“You wrote the book on that, didn’t you, Fin.”
When she looked up, he was still staring at her and looking mighty content.
“Will you tell me about your curse?” she asked, finishing off her first fish. The secret glaze was awesome. Actually, the whole night was awesome.
“It happened when I was seven years old, so I don’t remember all the details, though my parents tell me I was very sick—scarlet fever, I think. Anyway, they were desperate. They called on Adalwolf and asked him to save me, which he did. In exchange for saving my life, he demanded an eternity of servitude. My parents pretty much became slaves. And so did I, only…”
“Only what?”
“Only I never killed anyone for him. And it used to piss him off royally,” he laughed. “Anyway, I live my life over and over and over. I age until I turn seventy, then I wake up the next morning a seven-year-old. It’s a little annoying.”
She tried to imagine it… living through grade school—ugh—middle school again… Being thirteen again? Thank-you, no.
“What’s your psychotic boyfriend going to say when he finds out you spent the night with me?”
“Nothing good.” Hailey pressed her hand to her temple. “Asher gets jealous. I probably won’t tell him. Besides, I doubt he’ll even notice I’m gone. He hasn’t been around much lately, and he only wants me some of the time anyway.”
“Well, I want you all the time.”
He took her chin with his thumb and forefinger, and she gazed up at him, hoping he’d bring his lips a little closer, but instead, he dropped his stare and finished off the wine.
“I’m going to marry you, Hailey Hartley,” he said suddenly, and no doubt fully under the influence of the second bottle of red, so she went with it.
“Where’s my ring?”
“In my jacket.”
“You’re such aclown,” she told him, shaking her head, but he wasn’t laughing—drunk, no doubt.
He put his hand on her shoulder and moved his face close to hers. “No snooping,” he said. “I want it to be a surprise when I give it to you.”
“Oh, it will be,” she said, raising her brow.
While Fin tossed cushions off the couch, Hailey looked around the cabin.
“Where should I sleep?” If he thought she was going to crawl into a sofa bed with him, he was drunkandstupid.
“You’re sleeping here.” He motioned to the bed. “With me.”
“I’ll just sleep on the floor,” she said.
He threw a pillow in her face. “You’re sleeping in the bed,” he repeated. “Withyour clothes on, my little nudist—no arguments—I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
That’s what he said, but what he did after Hailey donned her pajamas and slithered under the covers was grab her immediately, pull her into a cuddle, throw a leg over her hips, and hold her tight all night long.
And she fought sleep so she could enjoy every second.
“Fin,” she whispered long after he’d started snoring, “I think I love you, and I’m scared to death.”
Someone else was awake all night, too, and when Fin returned to campus the next day, Asher was waiting for him…with a reminder.
“Good evening, Pádraig,” Asher said when he stepped inside the dorm room, and the human had the audacity to roll hiseyes.
“What do you want Asher, you wanna talk about Hailey? Fine. Let’s talk about how you’re planning to kill her, and then I can remind you of our agreement,” he said with far too sharp an edge in his voice.
Such disrespect would not go unpunished.
Asher fixed his gaze on Pádraig’s eyes.
