“I’m setting you free to go about your business. Something, I realize, you don’t know how to do with me.”
I growled, growing weary at her snark. I was not a monster, but I could be one if she wanted me to be. “If you really wanted to leave, you could have still tried to escape. You had no problem fighting Xander, who seems now to be your closest ally.”
She snorted, turning her body to face me. Really, she was breathtaking, and I wanted her. There was no denying that. I wanted to keep her safe, but I also wanted to keep her from anyone else. To trap her in my house. To never even think of a way for her to return home. Maybe I was a monster.
She kicked her foot out toward me, bringing sand up in my direction. “Sounds like you’re still jealous. Look, I’ll concede some. How about I not try to escape if you at least let me explore the town? I can go with the guards or you or Xander.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicion growing. Why would she just want to look around without finding a way home?
Sensing my unease, she raised her hands in innocence. “I’ve never been to any fae land. If I’m going to be stuck here for a while, it’d be nice to see more than your lovely property. It’s been a week, fae time, since I’ve been here. I’m getting antsy. And I’ve heard amazing things about this realm. I mean, you have hover cars.”
She thought I was an idiot. I put up one finger. “One, I have no reason to trust anything you say.” I put up another finger. “Two, how do I know this is not just part of your plan to scout the area and report back to our enemies?”
Her eyes widened, and she leaned back. “Man, you really don’t trust anyone. Well, if you have me captured, I won’t be able to report anything. I have nothing to communicate with. My cellphone gets no signal here. I am trying for dear life to find a way to not go crazy.” She pointed to her head. “My mind is getting the best of me. I’m worried about my business, my friends. Even paying my bills. I could go to ruins being stuck here.”
I understood those concerns and ordered Xander to look in on her life on his next visit to the human realm. Being a high-ranking official, he had an easier time going to the realms, with limits. The fae did enjoy certain items from the human world, especially junk food. There were those who made it a business to import and sell human things in our realm. Admittedly, some of our world was influenced by the humans. Although we improved on every idea we took, such as our hover transporters and holographic images.
I crossed my arms, assessing her. She really did seem earnest. That didn’t mean she wasn’t just a good actress. “I can’t let you out. You’ll be detected and detained.”
“Xander mentioned me getting glamoured.”
Of course, he would fill her head with hope without discussing it with me. “I won’t allow that until I believe I can trust you. So, if you behave and your story continues to show truth, then I will consider it.”
She huffed, her brows gathering in a frown. “How long would that take?”
“As long as it takes.”
“You’re a jer-”
I cut her off. “Keep calling me names and see if that speeds up the process. I’d love nothing more than to keep you contained in here like a pet.”
She raised a brow. “You’d like that? So, you do mean to keep me here? You’ll probably never let me out.”
“I don’t know. You’re proven to be quite annoying. It might be easier to just let you run off. But then Xander would track you down like a hound. You’ve made your mark on him. Your mistake.”
Her frown deepened. “He’s not so bad. A little scary but likable in a way.”
I’d never heard anyone describe Xander as likable. Scary, yes, but did she honestly enjoy his company? “Why do you like him?”
She chuckled to herself. “The verdict is still out on whether I like him or not. I mean, he is helping to keep me trapped here. Also, he is amazingly inappropriate. Still, there is something so freeing about him that interests me. He just doesn’t give a damn. And he wears his heart on his sleeve. The last time I met a guy that emotionally vulnerable was in high school. I enjoy his company.”
The way she talked about Xander, her eyes almost wistful, I struggled to not believe her. My stomach also twisted slightly with continued jealousy. I realized I wanted her to talk that way about me.
She looked up at me again, biting her lip. She looked nervous. That was an unusual emotion to see from her. I wouldn’t be surprised if I made her uncomfortable. “You’ve grown quiet again.”
I sighed, shaking myself out of the trance she seemed to have over me. “I just didn’t expect you to speak that way of Xander. Not many people understand him.”
“I don’t know his story, but I’m just going off feeling. He’s gone through something. So have I. Still am.” She cut her eyes at me. “Maybe it’s an unconscious connection.”
That would make sense. She really had a knack for making me feel conflicted. I moved toward her and sat down. “I know you don’t like me.”
She shook her head, folding her knees closer to her chest. “I don’t like being bossed around and told what to do. I’m also, admittedly, a bit vulnerable right now, and you have no compassion. I’m used to that. I don’t expect people to look out for me. Never had that luxury. It’s just that when I finally find my niche and my home, I get torn from it. And once again, no one cares.”
I wanted her to talk more about her past. I needed to know more about her, but I didn’t want her to close up or grow suspicious of my motives. I’d have to find another way of getting her talking by connecting in the same way I’d done with Luca and Xander.
“I get not wanting to be controlled. My family was military. Both parents, actually, it’s how they met. Even after I was born, I’m the youngest, they both stayed enlisted. We were all alphas, even my mother. Both parents were high-ranking and were often away on missions. They were both very strict. Especially my father, and he wasn’t against using force to get us to behave. My mother was slightly kinder but still cold. Neither was very affectionate. They both had high expectations of us to join the military. That wasn’t my interest.”
Lila tilted her head, seemingly intrigued. “What was your interest?”
