Control yourself.
“You honor the dead by enduring, my princess. By refusing to let their sacrifice stop you.”
He’d buried more friends than I’d ever make, and somehow he’d found a way to speak about death with grace.
“Does it bother you?” I asked quietly.
He glanced at me. “Does what bother me?”
“How young I am.” I picked at a thread on my sleeve. “You’ve lived a thousand years. I’m barely twenty-five.”
He shrugged. “No.”
I blinked. “Just…no?”
“You expected a longer answer?”
“Most fae think humans are beneath them.”
He took another bite of cheese. “Age means nothing. Some of the oldest fae I’ve met had sawdust for brains. Meanwhile you’ve survived things that would’ve broken warriors twice your age.”
“That’s…not what I expected you to say.”
“What, you thought I’d lecture you about how humans are mayflies? I’ve lived over a thousand years, and most of it was boring as hell.”
“Boring?”
“Wars blur together. Politics are tedious. The only thing worth remembering is who you shared a bed with and whether the wine was decent.” His eyes dropped to my mouth. “The rest is noise.”
My cheeks warmed. “So what’s the point of living that long?”
“Practice.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping. “You get very, very good at certain things.”
“What things?”
“Patience.” His thumb traced lazy circles on my back. “Knowing when to take my time with someone who deserves it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying not to smile. “You are a shameless flirt.”
“If I were, you’d be in my lap right now.”
A shiver rolled through me. “You’re deflecting.”
“I thought I was flirting?”
“You’re doing both,” I said, fighting a grin. “And you still haven’t answered the question.”
His hand slid lower on my back. “Fine. Your age doesn’t bother me. If anything, I envy it.”
“Why?”
“Everything’s still new for you. I like seeing what catches your attention.”
My heart thudded. “Like what?”
He smiled gently. “You stop and breathe in the rain like it’s a gift. You tear into bacon like it’s a feast. You walk into my library like you’re stepping into a temple.”
My face flushed.
