“I still cannot believe the wretched way he spoke to you.” Her hair tickles my fingers when she shakes her head. “You should’ve seen Everett’s face when the prince grabbed you. He had murder in his eyes. I was half afraid he was going to run Ronan through. Serves the ass right. He never should’ve touched you like that.”

I trace a finger along my sore wrist, still marked from his iron grip. There will definitely be a bruise come morning. “I’m afraid it’s official: I won’t be the next Princess of Willowhaven.”

Nia whips around, catching both of my hands as her corset falls to the floor. “No. You’re going to be the next Mrs.— What’s Everett’s surname?”

“I don’t know. I never asked.” But when I see him tomorrow night, I will.

“It’s so romantic, isn’t it?” Nia spins me around the room like we’re back at the festival, dancing to a fiddler’s tune. “The way he gave you those flowers. Flowers that happen to match all the others in your room.”

Everything about Ever is romantic. Being around him makes me feel as if I’m floating on a champagne cloud. “He is the most amazing man I have ever met.”

“I never thought I’d see you so smitten. And the fact that he forced himself to eat that pie means he must be smitten as well.”

“What do you mean?” I had a piece myself earlier in the night and it tasted like blackberry bliss.

She flops back on her bed, her arms splayed across her quilt. “For a woman on the verge of bedding an Unseelie, you certainly don’t know very much about them.”

“I’m not on the verge of bedding him,” I choke. Visions of those illustrations in Trevor’s book dance through my mind. I wouldn’t even know what to do if he were to disrobe in my presence.

I bet Ever would know…

Her only answer is a shrill, slightly maniacal cackle.

I swat her leg. “The pie?”

She toes off her slippers and then works her stockings down her thighs, adding them to the pile of discarded clothes on the floor. “The Unseelie don’t enjoy sweet things.”

“How do you know?”

“Do us both a favor and read your damn book. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of things that’ll keep you up at night. I think you’ll find chapter seventeen particularly interesting.”

I leave Nia to her giggling and cross to my own room to retrieve the book from beneath my bed. First, I flip through the table of contents to the chapter about the Unseelie diet. Sure enough, they prefer savory food to sweet. If this author is to be believed, the sugar irritates their throats.

Out of curiosity, I flip to chapter seventeen next.

The Unseelie Tongue.

Nia was right.

This is riveting.

* * *