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I open my door as Stellan comes around to my side. He holds out his hand to me and I put my hand in his. He swings our arms between us and I relax at his playfulness.
I was reading too much into earlier. Of course I can trust Stellan. I’m just too used to the fae—with a fae, I would need words to reassure me. But my husband isn’t like that. And if I want this to work between us, I’m goingto have to go outside of my comfort zone. I need to trust him.
Stellan leads me through the restaurant and out the back door, onto a patio. We take a seat at a table outside. There is a small umbrella blocking the sun, but I sit on the unshaded side.
“Do you want me to scoot your chair into the shade?” Stellan asks.
I shake my head. “It’s warmer in the sun.”
He rubs at the scruff on his jaw. “Huh.”
“Do dragon shifters not get cold?” I inquire.
“Not really,” he answers.
I sigh. “It’s so unfair. Fae—who get very cold, by the way—live where it’s practically always cold. And dragon shifters—who apparently aren’t affected by the cold whatsoever—live on a tropical island.”
He chuckles. “Yes, ironic, but it worked out well for you.”
“True.” I grin at him. “Maybe that’s the secret—all the fae should marry outside of fae society. Except most supernaturals have soulmates, so I suppose that wouldn’t work after all.”
His face pales and I wonder what I’ve said to upset him. Before I can ponder it, the waitress walks over to take our order. She chats with Stellan, asking him where the rest of his family is, and she seems surprised when he introduces me as his wife.
Huh, I guess his family really does come here a lot. She’s human, so it’s not like she knew about the marriage alliance like a supernatural would. She seems friendly enough—she smiles at me as she takes my order.
I wonder what she’d think if she knew that we skipped the whole dating stage of our relationship and went straight into marriage. Though, ours definitely isn’t atraditional marriage—married women don’t blush when their husbands look at them.
What must it be like to be a human, living on this island? To see strange things every day, but just never comprehend them. Do they feel confused? Or is it just normal? I’ve personally never been compelled. Being a royal has its perks—one of them being that I can’t be compelled, not even by my emperor father.
When the waitress walks away, Stellan gets a serious look on his face as he turns his attention toward me. I guess now is when he’s going to tell me whatever it is I vowed to keep secret for him.
“Did you know that my dad wasn’t the first born son in his family?” Stellan asks.
I shake my head, wondering why that’s important. But then I remember onlymalestake the dragon throne and it’s always the first born son. “What happened to his older brother?”
I expect Stellan to tell me a tragic tale of how his uncle passed away young, but that is not at all what I get.
“He met his mate young—when he was only eighteen. They got married, but a few weeks later, she died. It was a tragedy—a fire.”
I furrow my brows. “Aren’t dragons fireproof?”
He nods. “Yes. But she wasn’t a dragon. She was a wolf shifter.”
“It seems cruel, for fate to give your uncle a mate who isn’t fireproof.” My heart aches for this uncle that I haven’t met.
Stellan sighs. “Yeah. And here I am, married to you. Fae aren’t fireproof, are they?”
“No.”
The waitress comes back with our drinks. I take a sip from my latte before I turn my attention to Stellan again.He’s looking down at his hands, which he has folded on top of the table.
I reach over, grabbing his hand and he looks up. “Stellan, I may not be fireproof, but I am an exceptionally strong fae. Fire isn’t going to kill me.”
He frowns. “You don’t know that.”
“Summon some fire.”
“No.” His eyes widen, like he’s frantic. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
