Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 57

C h apte r 57

The Aerie in Taflah

Evening, Sunday, M arch 15 th at The Aerie in Ta flah, Genc

M argot had always heard that the Aerie in Taflah was the most beautiful venue for any event, but she had never been. The last time Stone Dragons passed through the capital, she had retired early to her bus, not wanting to watch Ash and his harem of gorgeous women take in the exquisite views. Standing atop the stairs, Margot finally understood what Tobin had meant when he promised to show her sometime. The Aerie was a glass building, open to all sides to showcase the mountains surrounding Beau Lake, the dark water glistening in the light of the nearly f ull moon.

Margot glanced at Nik, reminding herself that the full moon wasn’t until Wednesday—her cousin seemed fine—no pre-shifting PMS or anything. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the edge of her gown and descended the stairs. She was halfway down when Ash appeared at her side, gathering her arm and escorting her the rest of the way. They entered the main ballroom together, people turning to point and whisper at their arrival.

“Real subtle,” she gritted. “I was trying to keep it quiet.”

“There is no keeping you quiet, Margot,” Ash quipped. “Believe me, I remember.” Cheeks flaming, Margot elbowed him and pasted a fake smile on her face.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ash paused, bowed formally to her, kissed her hand, and stepped away, joining Timothy and Nik on the small stage in the corner of the room. The crowd drew close, and Margot was very aware of the voices around her, hushed whispers and conversations, mostly including “Is that her? Did you see her with Ashton S tonewall?”

Margot didn’t join the general flow moving to watch the show, instead lingering near the back. When it seemed like the crowd near her had lost interest, the group made up of last-minute arrivals eager to get a good spot for the show, Margot stepped back, looking for a quiet place behind the stairway. She found a wide pillar in a corner opposite the show and settled against it just as Ash let out the opening notes for “Dragonfire.” Margot knew Cayla would be near the stage, no doubt plotting with the record company executives for the next tour, the new album they would record over the summer. No one would bother her for a li ttle bit.

Margot’s solitude lasted exactly fo ur songs.

“My Lady,” a voice said from behind her, and Margot turned to see a tall man standing to the right of the pillar she leaned against. He was dressed in a tuxedo like the rest of the men, but he held a short black cane and wore a top hat, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he stared at her. “May I introduce myse lf? I am—”

“The lady is already engaged,” a deep voice said from her left and Margot and the stranger both turned to see Lord Rebinus. He was dressed in a tuxedo like the others, but his long white hair was glossy and smooth, covering his shoulders and running down his back like liquid. Margot brought a hand to her mouth, unable to stop herself. Lord Rebinus was startling standing in her bus—seeing him in full formal Ardon dress was jaw- dropping.

The stranger took one look at Lord Rebinus, dropped into a bow, and stepped away. “My apologies, my Lord.”

Margot watched him go, then frowned at Rebinus. “Does everyone react that way to your presence?”

Rebinus stepped closer to her side, his breath brushing against her bare shoulder—right over where he had left a love bite she had covered up with makeup. “Not everyone, Margot. You’re st ill here.”

Margot stayed still, forcing herself not to look at him and fall under the hypnotic spell of a fae Lord. On the stage, Ash was finishing the last lines of “Breathing Fire.” Next, they would play “Tales of Blood and Maidens” and then finish with “Heart of Stone.” She wondered if he would dedicate it to her as he had for every show sin ce Akkoy.

After the short show, the band would circulate among the guests, taking photos with fans and press, showing everyone what great guys they were—Cayla’s orders. Margot’s job was to look pretty and answer any technical questions if the record comp any asked.

“I thought we weren’t going to meet until after the show,” she said to Rebinus, enjoying their time alone among so many othe r people.

He laughed, the sound rich in her ear. “None of the Lords will wait,” he told her. “They are all eager for their chance to meet you. But while I’m here, they will not approach.”

“That fearsome reputation at work?” she asked, still not looking at him. “Will anyone try anything tonight?”

“Perhaps,” he admitted, “but I am here, darling. No one will succeed.”

Margot tried to repress the smile on her lips, knowing that others were probably watching them. “Am I to be seduced by you, then?” she asked, turning to face him as the pounding of Timothy’s drumwork synced with her h eartbeat.

“That’s up to you, Margot,” Lord Rebinus said, turning to look at the stage. Margot followed his gaze.

“Tonight, this song is for Margot,” Ash said, then launched into a slow sultry version of “Heart of Stone.” Her mouth fell open. Ash had been dedicating the song to “a very special lady,” never saying her name. She glanced around, seeing her name ripple through the crowd as some people—no doubt fae—turned around to point at where she stood in the back with Lord Rebinus close to her side.

“Interesting,” Lord Rebinus commented. “It seems I’m not the only one trying to seduce you tonight, darling.”

Margot made a strangled noise, unable to deny the rush of longing and heat running through her at the sight of Ash on stage, dressed in his fine tuxedo, wavy hair wild around his face, eyes closed as he sang the chorus. As he finished, his eyes opened, and he stared right at her, eyes piercing the crowd to stare deep into her soul.

When she turned to reply to Lord Rebinus, he was gone. She stood awkwardly where she was through the closing song, “Dragon Cry,” and when the show was over, she made her way through the crowd to Cayla, the manager stunning in a red sheath dress. She smiled politely and shook a few hands, falling into her role as stage manager easily, laughing in the right places and reassuring when any doubts about the band’s ability to continue touring came up. Cayla gave her a surreptitious nod a few times, signaling how pleased she was with Margot’s performance. Margot may have doubted a lot of things in the last month, but she was good at her job, and tonight only reinf orced it.

An hour later, the photo ops had ended and the band was circulating freely among the guests. Ash found Margot standing near Cayla and three record ex ecutives.

“Can I steal this one?” he asked, winking cheerfully at the group.

“Don’t let her go!” Cayla reminded him. “You need t hat girl.”

“Oh, I know,” Ash agreed, taking Margot’s hand and leading her away from t he group.

“What are we supposed to do now?” she asked, glancing around at the scattered clumps of people, some of whom were dancing to the music now being piped in.

“It’s a party, Go,” Ash said, leaning down to say it close in her ear. “It is customary to dance.”

“With you?” she asked, letting him lead her to the center of the room. Other couples were already swaying to the music, but too many heads shifted to watch them as the y passed.

“Of course with me,” he said, turning around to bow formally to her. “Who else would you dan ce with?”

Margot dipped her head, not knowing the proper response. In the old movies, women dipped in a curtsy, but she didn’t want to try that in front of so many spectators. His hand grabbed hers and held it up, while the other slid familiarly around her lower back, holding h er close.

“Doesn’t this send a message?” Margot asked, following his lead and allowing him to move them around the floor. She recalled that he had named her during the show. “What are y ou doing?”

“It does send a message,” Ash said, leaning down to speak, the move bringing his face near hers, marking her even more as his partner.

“What does it say?” Margot asked, a bit breathless at the spectacle of dancing with Ash, his full attention on her, everyone staring at them. “You can’t be with me, Ash. This is bad for you!”

“They don’t care about me,” Ash told her.

“But you’re supposed to be in hiding!” she squealed. “Isn’t this a bit obvious?”

“Yes,” he said. “It’s okay, Margot. My exile ends tonight. I don’t have to hide anymore.”

“What?” Margot’s questions were muffled against his shoulder as he moved her more vigorously, careful not to linger too long in one spot lest anyone overhear their conversation. “What the hell does t hat mean?”

“It means I’m free,” Ash told her, spinning her out and tugging her back. “I will not fail you again, Go.” Margot tried to ignore how natural it felt to dance with him, how well her body moved with his, the two of them in concert. “My father has an announcement,” he whispered the next time she d rew near.

“That’s ominous,” Margot said, trying to follow this new confident Ash. “What annou ncement?”

Before Ash could reply, someone was moving alongside them, delicately tapping Ash on the shoulder. “I insist on cutting in,” a tall man with light brown wavy hair said. “You don’t mean to occupy all of her attention this evening?”

“Lord Kristoff, of course.” Ash dipped his head respectfully, but Margot could see the reluctance in the move. “May I present Lady Margot?” He transferred her hand to the stranger and stepped neat ly aside.

Margot stood awkwardly, remembering to close her mouth as the new man began to move her around. Lord Kristoff, she recalled, a fae Lord. He was tall, elegant, imposing, maybe mid-30s, with a stiff bearing that made her think of the prince the princess runs away from in every fa iry tale.

“How delighted I am to make your acquaintance,” Lord Kristoff said politely, but something dark skittered across Margot’s skin. This Lord was not delighted by her presence at all. She wondered how he managed to lie to her, promising to ask Tobin more about how the fae truth thin g worked.

“Charmed,” Margot replied, the word falling out of her mouth. She was not charmed.

“You must know how eager we are to see you properly sorted,” the Lord c ontinued.

“Properly sorted, huh?” she echoed, unable to keep the annoyance from her tone. “You make me seem like a piece of property.”

“Aren’t you?” Kristoff replied, gaze cutting across the room to where Ash stood, already su rrounded.

“I am not,” Margot snapped, releasing his hand and freeing herself from his grip. She stood on the floor, not moving, glarin g at him.

Lord Kristoff smiled, and it was cold, twisting something in Margot’s gut. He bowed graciously, said, “You will be,” and headed into t he crowd.

Margot stood on the dance floor for another moment, gathering her wits, then headed toward the nearest wall. She wanted to wash her hands, not liking the residue of Kristoff on her skin.

Why isn’t everyone afraid of that guy? she wondered. H e’s awful.

She was standing alone for ten seconds before another man approached her, the same one who had tried earlier, except now he didn’t have his top hat or cane. He had dark hair neatly tied back and the same regal bearing Margot was starting to recognize as a fae Lord. He was distant, cordial, and he bowed before speaking. “My Lady Margot, I presume?”

Margot nodded, not sure what to say. She didn’t want another interaction like the one with Kristoff.

“I am Lord Alick,” the stranger said. “I see you have already met Lord Kristoff.” He tsked, shaking his head. “Please forgive his impertinence. He can be d ifficult.”

“Why are you apologizing for him?” Margot asked. “Is he y our Lord?”

“No!” Alick said, scandalized by the thought. “I was only trying to say that he is not representative of fae society, something I fear you’ve seen precious little of i n Ardon.”

“You’re right about that,” Margot agreed. “I haven’t seen much of the fae.” She didn’t add that she hadn’t enjoyed anything she had seen yet.

Well, except maybe Lord Rebinus.

“But you will,” Alick assured her. “Once you have a place, you will see—”

“See,” Margot interrupted, shaking her head, “there you go again, talking about me like a possession. I don’t know if you know this, Lord Alick, but women raised in Ardon take offense to that kind of thing.”

“But you weren’t raised in Ardon,” Alick replied smoothly.

“I—” Margot stopped, not sure what to say. If Alick knew about her childhood on Belsune, what else did the fae Lord know about her? “I was raised by my mother,” she said finally, “and she taught me to value myself. I don’t need a place among the fae.”

Alick laughed, and it was charming, light and airy, a sound Margot had heard at afterparties before, the carefree sound of a man with no skin in the game. “Oh, my Lady, you are a delight! I cannot wait to see what you achieve.”

“How long did you give me?” she asked abruptly, recalling Lady Drina’s comments about her odds of remaining U nclaimed.

Alick’s laugh settled into a chuckle. “I never gamble on Claimings, my Lady.” He lowered his voice, friendly now. “Though if I had to wager on you, I’d say you just might outlast us all.” He dipped his head respectfully, then backed up. “I wish you a good evening.”

Margot said nothing as he left. Alone, she used the reprieve to scoot over to the glass wall, back to the room, hoping no one else would recognize her from that direction. She could see her silhouette in the window, bodies moving back and forth be hind her.

I should find the band, she thought. I should see Cay la again.

But her encounter with the two fae Lords had unnerved her, and she needed a moment to collect herself.

Are they all here? Margot started to turn, to look around, but stopped herself. Is my fat her here?