Page 60 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

He grimaced. “I didn’t tell you that I was a Fae prince, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t myself around you. You know me. You know who I am.”

“I feel like I don’t know you at all,” I rasped, my voice shaking. “You’re a stranger.”

“I’m sorry. If I could go back and change the past, I would.”

“Which part? The one where you lied to me or the one where you bedded me?”

He flinched again. “The part about me hiding the truth. I would never want to erase last night.”

“That makes one of us.” I folded my arms over my chest, which seemed to be my new usual posture around him.

Adrian’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t say anything else. As silence stretched between us, I took a moment to study his face no longer obscured by glamor. In the whirlwind of everything that had transpired, I hadn’t taken the time to notice how he had changed.

I had always thought he was handsome, but his features were near-perfect now. My fingertips tingled, itching to trace the high cheekbones and the firm line of his jaw. My throat dried as the memory of me doing that last night flashed through my mind. I squashed it, burying it deep down and locking it away. Only time would tell if I would ever unlock and retrieve it.

Adrian’s golden complexion was even more pronounced now, almost setting his smooth skin aglow. Despite the soft, warm undertone, a chill emanated from him that I had never noticed before. It was as if Fae’s beauty was meant to be cold and devastating. Alluring yet untouchable.

He watched me as I studied him, my gaze lingering on the arched tips of his ears. When I dragged my gaze to his, his eyes swirled with shimmering silver flecks. His black, glossy hair gleamed as the lamp light glanced off it, and my fingers flexed as the memory of me tugging on the silky strands resurfaced. Once again, I forced it down, together with the lump that had formed in my throat.

“Do you have…” I pointed at my pursed lips.

“Yes, we all do.” He flashed his short fangs. I shuddered, thinking about how close they had been to my throat.

“Does the Fae magic work the same way ours does?” I asked, telling myself to focus.

Adrian had told me before that it was wise to know your enemy. I intended to learn everything I could about the Fae.

“The magic is similar in how it works, but the Fae powers tend to be more potent. All faeries possess magical abilities, but the magic of the royal bloodline is the strongest. It’s an ancient power that my grandfather, King Oberon, passed down to my father and that my father will one day pass down to me since I’m the oldest heir.”

“How old are you?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “Is it true that the Fae can live for centuries?”

“It’s true. We don’t age at the same rate as mortals.” My breath snagged as I stared at him. He could be decades or even centuries older than me. “I didn’t lie about my age. I’m twenty-four. Tarn is two years younger. My father, however, is over one hundred years old. And the older he gets, the stronger he becomes. That’s why the issue of acquiring more land has become more pressing over the past few years.”

Acquiring more land by invading my kingdom. It was only a matter of time before Sorin found a way to launch a full-scale attack, and when he did, my people would need to know as much as they could to even stand a chance.

“Is it true that iron weakens Fae?” I asked, racking my brain for any scraps of helpful information.

“No. The only thing that weakens us is someone else’s magic. Someone who is more powerful than you can tamper with your magic or even suppress it for a while, like my father is currently doing to me, so I can’t glimmer you out of here.”

“You wouldn’t be able to leave anyway,” I pointed out. “Not after you’ve sworn the blood oath.”

He pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.

“Is it true that faeries have mates?” I asked, regretting it the second I did.

“Yes,” he said carefully because he knew my next question.

“Do you have a mate?”

My heart pounded loudly in my chest. I shouldn’t be asking, shouldn’t care. Yet, I had and I did.

“I do.”

My brows shot up. “Your former fiancée?” I realized as my breath left me.

“Yes,” he confirmed with sadness in his voice. All I could do was stare at him, speechless. If what I had read was true, the mating bond was a deep connection that could not be easily broken. “Ask me,” he challenged, his expression serious.

“What?”