“I don’t want him to worry about it.”
“Why does it matter what he worries about when you promised you’d wipe his mind?”
She winced. “Alexander told you that, huh?”
“Yeah. And it’s a good idea. Alexander told me this human is a scientist. He’ll want to make sense of it. He could talk. Or obsess. Human minds are weak. If he talks, others might think he’s mad, or he might go mad thinking about it.”
“Human minds aren’t weak. What about Nick? Avery? Clarissa? Mom? His mind isn’t weak, Marius. I know I said I’d wipe his memories, but I won’t do it without his consent. It’s wrong.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Oh, Charlie.”
“What?”
“You have feelings for him.”
She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve known him three days.”
“I fell in love with Harlow the first time I saw her.” Marius’s strange silver eyes turned reminiscent.
“She was your fated mate. That’s different.” She thought for a second. “And hadn’t you met when she was a teenager? You didn’t fall in love until after you were resurrected.”
He leaned back in his chair. “In retrospect, I loved her in my own way.”
She rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. “What is this about, Uncle?”
Leaning toward her, he took a deep breath. “I talked to the man for five minutes, Charlie, and I think he has feelings for you too.”
She inhaled sharply. “I-I… It’s impossible. He’s going home in a matter of hours.”
He scratched the back of his head. “I’ve lived a long, long time, and love—my love for Harlow and the kids—it’s the best part. So if you get a chance at that—”
“That’s not what this is.”
“It’s like you told me before. You’re not a little girl anymore. You’re a powerful woman. If you get a chance at something you want, take it.”
“But—”
Marius cast one last smile in her direction and slipped out the door, his silver wings trailing behind him.
Charlie found Liam in her chambers, standing on the balcony, his hands in the pockets of his borrowed jeans, watching Paragon’s suns set behind the mountains. From the time he’d arrived, she’d become accustomed to the scowl that always seemed at home on his face. But she saw something else there now. A hint of sadness. No, something beyond sadness, something she couldn’t quite place. Despair possibly. She wished she had the magic to read his heart, but as powerful as she was, that was something she couldn’t do.
“I know you’re probably anxious to get home, but if you’re willing to wait until morning, I’d love to take you into Hobble Glen to shop for gifts to go under that tree.”
He turned as if just noticing she was in the room. “I’d like to see Hobble Glen. Besides, I’m sure you’re tired after today.”
She wasn’t, but she nodded anyway. “Tomorrow it is. Take a jacket. It gets cold when the suns set.”
He didn’t say another word until they were in the carriage. In fact, he hardly looked at her. “I met Marius today,” he finally said, his gaze fixed on the window.
“He told me. Don’t tell anyone, but he’s my favorite uncle. We’ve always had a close relationship.”
Liam licked his lips, and a charged silence unraveled between them. After some time, he said, “Is the offer still open, Charlotte? Will you tell me your secret if I tell you mine?”
She chewed her lip. What did it matter if she told him? In a day’s time, she’d never see him again.
“Yes, the offer is still open.”
Planting his chin in his palm, he cracked his neck. “You were right. There is a reason I didn’t go to my father’s funeral. A more personal reason than just a divisive position on the business.”
