“Speak up, baby. I’m trying to give you suggestions.”
“None of them sounded all that good to me, either.”
Ronan huffs, climbing out of his bed and trotting over to the man standing in the doorway.
I turn around slowly, casting my eyes over messy hair and a leather jacket.
“Devil.”
“Miss Drache.”
His eyes are twinkling with a reckless kind of mischief, a bright light I gave up only a few hours ago.
“I decided to try another proposition.”
“Did you now.”
He nods, taking a step closer. Keeping his eyes trained on my face to make sure I don’t slip away this time.
“It occurred to me that maybe it was never about me staying in Wolf Hollow. Maybe it was about someone who never got the chance to leave.”
I tilt my head, watching him bridge the distance between us.
“Figured that out all on your own?”
“I had some help.” His lips twitch as he comes to a stop in front of me, “Bit of a pompous ass but he has his moments.”
I laugh softly, “You get used to it.”
“Come with me.” A callused thumb brushes my lip, “Grab that suitcase of yours and let’s fly away. Get lost in the clouds so you can be anyone you want to be.”
“Are you quoting my dream, Devil?”
“No.” His grin widens, “I’m making it come true.”
There is something to be said for the confidence of a man. To come charging in here, swinging his sword and making a nuisance of himself as he tries to save a woman who doesn’t need to be saved.
“What do you say, Miss Drache. Want to meet my crew?”
He is nothing like I imagined. Rough and ragged, with more tattoos then a person should know what to do with. Messy, unkept hair that never stays in place.
Scarred. Broken. More than a little bruised.
I stare at the thief in front of me, the criminal who found the missing heart of Wolf Hollow’s most vicious creature. Stole it and kept it for himself, offering a lonely soul the kind of friendship that doesn’t stop beyond the bedroom.
The kind of love that keeps me warm.
“Yeah.” A smile breaks clear across my face, “I do.”
Christopher holds out his hand and I take it.
His hope. His freedom. His love.
He wasn’t a prince.
But then again, I was never really a princess.
Chapter 61
