Shay’s nails scraped across the stone as we rushed down the palace halls. I turned the corner and hardly stopped in time before running into the Sidhe King. My hand flew to my chest in surprise, while my heart nearly jumped out of my throat.
His lip curled at the side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He stood outside the door to the room where we always broke our morning fast. Typically, I entered to find him seated and waiting for me. This differed from what I quickly grew accustomed to. “Are you hungry?”
I woke feeling a bit ill that morning. The thought of forcing food down my throat was not appealing. “Honestly, no.”
He glanced down at the wolf before meeting my gaze once more. “Care to go for a walk through one of the gardens instead?”
I peered down at Shay.
“Your wolf can join, if you wish,” he added, extending the invitation.
I swallowed, forcing my attention back up. “I would like that.”
We moved through the halls side by side, an awkward silence surrounding us. My heart not once slowed, even as I tried intentionally drawing steady breaths through my nose.
“That stagnant air around you has not returned,” I commented, desperate to fill the space with words. As if they could provide some sort of buffer between us.
“You didn’t like it,” he said with a shrug. “And I don’t think I care for it much now, anyway.”
He opened an unimpressive door that led to a very unusual garden. The area was small and private. A little pond glistened in the center, a single large tree with a bench beneath it, and blooming flower beds, despite it being winter, filled the area. A curved path weaved around the small quaint space.
“You expected something grander?” Clause asked with a smile, observing my reaction as I absorbed everything I saw.
“No. Well, yes, I suppose. But this is truly lovely.” And it was. There was something warm about it, safe, even nestled in the walls of the castle that imprisoned me.
“Care to sit for a bit?” He directed us towards the bench bathed in warm sunlight.
“Sure.” I took a seat and watched as Shay took it upon herself to explore the small space. Her nose sniffed as she made her way around the perimeter. All her attention and focus appeared to be on her surroundings, though I knew she kept a tab on me the entire time.
“Last night,” Clause began, only to pause. My heart instantly went wild against my ribs as a nervous energy settled in my bones. “Why did you pull away from me?”
I needed more time to think of a response, but the panic coursing through me made it harder for my brain to stringcoherent thoughts together. “What do you mean?” I asked, playing dumb and regretting the question as soon as it slipped past my lips.
His attention heavily remained on me, though flew over my face as if searching for something. “Last night we shared a moment, and you pulled away,” he stated. “Is it fear of me?”
My throat suddenly felt scratchy, the sun uncomfortably warm as I did my best to not squirm. How to answer such a question? One thing was certain. Clause expected those around him to lie for their own selfish reasons. If I wanted to reach him, to possibly ever help him see the world for the better instead of the cold, dangerous place he assumes it to be, then I needed to be honest. I needed to show him he could trust me.
My body heated with discomfort. “That’s part of the reason. Anyone would be stupid to not be cautious when around you.”
His head tilted. “And what is the other part of the reason?”
I sucked in a deep breath, holding it for a moment. “You mean other than you killing someone important to me?”
He nodded. “If there is another reason.”
“My heart belongs to another,” I told him my truth.
A smile took his face before he tilted his head back and laughed wholeheartedly. His response threw me off. When his eyes landed on me once more, there was a challenging glint to them. “That’s what you believe? That whoever this person is who you think holds your heart is your match?”
My entire body tensed. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
Laughter took him once more. He strangely seemed almostrelieved. As if he worried more about my fearing him than this. His gaze met mine again. “You are so much more than whoever this person is. They are not your partner, your other half. They could never be.” He spoke with such certainty that it was offensive.
I scoffed. “I can’t expect you to understand.”
“And why do you think not?” Gray eyes met mine with a challenge.
“You keep the world at such a distance. You do not know love or what it means to care for another.” He couldn’t possibly understand.
