He kissed her collarbone before tilting hishead back to look up at her as she remained straddling his lap.“I’m coming back for you,” he vowed.
Surprise flickered through her eyes beforeshe smiled at him. “I’ll understand if you don’t. I know what thedark fae are.”
“I’ve already told you that you don’t knowwhatIam,” he growled. “Iamcoming back to you. Iwon’t be gone more than a day or two.”
She nodded, but he saw the doubt in her eyes.He hated that doubt, but his return would put an end to it. Shewould learn he had no intention of ever leaving her life.
“I’m going to leave a crow here; if anythinghappens, send a message to me. I’ll return immediately,” he said.“Let me know if Malakai returns.”
He would prefer to send a dark fae to watchover her while he was in the Gloaming, but he couldn’t have anyoneelse knowing about her yet. Eventually, word would get out thathe’d mated—if she allowed him to do it—but until then, the bestthing he could do to protect her was to keep her off the radar ofhis enemies.
Sending a guard to watch over would put anend to that. Word would rapidly spread amongst the immortals thathe’d taken a special interest in someone.
“I mean it, Lexi,” he said as he squeezed herass. “If you need me for anything, or if Malakai steps foot on thisproperty again, then send that crow.”
“I will,” she promised.
He wanted to do so much more for her, but itwas the best he could do for now.
CHAPTER 54
Lexi blinked back the tears burning her eyes as shewatched Cole and Brokk leave later that morning. In the tree aboveher head, the crow Cole left behind cawed loudly and ruffled itsfeathers but didn’t take flight.
Cole assured her that even if this crowbecame surrounded by a murder of others, it would return to her thesecond she raised her arm. She was tempted to test this but decidedagainst commanding the beautiful creature when it wasn’tnecessary.
When the brothers vanished from view, sheturned away and trudged back to the manor. As she walked, she feltlike the weight of the world was bearing down on her shoulders.
He’d said he would return, and she wanted tobelieve him, but as she walked, she prepared herself never to seehim again.
He’s a dark fae; she reminded herselffor the umpteenth time.
But she had to keep doing it because sheneeded it to sink in, or she might end up with a shatteredheart.
If he never returned, it might take her yearsto recover from the blow, but she would recover if she wereexpecting it. But if she had her hopes up and he never returned, itwould make things so much worse.
He’s also lycan. That niggling thoughtrefused to die no matter how many times she tried to kill it. Suchan idea was dangerous as it would only lead to her getting herhopes up.
The lycan could be the most loyal immortalswhen it came to their family and their mates, but she wasn’tfamily, and he’d never mentioned mates to her.
Dark fae or not, his father loved his motherdeeply.
But there was no mention of love betweenus!
She realized she was spiraling into a darkwell of despair and hope that needed to end. She didn’t know why hewas so adamant about returning to her, but she wouldn’t allowherself to believe it was for anything more than what they’d sharedthese past few days.
He liked her; she didn’t doubt that. And sheliked him, probably too much, but that didn’t mean it was anythingmore.
He could quite possibly become completelydistracted in the Gloaming and forget she existed.
She refused to get her hopes up too muchabout his return, but she wasn’t going to turn into a moping,melancholy mess because he’d returned home… as she’d always knownhe would.
Even if he never returned, she had a life tolive and things to do. One of those things might still be in hertunnels and most likelyseethingbecause she hadn’t returnedin days.
Lexi slipped back into the manor and headedfor the kitchen. She’d fed well on Cole this morning, but shehadn’t satisfied her human appetite yet.
Sahira was standing at the stove, stirring apot as she worked to replenish the rest of her healing salves nowthat Brokk was gone. Sitting beside her, Shade was working to cleanhis paw, which he lowered to study Lexi when she entered theroom.
“Have they left?” Sahira asked.
