Page 125 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

“Because I’m trying to save Verdanthia.”

“Is that all?”

My eyes snap up. “Excuse me?”

Regret flickers across his face. “I didn’t mean it like⁠—”

“Yes, you did.” I glance over his shoulder. Ferria spins, a blur of red hair as Anton twirls her away. “You think I’m too close to the Fae.”

He doesn’t argue. Just spins me again, avoiding the truth.

“The Fae saved my life during the fire,” I blurt, voice sharp with desperation.

I need someone to understand, to see past their fear and suspicion. I need someone to give me the benefit of the doubt about my interaction with the powerful males who’ve infiltrated our town.

“And for that,” he says, “I am in their debt.”

“No.” I frown. “I am in their debt.”

Lev searches my eyes, moving with the rhythm of the dance effortlessly, as if the crowd and music exist solely for him.

Unease coils tight. “What?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He spins me in time with the music, forehead furrowed.

“I have to tell you something,” he finally says, voice nearly drowned by the boisterous music.

“What is it?”

My gaze flicks to the side. Shadows writhe unnaturally behind stalls stacked with sweet-smelling delicacies, curling and stretching like living things.

Have the Fae arrived?

“The circlet I commissioned from Ferria…” he begins.

I jerk. All thoughts of Fae and shadows are forgotten as icy dread flows through my veins.

“What about it?”

“I lied.” His jaw tenses. “It’s not just a gift. It is a betrothal token.”

The music dulls into background noise, surpassed by the pulse roaring in my ears. My stomach drops, and the world narrows with the implication of his words.

“Why—”

“Because I’m in love with you, Elara. And I can’t imagine not being with you for the rest of my life.”

My heart plummets to the earth.

Lev must feel it. He hurries to fill the silence. “But I know how you feel about marriage. I shouldn’t have commissioned a circlet without talking to you first.”

“No,” I murmur. “You shouldn’t have.”

He nods. “We don’t have to be wed. I’m content just being us... But I wanted to be honest. I wanted you to know the truth.”

“I…appreciate that.” I sound calm, but inside I’m anything but.

Lev and I never made promises about our future. It’s always been enough just to be what we are. Friends. Lovers. Companions.