Page 24 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

Drained after the magic transfer, Luna insisted that we return to the estate. Upon our arrival back at the mansion, Thea, who was acting strangely around me because of how I had spoken to her earlier, retreated to her room. With Gray and Tom still working in the study, and Luna lying down in one of the spare bedrooms upstairs, I took the opportunity to spend some time in solitude.

After a brief stop in my room, where I freshened up and jotted down the events of the day in my journal, I made my way downstairs to the library. The space had become my safe haven, and even though the visit to the border had been more than unsettling, I instantly felt more at peace when I stepped into the homey place. I checked on Quilliam snoozing away in his cage and pulled a new book off the shelf—the same tome I had seen Gray perusing before.

“The Fae: Myths and Facts,” I read the title aloud after curling up on the sofa by the lit fireplace.

I quickly got lost in the world of our mysterious enemy jumping at me from the pages. We knew very little about the Fae since Emeraldia had been cut off from Aubrielle for a century. We didn’t even know what they looked like, except for vague mentions of their cold, unnatural beauty and pointed ears. A notion existed that faeries could not lie and did not tolerate iron. Their powers were believed to be stronger than ours, allowing them to warp from place to place.

Even though magic had been around me all my life, some things I still found hard to believe. Like that the Stars selected a soulmate for each faerie. They didn’t know who their mate was and some spent their whole life not finding their second half. However, if they found them and accepted the mating bond, it was a lifelong connection that ran on an existential level. Without meaning to, I conjured up an image of Gideon in my mind. Was he the equivalent of my mate? I quickly dismissed the idea, refusing to believe that he was my one true love. For if he was, how could he have betrayed me like that?

I flipped several pages until I reached the ‘myths’ section. Many believed that the Fae were immortal, but that wasn’t true. They lived for a very long time and did not age at the same rate as humans. The Fae King Oberon was believed to have been three hundred years old when my great-grandfather King Elias had defeated him.

“Why am I not surprised to find you in the library?” Luna sighed as she walked in. “Reading is so boring.”

I lifted my eyes from the book. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” She plonked on the sofa next to me, grabbed the book from my hands, and looked at the cover. “Why are you reading this?”

“Curiosity.” I went to take the book back, but she put it on the end table behind her, out of my reach.

“You know what I’m curious about?” She turned back to me. “Adrian Gray. Tell me everything you know.” When a blank stare was my only reply, she made a noise of impatience. “Come on, Emelin. Tell me more about the lord.”

“I don’t know him that well.” I cast my gaze to my lap and pretended to pick lint off my skirt. Despite having spent nearly every morning with Gray over the past two weeks, I didn’t know that much about him. He was closed off and had shared only a few personal details about himself. As a guarded person myself, I didn’t want to pry. I hoped that, with time, we would naturally learn more about each other.

“I swear, Emelin, if you’re withholding information from me because you want the lord for yourself…” Luna carried on.

Color infused my cheeks. Did I want the lord for myself? I had recently ended a two-year relationship. I wasn’t ready for anything new, was I?

My conflicting emotions must have been written on my face because Luna let out a mischievous chortle. “You can have your fun with him while you’re staying here. Just make sure to use protection.”

Protection?

“Luna!” I gasped, my already flushed cheeks burning like they were on fire. I often forgot that my cousin was much more outspoken about sex than I was. Granted, I had extremely limited experience. As devastating as it was to admit, I had not only let Gideon steal two years of my life; I had also let him take my virtue. Trusting him with the most intimate part of me was a mistake that could never be undone, and that made his betrayal unbearable. My chest constricted, and my eyes pricked with tears as I once again found myself wishing that I could change the past.

“Do you at least know who broke the lord’s heart?” Luna asked, momentarily distracting me from my despondent thoughts.

That caught me by surprise. It was no secret that Gray was single, but I hadn’t known there was a heartbreak in his past. “What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t know about that? See, that’s why you need to be more outgoing. You hear things when you socialize.”

“Gossip, you hear gossip,” I pointed out. Still, I was curious about what she knew. Luna arched one perfectly trimmed brow at me. I sighed and gave in. “Just tell me what you’ve heard.”

“It really isn’t much,” she admitted with disappointment. “Only that his heart was broken right before he got the title, and that’s why he’s single.” She paused and brought the back of her hand to her forehead before looking up at the ceiling. “It’s like he doesn’t believe in love anymore.”

I chuckled and shook my head at her dramatics. Since Gray had been a lord for only a couple of months, if what Luna had said was true, his heartbreak was as recent as mine. Curious about what had happened in his past, I considered asking him but immediately dismissed the idea. Discussing matters of the heart felt too personal. If I wanted him to open up to me, I would have to offer a piece of my past in return, and I wasn’t prepared to do that.

A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my contemplation and drew my gaze to the library entrance as Thea walked in. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” She looked between Luna and me. “Emelin, Gray asked if you could meet him in his study.”

My brows pinched at the request. Why hadn’t the lord come to collect me himself? Was he avoiding Luna? A smile tugged at my lips at the thought as I rose from the sofa.

“I will see you at dinner,” I told my cousin before I followed Thea out of the library. As the two of us set off toward Gray’s study, I asked, “Are we okay?” A part of me wanted to apologize to her for my stern tone earlier, but that would send the wrong message. Thea had become a friend during my stay at the manor, but I was still a royal. My wishes could not be questioned or disregarded—some lines I couldn’t allow to be crossed.

“Of course.” She gave a warm smile that instantly put me at ease.

The feeling didn’t last long. Anxiety washed over me when I stepped into Gray’s study. Thea remained in the foyer, closing the door behind me after I had walked in. My gaze stretched to the far end of the room. The lord stood facing away from me, looking out the large window at the gardens outside. He and I were alone.

“Gray,” I said as I approached him. He turned around and greeted me, his expression unreadable. I couldn’t shake the palpable tension between us. “You wanted to speak with me?” I went on, making sure my voice didn’t waver. I had my suspicions about why the lord had called me into his study, and I wanted to get the conversation over with, though I wasn’t sure how it would unfold.

“Thea told me that you and Luna went to the border today.” He got straight to the point.