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About a basilisk in the trees, during Nev and Teris’s fight for a mate.
She had thought she saw something a few times…
And Dakota had said the same thing, on a few different occasions.
I had chalked it up to all of the male fae being overprotective, but apparently, I was wrong.
“You followed me,” I said.
“I protected you as well as I could, while your heart belonged to another.” He put another piece of fruit in my mouth, and I chewed slowly.
“You’re lucky I’m used to all this fae shit, or I’d think that was creepy instead of kinda sexy,” I finally told him.
Remmo chuckled. “I’m lucky for many, many reasons Iloli.” He tossed the fruit’s peel toward the sink, and set me down on my feet. “Can I wash you?”
“Sure.”
He handed me the second lilano while he grabbed the bar of soap, moving me out of the water long enough to start scrubbing my hair. “I’ll get shampoo for you the next time we’re back at the Stronghold, assuming you don’t wish to stay and make a den there.”
“You’re too good to me,” I groaned in response, relaxing against his body while his long, strong fingers massaged my scalp.
“I have to prove myself worthy of you somehow,” he said, his voice playful.
But the words… they sounded honest.
I turned toward him, ignoring the soap in my hair and on his hands. Setting my palms on his face, I tugged him down toward me, until he was looking me almost straight in the eyes.
“If there was ever anything to prove, you proved it when you stayed in the trees because you thought I was in love with Teris. You chose what you thought was my happiness, over your own. And that’s love, in its purest form. I’ve seen a shitload of broken, screwed-up love from people who didn’t deserve a damn thing from me, and you are not one of them. When you looked at me, and you knew that I was your mate, and you stayed where you were because you thought I wanted Teris? That tells me everything about who you are, in here.” I set my palm on the center of his chest.
The emotions in his eyes were thick, just like the ones in my throat.
When he finally dipped his head in the smallest nod, I released him, turning back around. He went back to massaging my scalp, his touch still gentle.
My hands trembled a little as I resumed peeling that damn lilano, though.
“If one of us needs to prove themself worthy, it’s me,” I mumbled, my eyes stinging a little.
I hated that I couldn’t give him what he deserved—that I would always choose myself first. That I didn’t know how to be what he needed, or how to love as fiercely as his mate should.
His lips brushed my ear a few minutes later. “If remaining in the trees when I thought you loved Teris proved my feelings for you… then what did you prove when you were willing to bond yourself to a man who had done nothing but hurt you, because you thought it would save my life?”
He straightened without waiting for my answer.
Which was a good thing, because I didn’t have one.
My hands continued to tremble as I finished peeling the lilano and ate my half of the fruit while Remmo continued washing my hair.
And as hard as I tried to come up with a response to his question, I couldn’t think of a single one.
Well, fine.
I could only think of one.
And it was the same damn thing I’d told Remmo:
It proved that I loved him.
But that was ridiculous.
