Billow (19 page)

"As long as I eat some of Stan's food." I gave him a puzzled look. "Why didn't you tell me we were coming here?"

He opened the door to the cafe. "Thought it'd be easier this way."

Bright chatter rang through the main dining area. Ewan joked with Anton near the window. Garreth enthusiastically dug into a piece of salmon the size of my head.

Adrian sat alone, disheveled dark blonde hair framing exhausted eyes. Large amounts of food remained untouched on the plate in front of him.

Like most selkies, Chloe's gardinel didn't say much. But it was unusual to see him without his normal stoicism.

Julian hung our coats and I hurried over to the buffet. All of Stan's best dishes glistened in a vivid array of colors and luscious smells.

A tall chocolate cake, perfectly decorated with ornate swirls of frosting, shone as the centerpiece.

I leaned in to read the message written with white icing.

No.

I blinked and read the script again.

Happy Birthday, Prince Belicoux.

Alarm replaced the initial shock.

It was his birthday.

He didn't tell me. I wasn't invited.

But Julian was and he thought it'd be amusing to bring me along.

Irritation rose. He'd played me.

That's why he made it a bet and kept it a surprise. I wouldn't have come if I'd known about it.

What was he trying to pull?

"Kendra?" Marcella approached with a bemused expression. "You look like you're about to strangle someone."

Bet be damned. I was getting out of here as soon as possible.

"Believe me. I haven't ruled it out yet."

"I'll keep that in mind." Julian passed me a glass of water. I contemplated smashing it on his head.

He winked at Marcella. "I had to make a bet and kick her to the ground before she'd agree to come out with me."

I choked on the water going down my throat.

Marcella laughed. "So she lost. That's why she looks ready to commit murder."

I ignored Julian. "Is Gabe here?"

"He should be arriving soon." Marcella glanced out the front windows. "He's supposed to bring Prince Belicoux."

Okay. Wrong question.

"How's the teaching going?" It was the first topic I could think of.

"Wonderful, though the children can be a handful." Her entire face brightened when she spoke about her students. "You've got a fan in my class."

Julian coughed and I resisted the urge to slap him.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a dignified voice.

"Marquisa Desmarais' granddaughter, Charisse, punched a boy the other day for making fun of another ondine. Apparently, he was calling the girl fat."

Huh. "Sounds like my kind of girl."

"When I asked her why she did it, her exact words were 'The
sondaleur
would never let a boy say that.'"

I couldn't help smiling a little. I wondered what the seven-year-old spitfire looked like. "What'd you tell her?"

"While her intention of ending the teasing was correct, how she dealt with it was wrong." She gave me a pointed look. "And the
sondaleur
would also know the difference."

Julian muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

Maybe if I shoved my elbow back hard enough he'd shut up.

"Of course I know the difference." I sniffed.

"Amber might feel differently."

Whatever. She'd attacked me first. I was only defending myself.

Marcella gave a chiding look at my snort of disbelief. "She's great with the children. She'll make a good teacher someday."

"Kendra's stubborn about people." Amusement colored Julian's voice. "Doesn't like to change her mind about them."

Was he trying to piss me off as much as possible?

"I hope they show up soon." She checked the window again. "I can't stay long."

Julian moved and I deliberately turned my back to him. "Why do you have to go?"

"I have a few loose ends to tie up for a class trip next week."

With a slightly distracted expression, she patted my back and headed off to chat with the other chevaliers.

Time to deal with the asshole of the night.

I faced him. "I'm going."

"Why?" His voice was too casual. "You love the food here."

"I wasn't invited."

"So?" He shrugged and avoided my gaze. "I was. And you're here as my guest. My date." He emphasized the last word.

"Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing —"

"Unless there's some reason why you can't stay." He finally looked at me. An intense seriousness I hadn't seen before filled his eyes. "Is there a reason why you don't want to celebrate the prince's birthday?"

"Of course not," I said stiffly. "It's just…I feel bad that I didn't bring a gift."

"I'm sure he won't be offended."

A gust of cold air burst through as the cafe doors opened. Gabe and Tristan walked in and a rousing cheer went up from the guests.

A smile played on his beautiful mouth.

Heated awareness rushed through me and I struggled to push it back.
I shouldn't be here.

Julian stepped closer to me, spiking my nervous irritation.

Tristan's gaze finally met mine. In an instant, his smile faded. Eyes widened in surprise.

My heart dropped.

He didn't tell me about his birthday and I wasn't invited.

This was ridiculous.

Marcella kissed Tristan on the cheek. "Happy birthday."

He tore his eyes away and gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

"Rhian and Augustin send their best. I brought something from them." She wrapped an arm around Gabe's waist. "And I'm afraid I can't stay, either. You'll just have to make do with Gabe tonight."

Tristan clapped a hand on my uncle's broad shoulder. "I'll keep him in line. Give Augustin and the Governor my thanks."

Marcella kissed Gabe goodbye and headed out.

Tristan moved down the line of gardinels and chevaliers. It was obvious how much everyone liked him, admired him.

But even as he good-naturedly accepted their jokes and ribalding, there was something about Tristan that kept him apart.

Maybe it was the set of his shoulders. Or the way his eyes held a natural, calm command. Maybe it was something more basic than that.

No matter how much respect he may've earned as a warrior and gardinel, he was still a prince. And the distance between him and the others was clear.

I settled in a booth at the very back of the cafe. I knew I was hiding and I didn't care. Besides being embarrassed with the situation, I felt oddly left out.

What was wrong with me? Of course Tristan had a whole life I didn't know about. Friends, family, and others who knew things like his birthday and whom he'd celebrate with. Events and people that didn't include me.

And the fact that bothered me pissed me off even more.

I was doing just fine when he wasn't here. For six months, I'd settled into a comfortable life with a schedule and situation I could accept. But now he was back and everything I'd constructed was turned upside down again.

Ewan slid in across from me. "Didn't know you were coming tonight."

I heard the note of disapproval. Not wanting to get into details about my plans with Julian, I'd told him I'd be at the dorms all night.

"Don't start, Ewan. I'm not here willingly."

Julian strolled over and joined us. "She's pissed because she lost a bet."

He sat beside me and I shifted closer to Ewan.

"What kind of bet?"

"I took her down in ninety seconds flat. Guess you gardinels aren't doing a good job of training her."

Ewan sighed. "Can't you give it a rest for one night?"

Julian always provoked the selkies. Then again, he seemed hell-bent on provoking everyone tonight, including me.

"The only reason I'm here is because I honor my bets," I seethed.

Ewan took one look at my expression and muttered something about getting more food. He was out of the booth in a blink. Probably didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

Julian's unnerving eyes searched my face. "Is it that difficult to enjoy my company for a few hours?"

I let out a deep breath and felt an unwanted pang of guilt. It wasn't that I couldn't put up with Julian. I didn't want to be at this particular party.

But as he'd pointed out earlier, my irritation only proved there was a reason I couldn't be near Tristan.

And I wasn't going to admit that. Not to him. Not to myself.

Get a grip
.

"Fine," I muttered. "Let's just do this."

I'd get through tonight if it killed me.

Another burst of cold air signaled a new arrival. I craned my neck to see who it was.

"Father." Tristan stood.

The other selkies swiftly rose as one, followed by Gabe, Julian, and the other chevaliers. Julian nudged my back and I scrambled to stand.

I'd seen photos of him in our school history books, but none did him justice.

Ancelin Belicoux, King of the Selkie Kingdom, was a total badass.

Enormous broad shoulders took up the entire doorway. He stood in a wide stance, brawn and uncompromising power rolling off him.

The king was about the same height as his son. But instead of Tristan's litheness, his thick body was one massive block of solid muscle.

A black, wool coat added to his bulk. Short, dark hair was liberally streaked with grey and a
pedaillon
glinted under his expensive-looking shirt. Unlike Tristan's amber stone, his was a pewter color.

"What are you doing here?"

The slash of their high cheekbones and cut of their jawlines made for an arresting resemblance.

The king strode in. "I wanted to wish my son a happy birthday."

His low, gruff voice was heavily accented and contained a demanding edge of authority.

"You didn't have to come all the way here to do that," Tristan replied stiffly. "A call would've been sufficient."

"And miss what the fuss is about? If you'd stayed home, we could've had a nice celebration." Eyes remained on his son's face. "Dax misses you."

Tristan's father and his younger brother were the only family he had left. His mother had passed away and he'd killed his older brother, Eric, after he turned Aquidae.

He held his father's gaze. "Dax understands."

They stared at each other for a few long moments.

The king finally let out a huff. "Since you insisted on returning to Haverleau, I thought I'd come and see why this place holds such fascination for you."

Sharp eyes scanned the room, assessing every individual. His gaze lingered a moment longer on me.

I was probably the only person he didn't know. It made me want to kick something.

"Please." He motioned with his hands. "Sit."

Everyone settled back into their seats. I grabbed Julian's beer and took a long sip. The night had taken another nose-dive.

Julian raised his brow, but offered no comment.

"Percailou," the king called out. "Congratulations on becoming Chief Gardinel. Well-deserved."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Garreth inclined his head.

The king spoke louder for the benefit of all the guests. "I'm glad you're here to celebrate my son's birthday. By this time next year, he will be ascending to the throne."

A surprised murmur brushed through the cafe and a stinging pain throbbed in my chest.

Was that why he left?

Tristan showed no reaction to his father's words, but for the briefest second, I thought he glanced at me.

"I had my doubts as to whether he'd be able to fulfill the position," King Belicoux continued. "After all, he's not my first-born."

I didn't like the insinuation. He shouldn't speak that way about Tristan.

"I'm glad he's finally come to his senses and accepted his inheritance. But he still has a long ways to go in understanding what it means to rule our people."

Fingers wrapped tight around the bottle. So the king forced Tristan to make a choice between gardinel and prince. And yet, he was still criticizing his son.

Tristan was one of the most powerful leaders I'd ever seen. He earned respect and balanced unwavering strength with constant compassion. He fulfilled every duty and responsibility thrust upon him.

If King Belicoux was such a tough guy, he should've taken care of Eric himself. Not put his second son through such a horrible experience.

"He's the selkie prince." Julian's tone was conversational. "He has a kingdom to lead. A life very different from ours."

Tristan and his father made their rounds through the room.

"Are you willing to become a dessondine?" he continued. "Give up your mortality? He's not the one for you, sweet iris. It's impossible."

That's what this was about. The arrogant ass brought me here to show me what I couldn't have. Did he think I didn't know?

"There's nothing between me and Prince Selkie, LeVeq." I almost winced at the strain in my voice.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "You sure about that, darling?"

I didn't need my Virtue to catch that trace amount of sadness again, the feeling that seeped from Julian in his unguarded moments.

And sensing it suddenly made me angry.

"Quit acting like you know me," I bit out. "I told you from the beginning there is no us. I don't like you. You're —"

He raised a hand. "I know. I'm irritating and rub you the wrong way. I'm a Redavi who only thinks about women and money."

Weariness and something that almost sounded like hurt threaded his tone. Before I knew what to make of it, a low, rough voice addressed me.

"You're the
sondaleur
."

King Belicoux and Tristan stood beside our booth. Julian slid out to face them and I reluctantly followed.

Tristan's eyes rested on me and I wondered what he saw. Did he wish I wasn't here tonight?

The pain in my chest throbbed harder and I hastily turned my attention to his father.

The king's intense dark eyes were the exact same shade as his son's. But unlike Tristan's depth and sincerity, his eyes fastened on me with intimidation.

Well, King Bully's tactics weren't going to work. Resisting the urge to cower, I gave him a bold look back.