She stares at me. “Some try to make it through the outer realms, but most find a man to make a life with. Do you not like him at all?”
“I don’t know him.” Being pretty doesn’t mean anything. Saving me should count for something.
“It’s my night to tell a tale.” Ronan’s voice cuts through the night.
I can’t see him through the people making merry.
Jenna weaves her way through, dragging me along until we’re at the front.
Ronan is wearing fae clothing. Loose pants and a shirt in soft greens with a delicate border of curling leaves. He looks like a fairy prince. My heart does a little flip that I want to ignore. Next to him is the sweetest dog I’ve ever seen. He’s white with rust colored ears, and he sits patiently as though waiting for a command.
“This tale is about the greatest monster I’ve ever faced.” He pauses, scanning the crowd until his gaze settles on me. “My story starts with me dreaming of glory while working on my parent’s farm, leaving faery, and making a life at the edges of the human world. I volunteered fought because I thought that’s what I wanted. For over one hundred human years I sought out the monsters from the outer realms. Sometimes with others…mostly alone.” He glances down and I realize that he has never been able to make a life while in the human world because he could tell no one what he did.
Everyone is silent waiting for the next part of the tale. They want to hear about the battle.
He draws in a breath. “Today I saw what I had become. I am the monster I had to fight. Talia saw me reveling in the hunt and kill. I broke the rules, because it served me best. I used her as bait, because it helped me win. I saw myself in her eyes and didn’t want to be that person, but the only way to stop was to bring her here. Which only proves I am still a monster.
“The real reason we become hunters isn’t to fight for glory and kill monsters. It’s to find that woman that makes us want to live and create a home.”
I stare at him as I realize he’s talking about me. He thinks I’m that special woman. I’m no one and I don’t belong her.
“I’m hoping that she’ll give me a chance, even though we started off badly—ceffylants don’t do good introductions.” A few laugh. Some of the men, probably ex-hunters, draw in a breath as if they know exactly what a ceffylant is.
He rubs the head of the dog. “I may not know much about her yet, but I know that she loves dogs.” He clicks his fingers, and the dog runs toward me.
The dog stands in front of me, tail wagging.
Before I can stop myself, I’m scratching it behind the ears and saying what a good boy he is. I look up at Ronan. He’s waiting for me to respond. He’s giving me the choice.
All he wants is a chance to get to know me. I can give him that.
I walk toward him, the dog at my heels and take his hand.
A few people clap, as though they can’t figure out if that was a good tale or not.
Someone calls out, “well said.”
“I’m sorry your life ended today,” he murmurs close to my ear.
Maybe it is the sweet air, or the heat of his skin on mine, but I don’t want to pick a fight with him. I can either think of today as an end and resent what can’t be changed, or a new beginning. I feel that both of us are starting over today. I glance at him and smile. “You can help me build a new one.”
