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“Maybe you can drive.”
I freeze at his words. “Uh, one car accident this week is enough, thanks.”
“I’m serious.” Stellan puts his hand on my shoulder. “I will be there with you. I won’t let you crash.”
I chew on my bottom lip, wondering how to get out of this.
ButshouldI get out of it? I’m twenty two years old and I can’t even drive. I should learn, that way when Stellan is busy with council meetings, I can still leave the estate. That is… if he’ll still let me leave without a chaperone. Something tells me he won’t let me be alone by myself for a long time after getting hurt yesterday.
“Okay, fine.”
Stellan grins widely at me, making me glad I said yes to him. If he keeps grinning like that, I have a feeling it’d be impossible to say no to anything he suggests.
When Stellan gets out of bed, I see that he also took his pants off last night and is only wearing a pair of boxers.
“Stellan! Where are your pants?” I squeal, covering my eyes.
He laughs. “I told you, I got hot.”
I groan, which only makes him laugh harder.
When he doesn’t move to open the door, I peek through my fingers at him. He’s got a smirk on his face, clearly amused with my discomfort.
“Thank you for telling me what you did… about the fae,” he says. “I know it can’t be easy to tell me stuff like that. I’m sure you were given strict instructions to keep it quiet. You can trust me with anything. I know my promises and vows don’t have magic binding them, but I do promise to keep your secrets.”
My heart swells at his promise. “Thank you. I don’t need magic to know I can trust you.”
His grin widens and he gives me one last look before leaving my room to head to his own. I allow myself one minute to just breathe and work through my feelings for Stellan before I get up to get my shower.
Stellan wasn’t supposed to be this likable. He was just supposed to be a key to my freedom. I didn’t expect to find such comfort in him. Somehow, the two of us just make sense.
Stellan
I ignore the call from my dad as I get into the passenger side of the small car. Wisteria’s eyes are wide as she gets in the driver’s seat. Her eyes, which have never so much as shown even a twinge of anxiety, now flash between yellow and orange. The sight makes me grin—not that she’s anxious, but because at our wedding, they were steadily blue and purple, despite the fact that she was marrying a stranger.
She’s brave and I like that about her. It’s just another reason why Wisteria is perfect for me. If fate had any clue at all, it would make her my soulmate. I can’t imagine how any other woman could mean as much to me as Wisteria does.
“Push the brake in and then push this button.” I point to the push start.
“Which one is the brake?” she asks, her voice sounding shaky.
My eyes widen in surprise. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
She unbuckles her seatbelt. “This is a bad idea.” Then she gets out of the car, shutting the door behind her. Sheleans against the side of the car, covering her face with her hands. I get out of my side, circling around to where she’s standing. From here, I can see that her hands are visibly shaking and her heart is racing so fast I would be worried for her if she wasn’t supernatural.
I grab her hands, pulling them away from her face. “Hey, it’s okay.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t, Stellan. I know that it’s pathetic that I can’t drive, but…” her voice trails off as she lets out a long, shaky breath.
“Okay. Then we will wait until you’re ready.” I pull her into my arms and she comes readily. She puts her head on my chest and I envelop her small frame in my embrace. She sighs, like she’s content, and her heart rate slows back to its normal pace.
How is it that a girl I was forced to marry has become so important to me in such a short amount of time? It’s like she was always made for me.
I rest my chin on the top of her head, memorizing her sweet scent. She has that cotton candy scent that most fae carry, but there is another scent that lingers underneath—something sharp that I can’t quite place.
My phone vibrates again. I free one hand from around Wisteria and slip it into my pocket. It’sanothercall from my dad. Whatever it is, it must be important or he wouldn’t call twice in a row like this.
I huff my annoyance as I lift my phone to my ear. “What?”
