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I backed away when he invaded my personal space, hovering over me like a hawk cornering a mouse. “You’ll tease me.”
“I won’t.” He crossed his heart, then held up his hand like he was a knight swearing fealty to a lord. “I swear.”
I snorted at that. “As if I’d trust your word.” Thorin had told me the Fae were all deceptive and cunning. Then again, Thorin had been deceptive and cunning, too.
He splayed a hand across his chest, a wounded look in his eyes, though there was still a tug of a smile on those full lips. “I might be a prince without a kingdom, but I’m a Fae of my word.”
I swear the world had dropped away from around us, leaving just Helian and me, standing on the edge of the universe and staring at each other. “You’re a prince?” I’d never met royalty before, much less brought one back from the dead. No wonder he was an ungrateful, rude, and stubborn dragon’s ass. He was probably used to others catering to his every whim, probably used to insulting women he deemed to be less than perfect tens. Stepping back from him, I rubbed the chill that skittered along my arms.
He stepped closer. “No changing the subject.”
I angled my head, eyeing him, this Fae prince who would’ve been dust hadn’t it been for me, a lowly human witch. “A truth for a truth then?” For I refused to bow down to him like another one of his servants. If he wanted any favors from me, he’d have to work for them.
His smile was bright and wicked and full of promises that prompted parents to lock away their daughters. “Alright.”
I swallowed back a lump of apprehension because there was no one to protect me from him except me. Then again, that flatulence curse I held in reserve would work well enough to bring the strongest, handsomest Fae prince to his knees. Turning up my chin, I steeled my resolve to not let him intimidate me. “I can see their spirits when they die.”
His eyes widened. “Whose spirits? The animals?”
“Yes.”
I swear the color drained from Radnor’s scales as he crept behind Helian, blinking at me from behind the top of his head.You saw that stag I killed?
I nodded. Maybe the vain drake had a conscience after all.
He visibly swallowed, the column of his throat fading from angry crimson to a dull gray.What was he doing?
“Standing in the forest, looking depressed and angry.” I still remember the stag’s eyes piercing mine, as if I had somehow been responsible for his death. It’s not like I could’ve stopped a voracious meat eater from hunting.
Remind me never to hunt around you again, witch.The dragon gave a huff, then took off into the air, disappearing behind fluffy clouds painted orange and pink by the waning sun.
“And you don’t see fish spirits?” Helian asked.
“No.”
He scratched the back of his head, that smug smirk spreading across his face like a raging virus. “Why is that?”
“How should I know?” I threw up my hands. “Maybe they swim to the bottom of the lake. I’ve told you my truth.” I kept my voice firm, refusing to let this Fae intimidate me, royal blood or not. “Now tell me yours.”
“Not much to tell.” He turned from me and began hacking at Radnor’s tree limb with his sword. “My father is a prick,” he said too casually in between breaks, “so I decided to renounce him and abandon my claim to the throne.”
Abandon his claim? Either Helian had lost his mind, or his father truly was a prick. My veins iced over, for a certain bastard king came to mind. “Who is your father?” I asked at his back.
He stiffened, clutching that sword like he could break the hilt. “I’ve already given you one truth.”
“Half a truth,” I chided.
He turned back to me, his cheeks either red from the exertion or something else. I had a feeling cutting a few sticks was hardly an exertion for someone like Helian. “Tell me more about, Thorin.”
I looked down at my bag. It twitched and moved as if possessed. Kneeling, I slipped a handful of grass inside, rewarded with a soft nose bop against my hand. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you know why he took you?”
I petted Demon’s soft ears. “No.”
Demon poked his head out, scanning the skies for the dragon, then hopped back onto the grass and began grazing.
“Do you have any memories of your past?”
