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How did he know? I couldn’t look him in the eye, nor could I speak for a few moments. The less he knew, the better…for his safety and mine.
“I bet your workers are hungry for lunch,” I said in a miserable attempt to divert his attention away from me.
The man chuckled and shook his head. “Remaining mysterious.”
Good. I appreciated the way he took the hint not to pry further on that matter.
“It’s nice to meet you, mysterious beauty,” he said, once again offering his farm-roughened hand, no doubt out of habit because he then quickly lowered it to his side.
His nickname for me had my heart vibrating in my chest. He definitely wasn’t bad himself.
“I’m Shadow. This is my father’s plantation. We supply the finest teas to all of Haven.”
A fellow farmer. To be in the company of someone who understood the land and its beauty comforted me. His kindness to a stranger—one who had tried to steal from him—reminded me of my father. The reminder made my heart soar.
“My name’s Violet,” I replied, using my favorite color as my fake name.
Shadow glanced at me, his eyes a brilliant shade of light gray, like the sky on a cloudy day. “Have you ever tried a black tea with a dash of vanilla, Violet?”
“No,” I replied, curious to do so, hoping he might offer me a hot drink to soothe my frayed nerves. “But I’d be honored to try some.”
His whole face transformed under his gorgeous smile. Bright teeth, unstained by the tea, shone between his firm lips. The way his mouth curled up at the corners made my knees weaken. His broad nose flattened as his cheeks lifted. Sea God, what a divine creature. I’d never met anyone quite as handsome or with such a dazzling smile—as bright as the sun itself.
He gestured for me to follow him back to the manor. “What brings you through my father’s lands?”
Sea God. What was with all the questions? He was like a hound. I had to throw him off the scent.
“Going to visit my uncle and cousins.” Another lie.
I didn’t have any family to speak of. Both my parents had been only children, and with me their lineage died. My mother had passed in childbirth. The physician had been lucky to save me. Mother’s parents had perished from old age. That was another reason why I could not let the evil witch win and take everything my papa had worked so hard to create.
“You’re very lucky to have cousins,” Shadow said, staring off into the distance, presumably at the brick manor on his lands to the north.
I wish.Perhaps if I had relatives, they’d have come to fight for my freedom while I was in captivity. Still, I smiled at Shadow, unable to take my eyes off him or his graceful movements. But it felt like a brace had been strapped to my chest, and each time I lied to him, it tightened.
Damn my guilty conscience!
Workers stared at us as we passed them in the fields, their hands raised, shielding their eyes from the sun. Many a gaze flew to my beautiful stallion, clearly admiring him, and a few pointed in his direction.
Sea God. What was I doing here? A stranger with a black stallion appears out of nowhere. Not many people owned a horse like Poseidon. If the soldiers did arrive with questions about my whereabouts, one of the plantation workers was bound to spill on that little detail. A dead giveaway that I’d been here. The longer I lingered here, the more I put Shadow, his family, and his workers in danger. I had to leave.
Heart heavy to leave so soon after meeting him, I turned to go. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.”
Shadow grabbed my arm. A combination of sensations mingled within me. Shivers trickled down my arm, and sparks went off in my chest.
“Whatever it is you’re running from,” he said, his voice low, “you’re safe here.”
How the hell did he know so much? Was I that obvious? With all my heart, I wished I could believe him. But a gritty feeling in the pit of my stomach warned otherwise. I should never have agreed to his deal. The smart thing to do was to run and never look back. Sure, I was starving and weak, but Poseidon could carry me, take me to the resistance. Then Shadow and his family would be safe from any danger I dragged to his world.
Yet, this man had me under his spell, and that equaled danger in my books. After everything I’d been through, I was not the kind of girl to walk right into trouble. But the old Snow, she loved adventure, and she wasn’t letting me walk away from this.
