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“Alexa?”
“We have to leave,” she said, not turning to look at him. But she felt him, a warm figure that made her want to lean in automatically. That particular instinct had her hardening her body to fight it, refusing to fall back into her old ways—too reliant, too trusting, too ready to believe that someone else could save her. “It’s the only way.”
“What do you mean it’s the only way?”
“It’s complicated. I can’t explain right now, but I have to go. I have to get him out of here before…”
“Before what?” Hands reached out. When she stilled, they didn’t retreat, nudging her until she turned. Blue orbs perused her with confusion, but also a sense that a bomb was going to be dropped. “Alexa, who is his father?”
She could hide it forever or face it now. She gulped.
“A Fae.”
She watched him analyze it, then connect it to her earlier reaction to the Fae group in his studio. His brows furrowed while her fingers itched to soothe him.
“Fae produce halflings all the time.” There was a pause, then more analyzing. “Archie’s father, he’s not just a Fae. He’s of royal blood.”
What was the point in denying it?
“Yes.”
Again, he absorbed this information, then filed it for later as he refocused on her. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you ask for—”
“You were not supposed to find out.”
Whereas all the previous bombs she dropped barely fazed him, this one had him stilling. She saw the moment it became personal and wished she could backtrack when hurt flashed. But Edmund was calm with it, still not taking his eyes off her.
“Not as in never? You were never going to tell me?” A pause. “Or were you just waiting for this relationship to end without me ever knowing?”
“You said you didn’t believe in any of this,” she shot back. “Youdon’tbelieve in romance and complications. This is a complication.”
“This is your life.”
“Exactly. My life.”
He reared back as if slapped. A shadow crossed his expression.
“Then maybe I was expecting too much for assuming that somewhere along the line, things changed between us enough to no longer be too hung up on the specifics.”
Oh, it hurt seeing him hurt, but what hurt more was seeing the argument leave his features and the light dissipating from his eyes. The man who had always looked brilliant in her eyes turned dull before the mask of placidness came on. Her heart squeezed, hating the charming disguise.
“Very well,” he continued. “Archie dozed off on the couch. Let me take him to bed.”
He turned. The thought of him walking away punched a hole in her gut until she felt so hollow that it became agonizing to take in air. Emotions rose and fell, one so prevalent that she couldn’t keep it contained.
“Edmund…I didn’t mean it that way.”
He stopped walking but didn’t look at her. She sat on the bed, the energy leaving her body as she didn’t know what to say. She was tired. She was scared, and what was worse was that she wasn’t just scared of what Archie’s newfound powers meant. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed over the idea of breaking it off with Edmund like this.
“You think he will come back.”
A weight on her side followed the voice. Fingers combed back her hair, then nudged her face up until she opened her eyes again. Edmund was still wary, but the furrowed brows had cleared. He waited, and it was his patience that had her finally replying.
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. He left me when he found out I was pregnant. I suspected it was because I produced someone…dirty in his mind. Impure and powerless. Just as I was to him. But Fae value magic. Fae of royal blood…”
“They value it above all, especially when they don’t have an heir yet,” Edmund finished.
“Yes.”
