He looked at the closed door between Jalisa and me on my left. “Are you sure? I don’t want to skip in front of you.”
I waved him in front of me. “No, mate. Go ahead.”
He still had the audacity to look unsure. “I don’t want to be rude.”
Jalisa threw out her hands to the side. “What is happening? Do you have to piss or not?”
I tossed my head back. “Get the fuck in the bathroom, sir.”
He sucked his teeth and headed to the bathroom. “You both don’t have to be so rude about it.”
We looked at each other, not speaking, while the faerie took his agonizingly slow, sweet time to get inside. Just locking eyeswith her again, less angry than earlier, made my heart feel like it was swelling. She just drew me in with those eyes. I felt like an idiot staring, but I didn’t want to break in that moment. I wanted to keep pretending that things were just as perfect as they once were between us. Perfect and beautiful.
When she finally looked away, it felt if I were being stabbed in the chest. “You’re the same quick-tempered dragon.”
“And you’re the same quick-tempered faerie.” I took her wrist and moved her away from the bathroom. “There was so much more to what happened, Jalisa. To us.” I ran my other hand through my hair, not caring how it looked. I was beginning to feel antsy, not wanting to let her go so she could disappear from me again.
She rubbed her forehead. “It doesn’t matter, Ivan. Us being apart is the best for everyone.”
She had lost her mind. That had to be it. That night something happened, and it had damaged her brain. “If that was the best thing, which I wholeheartedly disagree with, why would you pull me back into this? My Gods, woman, if he tells the court, they will call us in. How are we going to fool the king and queen?”
She gnawed at her lower lip, looking away with an unsure expression. “I don’t know right now! I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I just needed an out, and you came at the right time.”
Well, now I was insulted. “So, you would have done this with anyone strolling down the hallway, is that it?”
She shook her head but also shrugged, looking lost. “No, yes. I don’t know. I just know I felt relief when I saw you but don’t let that get to your head. It means nothing. You’re just a familiar face for a time in need. I really have to go now.”
I put out a hand to stop her. “What if I have a girlfriend or wife? What would you do?”
She frowned, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t like the idea of me being with anyone else or if she was upset about the possible obstacle to her plan. “Well, do you have someone?”
“Maybe.”
She looked at me for several moments before rolling her eyes. “You were always so difficult.”
I smiled. “And you still loved me.”
She glared at me before leaving, not responding. That was fine. I would get the answers I wanted tomorrow. I had finally found her, and I wasn’t letting her go.
Chapter Three
Jalisa
Icouldn’t sleep that night. I was already worried enough since I’d changed my mind about agreeing to marry Jacob, but with Ivan’s return, I was in shambles. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see his face, our times together. I thought I’d gotten over him by now, but my heart and mind knew better. It was hard to forget a first love.
And when my eyes finally allowed me a moment of rest, I dreamed of the first time we met.
***
I was at a restaurant with a friend on holiday from military service. Much to my family’s rage, I’d joined out of a sense ofduty and maybe a little rebellion. We weren’t actively fighting the Prinaths then. It was more of a cold war where we blocked certain imports to them, and they blocked the portals from us. However, threats of destruction were heavy in the air. There were small battles here and there, but mostly we were at a stalemate. I wasn’t fearless, but a tiny part of me wanted to make my controlling family angry with my choice and to grow my own strength to one day be independent of them, if I needed to be.
I’d only been with the military for six months when I first saw him. He was higher ranking and, from what I’d seen, cocky and in many moments, very unserious. We weren’t in the same unit, but I’d often seen him from afar with another gentleman with long black hair that hung like silk. He too appeared to be naturally beautiful. Others whispered about how handsome they were, and Ivan, in particular, never seemed to be without company. It made me irritated for a reason I could not admit then. I decided that if so many wanted him, then I would not. I was better than a follower who latched on to him like a shadow. Those types bored me. He bored me. Or so I told myself.
And then, when I was standing at the bar to order a carafe of wine for my table, he appeared next to me. He repeatedly bumped his arm against mine without any acknowledgement of apology. When I could take the rudeness no more, I turned to him and tried not to be stunned by his beauty so up close.
He was handsome, as most fae were. Glamour was an often-used magic to erase our flaws, but usually you could see a glow when used. He had not used such magic, and his imperfections were all the more beautiful to me. He had a jagged scar crossing diagonally from across his right brow to where his forehead met his hairline. My fingers itched to lightly trace across the smooth thickened skin, but I understood that would be rude. And his scent, like a crisp peppermint, expanded my chest when I deeplyinhaled. It was both sweet and medicinal. I liked it more than I wanted.
“Excuse you,” I began, keeping my voice strong, although my heart was beating rapidly in my chest. “You keep bumping into me. Did you not feel that?”
