, staring at the amber whiskey in the cut-crystal glass and loathing myself. They’re going to kick me out soon.

“How many have you had?” Frederick asks.

“I haven’t been counting.”

“What have I told you about drinking alone?”

I close my eyes, trying to block him out, but I can feel him studying me. I’m still far too sober for my liking. No amount of whiskey can make me forget the look on Sabine’s face when she realized what I did to her.

But it’s good for her to get a taste of her own magic. She deserved it.

She didn’t.

But if she knew…

She couldn’t have.

I open one eye to study Frederick. “How did you find me?”

“Just a hunch.” He nods thanks to the barman who delivers his drink. After he takes a sip, he sets it on the table and sits back in his seat. “Is this because you’re taking Sabine home tomorrow?”

“I’m not taking her.”

“You’ve decided to make her catch the public coach?” he asks, surprised. “Did you have an argument?”

“She’s not going home.”

He thinks about that for several seconds. “She’s decided to stay?”

“Not exactly.”

His frown deepens. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Do you remember how your father suggested I kidnap her?”

Frederick suddenly laughs. “You’re going to abduct Sabine and force her to sing in the show?”

I push against the table to sit up in my chair and stare at Frederick.

His eyebrow twitches, and he narrows his eyes. “You, my friend, are drunk. Pay your tab and go home.”

“I’m not drunk,” I growl, shoving the half-empty glass of whiskey away. “I’ve decided to keep Sabine.”

Frederick’s eyes go wide with disbelief. “You’re going to keep her?”

“Only for a few months,” I clarify. “Until the show is over.”

“And how, exactly, do you plan to go about that?”

I point to my empty finger. “I’ve given her my ring.”

We’ve never talked about it. Frederick doesn’t even know what it does.

Beginning to look genuinely concerned, he jokes, “It’s a little too soon to be talking about marriage, don’t you think?”