“Are you okay?” he lipped.
I smiled to reassure him, and hoped it showed in my eyes and convinced him, even though he could probably feel my current panic through our bond.
“Lasair, do you agree that this child is of your blood?” Shorty continued in a booming voice that sounded as it had come from an ogre, and not this tiny man.
“I do. The bond has been restored now that we have been united,” my father said before giving me a gentle look.
“And you, state your rightful name for the people,” he said to me.
“I was named Sorcha on the day of my birth, Princess to the Blood King and Queen,” I replied obediently.
Adam’s jaw dropped as he watched me give my name. I couldn’t have said it, had it been a lie, and the look on Adam’s face said that he understood it as well. Pain flashed in his expressive eyes, but he quickly shielded it, which made relief filter through my soul. “Show no weakness,” I mouthed back at him, uncaring of who was watching us.
“You will now be presented to the royal castes, and then we shall begin the gifting ceremony,” Shorty continued.
Kings and Queens, along with their heirs, moved about unhurriedly as they formed a line in front of us. I’d lost sight of Adam in the mass of people as they moved around to make a path for the royals. There was a shit load of the nobility crammed in this room.
I met about thirty or more, before Tatiana stepped forward with a murderous glare aimed right at me.
“Madisyn,” she said smoothly in fake friendliness.
I raised an eyebrow at it until my mother shot one right back at her. “Tatiana, I was hoping you’d skip the celebrations.”
Well shit, this was going to be entertaining.
“I guess I should have realized she wasn’t mine,” Tatiana drawled bitterly.
“She does look significantly like you; she and her father have confirmed the bond,” Madisyn said with a sideways glance at me.
“I do so favor our mother,” Tatiana continued, and reached out to touch me. I leveled her with a killing glare, and she promptly stepped back. “Such a shame you have to give her up, now that you just got her back, Madisyn.”
“How is your husband, Tatiana?” My mother continued.
“He’s waiting for the Horde King; you know he awarded him our throne. Dresden would like to thank him in person this time. We plan to offer him any aid he may need.” Tatiana’s smiled was cold, as if she thought the Horde King was a god, and, truth be told, she probably did.
I struggled to keep the laugh in, but it was hopeless, and when it came, people rubber necked to see what had made me snicker.
“I’d say she needs a few lessons in etiquette,” Tatiana said, before she turned up her nose and walked away.
“Is she always like that?” I asked.
“Since the day my mother gave birth to the insufferable, two-faced, spoiled bitch,” my mother replied. “Kier, this is my daughter, Synthia. Synthia, this is Kier the King of the Dark Fae,” my mother said.
I wasn’t paying attention to them. Instead, I was smiling at Adam, who was moving up the line to stand beside his father.
“Adam!” I squeaked with happiness and threw myself in his arms. My poor outraged mother tried to pull me back.
“Synthia, you address him as Prince Cadeyrn, for he is the heir to the throne,” my mother chided.
Who gave a shit? I was about to be Horde kibble, and Adam was here!
“It’s quite all right, Madisyn. Adam is Synthia’s familiar. We had the pleasure of hosting her at the palace in hopes for her marriage to my son,” Kier said in his usual good natured manner.
“Ryder?” I looked hopefully at Adam who only shook his head no in reply. “He said he was coming,” I whispered.
“If he is, we don’t know anything about it. He left soon after you were taken and wouldn’t allow me to help search for you. My father sent out warriors to help, but then word came that the Blood Heir had been found, and my father said it’s like some sort of gigantic insult if we were not here for this,” he finished softly.
“He said he was coming,” I repeated.
“If he did, Syn, it was just hopeful thinking on his part. You haven’t seen what is going on outside. It looks like all of the Horde is here, well any that could travel fast enough to make it. Let’s hope he isn’t stupid enough to try anything right now. My father is going to barter for you with the Horde King. He has a plan,” Adam assured me, but I’d stopped listening.
Ryder had said he was coming, and out of everyone I knew that said they would do something, and did it, it was Ryder. If the man said he was coming, he was, and I knew he’d die trying to protect me. Wouldn’t he? I swallowed past the tightness of my throat, and looked up into Adam’s eyes. “You have to find him, Adam, and make sure he doesn’t try to save me. He’s here somewhere; he said he would, he’s gotta be here.”