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Stellan leads me to a different vehicle and I wonder if I got blood in the other car. Once we’re inside, Stellan grabs ahold of my hand once again as he takes off toward whatever restaurant he’s taking me.
I glance at my hand, which is currently being held by Stellan. I’m still not sure what us holding hands means, but I know that I like it. I like the way he makes me feel.
But, I can’t help but think about what happened before his father interrupted. I asked him if I could trust him and he seemed so taken back by the question. There was something almost like regret in his eyes.
Can I trust my husband? I’m almost scared to ask him now. And since he’s not asking me about my—as he called it—strangemagic, I see no point in bringing it up. I’ll just pretend it never happened, which is probably a horrible idea.
A lot of fae marriages are built on half truths and deceit. Maybe I’m not so different than the rest of my kind.
“There are things that we need to talk about,” Stellan says, startling me from my thoughts.
I glance over at him, noticing just how tight his shoulders are. “Is everything okay?”
“No, but it will be.” He slowly brings the back of myhand up to his lips andkissesit. My face grows warm, but Stellan seems oddly unaffected by it. In fact, he seems almost distracted.
Of course it doesn’t mean as much to him. Because I don’t mean anything to him. But since whendid Stellan become so important to me?
I know the answer without thinking. He became important to me the moment we said our vows to one another. I didn’t make them half-heartedly. As a fae, I can’t lie. But Stellan isn’t a fae. He’s a dragon shifter and I can’t hold him to the same standards as I would hold a fae. I have to give him time to get used to the idea of us. Maybe he’ll eventually grow to like, possibly even care, for me. I don’t dare hope for anything like love, only because I don’t want to be disappointed.
Stellan pulls into a half-full parking lot. I glance at the sign when I hear him speak.
“There are things that I’m going to tell you,” he says. “Things that you can’t tell anybody else—not even your dad or your brother. Can you keep a secret?”
I turn away from the sign, my eyes not even registering the name of the restaurant, as I look into Stellan’s blue green eyes. “If there is one thing that I’m good at, it’s keeping secrets. Fae excel at it.”
His lips turn down in the corners, as if he’s just now realizing how screwed up fae society is. The more he learns, the more I’m certain he would love to find a wayoutof our marriage.
I squeeze his hand, hoping to reassure him. “Whatever you have to tell me, I vow not to tell anybody else. Iwillkeep your secret.” Magic pours out of my hand and into Stellan. I feel it settle into his chest.
He sucks in a sharp breath. “What was that?”
“Magic—it happens when we vow something.”
“I felt that on our wedding day. I thought I was just nervous.” He furrows his brows, like he’s trying to think back to our vows. If he’s anything like me, that day was a complete blur. I hardly remember anything.
I chew on my bottom lip, anxiously waiting for him to say whatever secret he needs me to keep.
He glances at me, confusion on his face. “So youreallycan’t break a vow?”
“Really.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.
“What happens if you do? Do you die or something?” He frowns.
I laugh. “Well… when I say I can’t break a vow, I mean I physically can’t break a vow. It’s like if I try to lie, my lips won’t form the words.”
His shoulders relax. “Okay, good. I don’t want you to die to keep my secrets.”
I grin at his concern. “But if I did find a way to break my vow, as some have done, I would die.”
His face twists up. “You don’t have to use magic like that to reassure me. I don’t need you to vow anything to me. I trust you.”
Hetrustsme.
Me. A fae.
I swallow hard, not knowing how to respond.
He opens his car door. “I’ll tell you about it while we wait for our food. I’m starved.”
