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“He is.”
“You don’t look fine,” she repeated.
He said nothing.
“You haven’t slept…was that you? I felt someone puttering about outside at dawn.” She didn’t mention that she had heard Erin outside, too, just hours before that, not wanting to add salt to the wound. “You haven’t slept at all. You were busy guarding me and Yu.”
“Maybe I was just waiting for you to invite me in.”
The words had heat simmering in her belly, a gentle nudge that threatened to flourish. She noted the teasing in his tone, one that didn’t align with what had transpired earlier.
“You always joke around when you feel vulnerable. But you can’t fool me, Rick.”
The teasing faded and he frowned down at her. A hand went up, fingering her hair and parting it so he could see her face more clearly.
“Can you read me now, Em? Do you know what I’m thinking about?”
Her cheeks flushed. Like a switch flicked again, the heat spread until she was throbbing from it, intensified when he leaned in to sniff her hair. When he backed away, their faces were still inches from each other.
“It’s not going to happen,” she whispered, sounding adamant. Not feeling adamant. “You still can’t fool me. You need rest. Lots of rest. You took a man down and proved your sister’s innocence. You didn’t sleep. Even a Fae needs a break from all of that.”
While his face didn’t pull away, his forehead creased. A troubled expression took over.
“I still have a long way to go. I need to find a magic user. And an enemy. I need to figure out if they’re the same person and if they’re after my sister too. I need to know why the murders are happening. I need…”
You,was what his eyes said, but he didn’t say it.
“Food too,” she said.
There was a small smile, and her thumb itched to trace it. “Maybe.”
“Food is sustenance. Even a Fae needs sustenance.”
“Hmm.” A pause. “You said you heard puttering outside. That means you didn’t sleep much either. What were you doing?”
Aching. Remembering. Wanting.
But she left them unsaid, too, and watched as Rick’s eyes traced the lines of her cheeks, then her mouth.
“I don’t remember,” she lied.
“I see. Em?”
“What?” He didn’t respond, but his eyes flared. Belatedly, she saw her fingers brushing against his chin, temptingly close to his mouth. When his jaw clenched, she snatched her hand back as if burned. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“I didn’t change my mind,” she blurted out. “And you promised.”
They backed away at the same time, breaking whatever spell there was. Rick nodded once, the smile returning.
“I know. It will be kept.” Then, “I’ll get Yu.”
He left it at that, not waiting for her response when he excused himself and sauntered away.
The next few days were spent with Bronco and Jyss taking turns to shadow her and Yu no matter where they went, and Emerald would have been offended if she wasn’t aware of the tension working its way into the inner court. So, she let them shadow her and made a point of not hiding in her room but kept her mingling at a minimum so the Fae folks wouldn’t think she was overstepping. It felt like it worked as those who held her with contempt couldn’t criticize her to her face while those who were curious about her found the courage to approach her and ask questions. Jyss rolled her eyes when a teenage Fae asked Emerald what it was like to be exclusively named as the prince’s special guest.
“I’m not the only special guest. Yu is too,” Emerald corrected, smiling into wide, soft blue eyes. “And it feels honorable, especially if it means interacting with folks like you. What’s your name?”
