"How exactly does a carriage work in the forest?" I asked, following behind Eva.

We were following Kheelan, heading towards the river that ran along his border as the sun began to set.

"The carriage is on water. It's why we can get there in an hour rather than a day." Sorcha explained. "Lady Maurelle's water horses are amongst the fastest creatures I've seen."

"Water horses? Don't you think that's a bit much?" I huffed.

"I think it's wonderful!" Eva exclaimed.

I bit my tongue before I said something I'd regret. Since my encounter with Drake, my mood had continued to darken. I'd already had three glasses of potent faery wine but Kalen put a stop to my drinking binge.

"Not a good idea to show up intoxicated, Laila," he had said.

I didn't care. The wine had helped my indifference and had me wishing we had a stereo or something. I was in dire need of some Dire Straits. I snorted at my own joke.

"Are you alright Laila?" Ambrus asked.

"I'm fine, nothing a little Romeo and Juliet wouldn't fix."

I watched the look of confusion pass between them all but again, I didn't care.

Faery wine was awesome.

We reached the river and stood waiting for our ride to arrive. I was humming the chorus to Sultan's of Swing when I heard the splashing.

Two horses, made completely of water arrived before us, their legs melding into the water. Their eyes shone a brilliant white and as they shook their manes, water sprayed. Eva and Sorcha were enthralled as we climbed into the carriage they drew. It was made of a light coloured wood, I don't know how it floated but Kalen answered my question, explaining it was enchanted.

As soon as we were seated, the carriage took off at a fast pace. The ride was a little bumpy and I was glad I didn't suffer from sea sickness. Not exactly the most comfortable ride I'd been on.

"Are you looking forward to seeing Lady Maurelle again, Castien?" Eva asked her brother.

Drake nodded, I felt his eyes flash to me but I stared pointedly out the window, watching the forest fly by. "I haven't seen her in many years. It will be good to see an old friend."

My eyes rolled of their own accord and I caught Kalen grinning at me. Kheelan leaned over, murmuring in my ear. "Behave, Laila. You're acting like a child."

I wanted nothing more than to turn around and poke my tongue out but I bit it instead. He was right. I couldn't act this way in front of the water slut, I had to remain calm and composed.

Take the higher ground.

We didn't speak much on the journey, all of us too busy watching the forest fly by in a mixture of colour. The sun was setting and green melted with orange, creating a beautiful effect.

The river dipped and I felt my stomach drop. Looking out, the forest was gone. Watching the cliffs get higher, I realised; we were falling down a waterfall.

Eva gasped, eyes bright. "This is so amazing!"

I hated to agree with her but I did. It was a pretty neat trick.

Reaching the bottom, we slowed down, a huge home stood before us. Lights lit up the windows, the home appeared made of stone, as if blending into the cliffs around it. Long green vines covered the cliffs, creating a wave of green as it blew in the wind. White and purple flowers bloomed along the vines, looking beautiful. The same plant was creeping along the home, the overall effect was simply gorgeous.

I wanted to hate it so much.

Stepping out of the carriage last, I was met by Drake. With no other choice but to take his hand, I let him help me out. He refused to let go of my hand though once I was safely on land.

"Let go, Drake." I murmured.

"We need to talk later, you and I," he replied.

"Fine, but not now," I ripped his hand from mine, moving away.

He grumbled in annoyance and I felt him move closer despite my obvious need to be away from him. And damn him but it made me happy he did.

"Welcome, Prince Kheelan, Prince Kalen and friends."

I turned to the voice and froze. Who could only be Lady Maurelle stood before us. She wore a beautiful blue gown which accentuated her slim figure which happened to be curvy in all the right places. Her blond hair fell in soft ringlets, two strands tied from her face with a simple silver tiara atop her head. Her skin was pale with a hint of colour and her blue eyes showed her pleasure at our arrival.

Overall, she was a freaking bombshell.

Shit.

Kheelan stepped forward, kissing her outstretched hand. "Lovely to see you again, Lady Maurelle. Thank you for the invitation to dinner, we have been missing your company at court."

She laughed, possibly the most prettiest sound I had ever heard and I felt my jaw drop. "Oh, I'm sure you jest. Your mother always grows tired of me. I much prefer it out here anyway."

"Allow me to introduce my fia -"

"Ah, Castien!" Her eyes brightened and my blood boiled as a seductive smile curved her mouth. "Always a pleasure to see you, I have missed your company."

Drake stepped forward and I watched in shock as they kissed each other on the lips, Maurelle's hand lingering on his chest.

I saw red.

Screw the high road, water slut was exactly that.

"Ah," her eyes turned to me and I tried to put a smile on my face, sure it looked more like a grimace. "You must be the mortal fiancé I have heard so much about."

Her words were kind but her eyes cold, as they flashed between me and Drake.

"Half mortal" I ground out past my smile.

"Of course, it matters not. Drake has told me so many wonderful things about you in his letters."

"He wrote you letters?" My nails buried deep into my palms, wondering what he'd told her. Had he said I was just some silly girl he was having fun with? That Maurelle was the only woman for him? I don't know what he'd told her but it was obvious she knew something about his feelings towards me.

The after effects of the wine caused my mind to create stupid fantasies and images of punching her in the face flashed through my mind while I tried to bury my jealousy.

"Oh yes, we may not see each other anymore but we still write letters. We were quite close once." She smiled again at Drake, her hand lingering on his arm.

I nodded, still smiling as I bit my cheek. "That's nice."

Kalen was grinning behind Maurelle and that grin was starting to get on my last nerve.

"What are we still doing out here, come you must be starved." Taking Drake's arm, Maurelle walked ahead of us and we all followed.

Kalen took my arm and I pinched him. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Don't aggravate me tonight Kalen, I'm not in the mood."

"Would you like me to help you keep control of your temper?"

"How?"

"Whenever you feel angry, simply squeeze my hand, I'll make sure we sit next to each other."

I nodded, "I guess that will work. Thanks Kalen. And sorry for pinching you."

"Ah, but what are friends for if not to use and maim?"

I rolled my eyes and Kalen chuckled, leading me into the big dining area. It was a simple hall, vases of Lilies, adorned the outer cream walls and a long table sat in the centre, candles burning brightly. It looked very romantic.

Too romantic for a simple dinner if you asked me.

Lady Maurelle took her seat at the head of the table and it grated on my nerves that she looked even better in candlelight. I'm sure she knew it too. We all took a seat and Kalen sat next to me, closest to Maurelle and reaching out he took my hand giving it a reassuring squeeze.

I smiled at him grateful and found myself squeezing it as soon as Maurelle spoke, causing Kalen to wince.

"You've certainly blossomed dear Eva," Maurelle purred as water sprites served our meal of fish and salad and poured the wine. Grateful, I took a big swig before Kalen could stop me.

"Thank you, Lady Maurelle," Eva said shyly as if in front of a star and she started picking at her food. Her attention turned to me and I stuffed a piece of fish in my mouth, hoping to avoid her question.

"I understand you are half-fae, Lady Laila. I am sure you must feel so shunned everywhere you go. I only wish others wouldn't look at your poor blood but at your handsome face." Her voice was soft, so as not to carry.

Kalen started choking on his food as I squeezed the blood from his hand. "Thank you for your kind words," I spoke with my mouth full, beyond caring. "It's nice to know you only care about looks and not what's inside. I admire people like you, I only wish I could have that type of narcissism."

Her smile froze but others didn't notice, too busy eating and talking with each other. I sat closest to her apart from Kalen and Drake. Kheelan sat on the other side of Drake, his eyes passing between us but he said nothing. A small smile played on his lips though and I hoped he was cheering for me. If he wasn't he was going to cop it later.

"I try not to judge my dear," she smiled, turning to Drake who seemed frozen by what was happening before him, "But I must admit, appearance is certainly something I take into great consideration."

Her fingers ran along Drake's arm lightly and Kalen hissed as his fingers threatened to fall off.

"Are you alright, Kalen?" Sorcha asked, looking up from her conversation with Ambrus.

"Fine," he smiled in pain. "Just enjoying my fish so much."

The evening dragged on and with each passing minute, my jealousy burned a hole in my stomach. Drake only had eyes for Maurelle, smiling and laughing at her jokes. Kheelan joined in at one point but stopped when I kicked him under the table. I hated that she called him Castien. I had never used his first name but the thought of her using it had me reaching for the wine every time.

Five very large glasses of wine later and I was ready to instigate a smack down, or vomit into the nearest vase of Lilies. I hadn't decided which yet.

"My, would you look at that, it's certainly getting late," Maurelle commented, "You must stay the night. I have enough rooms for all of you."

Her eyes drifted to Drake and I didn't miss the look she gave him. She was looking to get some!

"That's very kind of you Lady -" Kheelan tried to fend her off but she would have none of it.

"I won't take no for an answer, my Prince. It has been too long since I had such pleasurable company. You can leave in the morning when it is light."

"You are too kind, Lady Maurelle." Kheelan smiled weakly.

Finally this dinner was over and I pushed back my chair, releasing Kalen's hand from my prison which had turned white. "Well in that case can I please be shown my room? I'm about done for the night."

"Already?" Maurelle smiled sweetly. "It must be the mortal in you wearing you out."

"Actually, it's the wine," I snapped, my tongue loosening. "That and having fought off a crazed dire wolf earlier today."

Ambrus' eyes flew up in panic and the mood of the room grew quiet.

"You fought a dire wolf?" Kheelan said worried. "Where were you?"

"We walked over the border by accident," my mouth was too loose to be stopped, the wine telling me to brag about my exploits today. Ambrus certainly tried to silence me though, jumping across the table to cover my mouth. I stumbled from his grasp, words still flowing. "You should have seen me, it was totally kick ass. I mean it almost killed me, it's jaws were like this far away from my shoulder and then Ambrus jumped on him and stabbed him. Definitely the hero in this story. He's going to play hero too later with -"

"That's enough!" Kalen laughed, shoving his hand against my mouth even though I kept talking. "I think we better take you to bed."

"I will take her." Drake stood up and Maurelle glared at me.

"Castien, dear, I'm sure Sir Ambrus can take her."

Luckily, Kalen still had his hand over my mouth as I started muttering obscenities when she used his name.

"No, I will do it, I need to speak with her about what happened today." Drake strode around the table before Maurelle could protest and scooped me up in front of everyone.

"Too fast," I groaned. "Fish isn't settled yet."

"I hope you don't mind Kheelan, I will make sure she is settled."

Kheelan waved his hand. "Not at all. I'll check her before I retire. I have some things I need to discuss with the Lady Maurelle anyway."

"Good evening then, your majesty, ladies." Drake bowed his head and strode out the door, following a water sprite up a set of white stairs.

"Put me down, I'm getting sea sick," I complained.

"Shut up," he growled.

Too drunk to argue, I did as he asked. The sprite opened a door and Drake walked in, shutting the door behind him. "Thanks Drake, I -"

I squealed as I was thrown onto the bed and then a weight landed on top of me. Drake lay above me and my mind drifted down dangerous roads.

"What were you doing crossing the border?" He snapped. "Don't you know how dangerous that was?"

"Can we have this conversation sitting up?"

"No. We have this conversation my way. Now tell me, what were you thinking?"

"It was an accident!" I exclaimed. "Ambrus and I were just talking and we lost track of the time!"

"What were you talking about?" his eyes narrowed.

"Just, stuff. Geez it's not like I was out there playing hooky with him -" My wine addled brain clicked on something and I grinned at him. "You're jealous!"

"No I'm not."

"I can't believe you're jealous of Ambrus. I mean he doesn't even like me, he likes K - bunnies."

Drake's eyebrow raised. "Bunnies?"

Finding his look annoying, I reached up and pushed his eyebrow back down. "Yes, bunnies. Cute fluffy bunnies that he can play hero with."

I giggled at my inside joke, my hand still on Drake's forehead and he reached up, pinning my hands to the bed as his fingers curled in mine. "What about tonight then? You made an embarrassment of yourself."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did."

"Even if I did," I snapped. "It was her fault! She was taunting me the entire time, making fun of my blood, touching you -"

I bit my lip, knowing I'd revealed too much as a slow smile spread across Drake's face. "So you were the one that was jealous."

"Was not."

"You are."

"Nope, I'm completely neutral of this situation."

"You're such a liar."

Feeling like I was losing, I went on the defensive. "So not only am I power hungry, I'm also a liar?"

Actually that part was true but I bit my tongue. His eyes flashed in pain and I felt guilty. "Laila, I didn't mean what I said earlier today -"

"Save it, Drake -"

He closed the distance between us and kissed me into submission. My hands fought to break free of his own but he refused to let go. My legs started to wrap around his waist when he pulled away.

"No, Laila not tonight. I don't seduce drunk women."

"Liar," I whispered. "You're seducing me right now."

He grinned, kissing me lightly before continuing. "Now don't interrupt again or I will be forced to silence you once more."

I opened my mouth and he kissed me again. "I wasn't going to interrupt." I said against his mouth.

"Good, just making sure."

I hit him and he moved away. "Please let me apologise, Laila. It was a stupid thought that shouldn't have been voiced."

"But it was," I whispered.

"I know and I wish I could take it back. I knew it not to be true but I was still angry about the kiss and it made me hurt you. Forgive me?"

I wanted to stay angry at him but I really didn't want to. My mind was telling me to other things.

I nodded. "I think so. You should probably stay the night though, just in case I change my mind and you need to change it back for me."

Drake chuckled and moved off me and I whimpered in protest. "Come back."

"Sorry, Laila. While I want nothing more than to listen to you, I'm afraid it's the wine talking and not you."

"What if I said the wine and myself have come to a mutual agreement on this?"

No, I don't think so. Another time, when I can have just you and not the wine. Then maybe with the wine after that."

I sat up to protest and Drake leaned forward, kissing me soft and slow. I knew this was wrong but I let the drunk part of me have full reign, too busy enjoying myself. Drake moved back, murmuring goodnight and walked out the door.

Grinning stupidly, I fell back onto the bed, my last waking thought of his lips on mine.

* * * * *

Faery wine really knew how to deal out a hangover.

Groaning, I rolled over, remembering last night's events. Unfortunately I hadn't been drunk enough to forget everything and I moaned into my pillow, cheeks flaming. Drake probably thought I was easy now.

Alright so I was a little easy but not this easy!

Struggling to stand, I made my way over to the door, wanting to find the nearest bathroom, my stomach threatening to rebel.

I heard voices on the other side and their words felt like a cold bucket of ice thrown over me.

"Did you see Captain Drake last night?" I guessed it was the Water sprites talking to each other. I didn't recognise their voices but I hadn't seen any other creatures in the house.

"No, what happened?" Another replied.

"He went into the Mistress' room last night and didn't leave until early this morning!"

"Mistress must be pleased, she's been missing him for some time, she always talks of the nights they spent together and the passion he has. I wish I had that passion with someone -"

Moving away from the door, I felt my eyes begin to sting. Collapsing against the bed, I stared at the floor, feeling numb.

Looks like Drake wouldn't sleep with drunk women but he would sleep with Maurelle.

"I hate her," I sniffed, staring furiously as I tried not to let the tears fall. "Screw her and screw him."