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Garrick let out a long breath through his nose.
"Very well, but this is not dignified. The King sacrifices much for his people and their obligation is to serve him first. Though I suppose I have not been a king in some time."
"And you're not one here," I whispered gently. "That's not how our world works."
"You have no kings here?"
"We do, just not in this country."
"You have no leaders?"
I let out a long breath.
"We do but...look, politics these days is just a shit show and I'd rather not ruin my morning coffee discussing the broken state of our Democratic system, okay?"
"You do not agree with your government?" he asked.
"I don't agree with the selfishness of it. Leaders should put the good of those they are serving ahead of their own gain, they should listen to them and not those with the largest bank accounts."
"This is how you would lead?"
"I hadn't ever really thought of it but...yeah, I guess I would. It's not a job anyone should take lightly. I mean, these men and women hold the well-being of the vulnerable, the weak, those who need an advocate in their hands and they'd rather step on them than help."
I suddenly realized what I'd said and held my breath. My ex (may his dick shrivel up like a slug in the sun) hated when I talked about politics. He belittled every opinion I ever had, and made me feel intensely stupid and idealistic. I learned to bottle up everything and not tell anyone what I thought about such things. Even after all this time, I still couldn't voice my opinion without intense fear and anxiety. But just now, the words had flowed from my mouth. There was no tightening of the chest or nervous excuse about how I probably wasn't seeing it all clearly. I just spoke my feelings with clarity and confidence.
I glanced up at him and was further shocked when I saw his expression. The smile Garrick lavished on me warmed my belly in a way I'd never felt. It was a smile full of admiration and lust. He was attracted to my outspokenness? He liked it?
"What, why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, flushing deeply.
"You would make an amazing queen. You are fierce and kind, compassionate. You would challenge me to see the needs of my people before my own, always. I cannot believe the fates have gifted me such a warrior to stand by my side."
I snorted and shook my head.
"I'm not a warrior. I took one kickboxing class and broke my hand."
"There are many kinds of warriors my love. Those that fight with their hands and those that fight with their words. You are the latter, though you can be taught to be the former if you wish. I would give you anything you desired once we were in my kingdom. You have but to ask."
Guilt soured the warm feeling and I turned away as we reached the front of the line. He expected me to go with him, wanted me to. He believed I was already the queen he and his kingdom needed, even though we'd only known each other less than a day.
So why do I feel so at ease around him? Why is the thought of him going back into that amulet and me never seeing him again like a knife to the chest?
I placed my order, getting Garrick an iced tea and my favorite pastry, but the joy I usually felt at my first cup of coffee was severely diminished in the midst of this turmoil inside of me.
Was this conflict a sign that I should go with him? That I was really destined for this? I needed advice from someone who wasn't in the middle of the whole thing, who had nothing to gain.
Daphne. She can lend me some perspective. She's on maternity leave so hopefully she'll be able to chat. I'll call her when we get back to the house.
Daphne was head of the Sexual Artifacts Department at the Archive and one of my few Mundane friends. She had mated a hot Werewolf last year and was now expecting twins. The last time I saw her she was only six months along but she looked like she could pop any moment. She was all over the place sometimes, and if there was a research project she was working on, you could just forget having a conversation with her. But I hoped she really was taking a break from all that while she awaited the birth of her twins so I could get a few minutes of tough talk from her. For all her romantic ideas, Daphne could be very level headed and that was what I needed right now.
Our order came up and I led Garrick to one of the outside tables. By now the town was picking up. A group of surfers ran past us, the tops of their wet suits hanging down around their waists, a few dogs ran past, their owners hot on their heels. A couple of early tourists rode a tandem bike down the sidewalk. The air was starting to warm, the salty tang of the ocean light and not as thick as it could be.
"It is a beautiful world," Garrick said as he looked around. Then he took a bite of the cinnamon coffee cake and his eyes widened. "This is delicious! What is it?"
"Heaven," I said and took a bite of my own.
A big, uninhibited bite that left crumbles on my mouth. I went to wipe them off but Garrick stopped me and brought my lips to his. He licked the crumbles off my mouth and then kissed me slow, savoring, as if I were the coffee cake.
When he was done, my eyes were heavy and I felt a little drunk.
