A second later, a petite figure with rich brown skin and dark curly hair appears on the walkway, rounding the bend toward me. “It’s creepy when you do that, you know,” she says with a smirk. The wood nymph wears loose pants and a sleeveless tunic, both in bronze silk—an outfit that tells me she must have just arrived from the Fire Court where she is ambassador to Queen Evelyn.
I meet her halfway down the walkway with an embrace. “I thought you’d be used to it by now, considering you’re in love with my sister.”
“She, at least, knows better than to use her powers on me anymore.” Her tone is indignant, but I’ve known her long enough to tell she’s amused. She pulls back and grins up at me. “How are you, little brother?”
I snort a laugh. “Little brother? There were times you called me much worse.”
She scoffs. “There were times you deserved it. Besides, according to human tradition, aren’t you what they call my brother-in-law?”
“I suppose you’re right.” While Lorelei and Nyxia haven’t participated in a human wedding, they’ve held a mate ceremony, which is the fae equivalent according to our traditions. “Are you and my sister ready to leave for your romantic getaway? Is it the Summer Court you’re headed to? Perhaps a warm beach?”
“No, it’s the Winter Court, actually. I’ve had enough hot sand beneath my toes after serving the Fire Court for so long. It’s plush snow I now crave. Although, I’d still take a beach if it meant time off. I’ve needed a vacation for…twenty years, at least.”
I chuckle and extend my hand toward a pair of chairs nestled against the balcony railing. “Politics, eh?”
She lets out a dark laugh and slumps into one of the seats. “Politics.” Her eyes unfocus as if she’s lost deep in thought. I resist breathing in her energy, not wishing to invade her privacy, and claim the empty chair. A glance at the lawn shows no sign of the carriage that had been approaching. It must have pulled up to the palace by now. Lorelei shakes her head as if to clear it and returns her attention to me. “What about you? Are you ready to take on the great and terrible burden of running a kingdom while we’re gone?”
I swallow hard, feigning as much confidence as I can. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
She taps a finger against her lips and pretends to ponder. “Having to host a human social season would be pretty dire—oh, wait. That’s already happening.”
“If that’s the worst, then I’ll just have to bear it. Although, I’m almost positive Nyxia has a new marital scheme underway. Did you happen to see the regal-looking coach coming this way? I have a sneaking suspicion it contains a princess.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she says. “But I thought my mate was done with all that.”
“Our dear Nyxia will never cease trying to auction off my virtue.”
She snorts a laugh. “If only you had an ounce of virtue left to offer.”
I put my hand to my chest. “You wound me, Lorelei. I promise, my colorful reputation isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.
A ripple of trepidation clouds her energy, and she nibbles her lip before saying, “I know it isn’t.” I’m taken aback by her serious tone, the way her eyes bore into me. She leans forward. “Why do you do it, Franco? Why do you let others think you’re some roguish playboy? Why didn’t you just…explain yourself when everything happened?”
I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant despite how her words pierce my hidden truth. “My reputation may be exaggerated, but it isn’t entirely false. I’ve courted many women without ever taking a mate.”
“But…it’s not like you set out to break hearts.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know you. I know you deserve love. I also know you haven’t seriously courted anyone in years. You’ve given up.”
A cocktail of emotions floods my senses, and I suppress the urge to wrinkle my nose at them—pity mixed with sympathy and encouragement. I hate the way it tastes. Rising to my feet, I face the balustrade and brace both arms against it. “What’s your point?”
She stands and settles in next to me. Her eyes burn into my profile, but I refuse to meet them. “My point is I want to see you happy. You should be allowed to find love in your own time—”
“It isn’t that easy.”
“Why?”
I purse my lips. There’s no answer I can give. Not one she would understand, at least. We’ve been acquainted long enough that she’s learned I’m not the confident male most people think I am, but it’s not like she can relate. Lorelei is brave and wears her heart on her sleeve. Meanwhile, I…Well, meeting new people and wooing strangers doesn’t come easily. When I try to be myself, I’m as awkward as a newborn kelpie on land. To make up for what I lack, I try to play it cool. I make jokes. I laugh easily. I flirt and tease and taunt. That, in turn, either pushes others away or makes them think I’m someone I’m not.
When I finallydomanage to get to know someone while revealing my true self, it’s my powers that get in the way. I can’t count the occasions where I’ve drummed up hopes for a relationship to succeed only to sense the other’s ulterior motive. Very rarely have I had a lover who likes me formeand not my title.
Then there’s good old-fashioned rejection, my least favorite conundrum. Not because I’m being rejected; that I can understand. It’s because I have to experience my own emotional response to being broken up with as well as the emotions of the one doing the breaking-up. Double the discomfort for a fraction of the fun.
In the end, I’d rather flirt my way to someone’s bedroom for the occasional roll in the sheets without having to take things further. But even that has grown old. Even that can lead to heartache on both sides.
Lorelei’s right. I have given up on love, but I’ll be damned if I admit it out loud. Lorelei is the absolute worst when she knows she’s right about something. Instead of giving her the truth she wants, I do what I do best. Pretend I don’t care.
