Desiree smiled deviously as she turned Teddy and Stella to face each other.
Teddy regarded Stella with disdain, but Stella stared at him as if she’d be able to see the strange magical thread between them if she looked longer.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had looked at him up close. Teddy was tall and broad, the lean muscle of his chest and arms evident beneath his finely cut tunic. His dark brown hair had a soft wave to it and fell over his forehead in an annoyingly perfect way. His face was clean-shaven, revealing a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, and his light olive-brown skin was flawless except for a faint pale scar on his bottom lip that gave his smile a roguish sort of charm.
She’d always thought his eyes were just gold, but in the silver moonlight, she could see they were light brown in the center surrounded by a ring of amber with golden flecks all throughout. Loath as she was to admit it, Teddy was striking.
He refused to meet her eyes, which left him awkwardly looking straight over her head.
Stella gave Desiree one last desperate pleading look, but her aunt was looking through them, her hands moving through the air like she was stitching an invisible tapestry.
The goddess placed one palm over Stella’s pounding heart and the other over Teddy’s.
The bond hit Stella like a rush of blood to the head. Goosebumps raced along her skin. The intensity of it was almost enough to make her knees buckle. She would have gone down, but Teddy caught her arm.
He was finally looking at her, studying her with a clinical sort of appraisal.
Everything tingled from the tips of her toes to her scalp, but she held his gaze as her chest warmed. Her rib cage felt all at once too full and not full enough. She wanted to draw more in, to never stop the feeling, and also she was afraid too much would make her faint.
It reminded her of the first magnificent breath after she’d stayed under the sea too long. The air felt fresher, full of the citrus and cedar scent of him, and that was all she wanted to smell.
The tingling faded, but the full feeling in her chest remained and she could not look away from Teddy. Her eyes burned, and she had the unnatural impulse to hug him and sob.
After a long moment, Teddy looked away. “Now what?”
Desiree arched a brow. “Now you thank your goddess for her blessing.”
Teddy smiled tightly. “Thank you, Goddess Desiree, for this tremendous blessing.”
Desiree patted his cheek. Then she clapped her hands in delight. “I knew you would see it my way. Now, go to your suite for the night.”
A priestess stepped forward and took Stella’s arm. Stella let the woman guide her back down the hallway to one of the guest suites. Teddy’s soft footsteps followed behind them.
It wasn’t until they were ushered into the suite and the door clicked closed behind them that Stella snapped out of her daze.
A large bed with pale pink linens was at the center of the room. Red rose petals were sprinkled from the doorway to the bed and across the sheets. Candlelight cast jumping shadows on the white marble walls, and large sliding glass doors on the far end of the room looked out to a private bathing pool that reflected the shimmering moonlight.
Vases of flowers covered almost every surface of the room. It was so beautiful and romantic, but Stella was meant to be here with Arden. This was the room where they were supposed to spend their first private night together ever. She’d planned out exactly how she was going to tell her parents in the morning. Of course, they would be upset. Her mother had a terrible temper, but she was also a romantic. Cecilia and Rainer would understand why Stella had been so desperate. After all, they had both done crazy things for love.
Now she was hoping that her lie about sleeping over at Kate’s held up so she could wait it out until her new bond with Teddy faded and she’d never have to admit that she’d done something so stupid.
The connection felt strange. Was this how her parents felt? A heart bond differed from the fated soul bond her parents had—it didn’t run as deep—but Stella felt all at once like the bond was too much and not enough. She felt too aware of Teddy’s presence—overstimulated by the sudden sharpness of this new extra sense that was entirely focused on him. She wanted to get as far from him as possible, and also she wanted to sit on his lap.
“We should strategize how we’re going to handle this,” Stella said, brushing her fingers to her sternum.
“I don’t want to strategize. I want to go to bed and wake up and forget this nightmare ever happened,” Teddy said flatly. “You can take the bed. I’ll sleep in that chair.” He gestured to a small red chair in the corner. He looked like a giant when he sat down in it, but he pulled off his boots with determined frustration and grabbed a throw pillow for his head.
Stella’s chest was too tight, the strange pulsing of the bond too unsettling to rest. It felt like she was angry, but really Teddy was, or maybe they both were.
“Calm down. You’re going to give me a stomachache,” she grumbled.
Teddy turned his furious gaze on her. “I hope you’re happy. You’ve managed to ruin the most important thing in my life.”
“Me?” Stella shook her head in disbelief. “How could I have possibly known that you were going to be here, or that you had a relationship? It’s not as if you show that poor woman any affection publicly.”
“As if I could?” Teddy snapped. “I’m a prince. I lack the freedom to be as reckless as you.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone to your pity party.”
