The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,80

but he found he just wanted to wear them. A knock sounded far too soon. With a sigh, Xander opened the door and—stopped still.

"Are you ready?" Cassi asked, tawny skin a rich golden in the soft candlelight of the underground castle.

He'd been expecting an owl, but not this owl. Had he ever seen her in a dress before? Surely he must have. She'd come to dinners with Lyana and had attended the princess's birthday celebration, yet he couldn't remember a single time. He must have been blind not to notice her, since now he couldn't look away. The gown was a deep burgundy, hugging the narrowness of her waist, ending just below her collarbones, with diaphanous sleeves floating around her arms. Her wavy hair was twisted into a bun atop her head, leaving the graceful curve of her neck exposed. A silver chain hung low around her hip, holding a sheathed dagger, the sight of which made him smile. Cassi stared at him with a somewhat bored expression across her face.

"Xander, are you ready?"

"What? Yes, of course."

She raised her brows mockingly, as though stifling a laugh. "I told our welcoming committee that I'd retrieve you. I thought you might want a break from all the preening—I know Lyana would have. Anyway, they're waiting down the hall to escort us to dinner."

"Excellent," he said, the word coming out a little louder than he'd intended. With a gulp and a slight frown, he offered her his arm—friendly, casually, as any prince would do. The way his heart leapt inside his chest when she took it was anything but. He coughed. "I, um, like your dress."

"Oh, this?" She clutched the skirt with a little sashay. "Being best friends with a princess had its advantages, I suppose, a nice wardrobe being one of them."

"You hate it, don't you?"

"I'm already looking forward to returning to my rooms to change."

"Well, you look beautiful, regardless."

He hadn't meant to say it—the sentence just slipped out. Cassi tripped over her feet, as though it had been a slick of oil and not words that had spilled from his lips. Before she had a chance to respond, they reached their escort. A silence descended as they made their way to the dining room, broken as soon as they stepped through the door.

"Lysander Taetanus, Crown Prince of the House of Whispers," their guide announced. The heads at the table turned. Xander recognized a few of them from his time in the House of Peace. King Sylas wore a rich ivory overcoat, his dappled wings peeking out from behind his shoulders, eyes the reddish brown of a rusted blade. Queen Areah sat beside him in amber silks, the two colors of their house, though her wings were the warm honey of a female from the House of Paradise. Across from them was Prince Nico, his gaze hesitant and unsure but kind. By his side sat an unknown owl in a rich gown with a delicate tiara nestled on her brow. "And his guest, Miss Cassi Sky."

The king wrinkled his nose at the sound of Cassi's name—or surname, really. Sky was the name given to orphans in the House of Peace, the surname of a dove, as clear a reminder as any that though she looked like an owl, she wasn't one of them, even if through no fault of her own. The urge to squeeze her fingers in comfort was overwhelming, but Xander stifled it. Right now he was a prince, and to the rest of the world, he had a mate waiting for him back at home.

When they reached their seats, Xander dropped her arm and slid into the empty chair closer to the royal family, the position of honor. The king watched his every move, eyes sharp and cunning, like a hunter following its mark. Suddenly, Xander was acutely aware of what had happened at the courtship trials—events that seemed a lifetime ago to him, though in truth only weeks had passed. This man's daughter had been his chosen mate until Lyana intervened, her actions a slap in their house's face. In the end, shocking them all, his son had been the one left unmatched, a dishonor Xander was sure they had all believed would fall on him. Though as he watched Prince Nico meet his mate's warm expression with one of his own, Xander couldn't help but wonder who'd gotten the better end of the deal. His match had been doomed from the start.

"Welcome to our kingdom, Prince Lysander,"