Although spring is poised to arrive at any moment, winter stubbornly hangs on, much like a needy pet refusing to let go. The city streets are lined with a thin layer of frost that crunches under our feet. Despite the cold, I prefer the icy embrace of this urban landscape to the comforts of home, where the fields are already bursting with lush green grass and vibrant flowers.
“I can’t believe they don’t hate me,” I mutter, shoving my hands in my pockets.
Talon nearly stops walking, brows furrowed. “Why would they hate you?”
“Because I was just awful.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I made things so much worse. I’m supposed to be there to help, and Rap had to come out and cover the bar too. If I were them, I’d hate me.”
Talon half-snorts, half-huffs. “No, you wouldn’t. And they don’t either. Besides, this is the first time you’ve ever had to try so hard.”
I bristle at that, blood rushing to my cheeks. “I tryconstantly. I had to work extra hard with my tutors to prove I’m more than just a face. The amount of effort it takes to look and act royal the way I’m expected to is staggering. So no, this is not the first time I’vetried,Talon.”
For as long as we’ve been together, I’m genuinely pissed he doesn’t think I try. He thinks I’m a spoiled princess. Like everyone else.
He doesn’t say anything for a couple of steps, allowing me to simmer in my self-righteous anger.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he says carefully. “I guess I lose sight of that because you’ve always made the difficult things lookso easy. So maybe this might be the first time you’ve ever tried and failed?”
I open my mouth ready to shoot out some snappy retort, but I’ve got nothing. He’s right. My gait slows.
The stickiness covering me is a coating that seems to crawl over my brain. I can’t wait to get back to the apartment and shower it off. Maybe have a good cry. Definitely burrow like a little miserable slug under the covers.
I steal a look at Talon, tucking a hand under either arm to hug myself. “Aren’t you going to say it?”
He turns to me, with an expression of surprised confusion. “Say what?”
“That this was a terrible fae fucking idea, and we should go home?” Misery wraps around my words. I deserve the recrimination. He should lay it on me.
Talon gently tugs at the back of my skirt, bringing me to a halt so we’re both standing facing each other. The side street is deserted, creating a quiet, almost serene atmosphere. Overhead, the streetlamps cast their soft, yellow glow, illuminating the area with a warm light that contrasts with the brisk chill of the evening air sweeping through, sending a shiver down my spine.
Talon dips his head. Black shaggy hair falls further over his eyes, but they still pin me with their intensity. “You want me to tell you it was a terrible idea to get a job? That you shouldn’t try something you’ve never done before, and then punish you for not being instantly good at it? I’m not going to do that, Aura.” His deep, dark gaze latches on the piece of hair that’s blown into my face, and I intuitively know he wants nothing more than to reach out and push it back. I quickly brush it behind my ear.
“I’ve always held you in high esteem, but I’m learning just how fearless and resilient you are.” His jaw ticks as if something else is straining to come out. “Tonight, I’ve never seen you so happy. So connected.”
“And then miserable, clumsy, messy, and an absolute wreck,” I add.
One side of his lips lifts. “That too. And I didn’t mind seeing that side of you either. You want to be new? You want to be free? This is what it entails, Aura. The safety rails are gone, and this is how it is. I do think pretending your curse is just going to go away is a bad idea and that we should go home. But...”
“But?” Hope rises in my chest.
“I would rather see you fail with your freedom a thousand times so you could taste a glimpse of the happiness I saw in you tonight.” His words are thick with emotion, and it hits me in the chest like a physical blow.
I don’t know when I stopped breathing. I don’t know when I got so close that his heat wraps around me, protecting me from the cold. The spicy smokiness of him calls to me with a delicious invitation I always have to decline.
It’s everything I didn’t know I needed to hear.
“I would kiss you right now if I could.”
I quickly bite down on my lip, wishing I could take the words back.
We don't give a voice to the obvious pulsating attraction between us, because it only makes things harder. Still, I couldn't help myself.
His fathomless dark eyes search mine for a moment, and his mouth tightens. “I would kiss you right back.”
Coils of tension squeeze my chest from the inside until I think I'm about to explode or do something incredibly stupid, like try to press my lips against his, even knowing they’d blister and burn on contact.
I turn sharply and continue the route to our apartment. We walk in loaded silence all the way back.
By the time I’ve undressed in the bedroom, Talon has run a bath for me.
