“I …I do.” The color matched his brows now, and somehow made him appear more adult. Which was weird, but the darker color suited him. In all honesty, any color fit him. Tink was gorgeous. “It’s just a shock.”
“I didn’t recognize myself when I saw my reflection. It was strange.” He lifted a shoulder. “I sort of got bored with it, you know? Fabian suggested I should color it, and since I was bored, I thought YOLO, bitches. Fabian did it for me.” His voice lowered. “He didn’t wear gloves. It took days for the dye to fade from his hands.”
“Oh no.” I grinned. “But he did a good job.”
“He does a good job at everything. It’s annoying, and I mean that in the best way.” The smile on his face faded. “Lite Bright…”
“I’m okay. I really am. I know I don’t look it, but I’m fine.” I changed the subject once more. “Where’s Dixon?”
“Fabian has him. Carrying him around in the sling.”
I sort of wished I could see that.
“I know he loves you.”
“What?” I squeaked, my gaze shooting back to his.
“He spoke to Fabian before we got here. I don’t know exactly what he said, but Fabian knows his brother.” Tink lightly touched my arm. “He also told Fabian what he did.”
There could be several things that Caden might’ve told him.
“He ended his engagement.”
I closed my eyes. Why did it have to be that?
“I honestly thought that when I got here, I’d find you with him. So, color me surprised when he told us you were out in the courtyard by yourself.”
My eyes opened as my lips pursed. I couldn’t say that I was shocked that Caden knew exactly where I was.
“And here you are, acting like nothing’s going on when the motherfucking King of the Summer Court is in love with you.” He tapped my arm again. “I know you like him. You like him a lot, and you were hurt when he pushed you away.”
“Things have…they’ve changed. I’ve been through a lot,” I said, hating that I was using what’d happened to me as an excuse.
“Bri, you’ve been through a lot. But, girl, you’d already been through a lot. You’re a fighter. You’re a survivor,” he said, and my gaze lifted to his. “What you’ve gone through is terrible. But I don’t think it sucked out your ability to love and the ability to recognize the feeling. Or your common sense.”
“My common sense?”
“Yes. Your common sense seems to have taken a vacation,” he said, and my brows lifted. “You have the love and devotion of a King. Granted, he’s not human, but who in their right mind would swipe left on him?”
“That’s the problem, Tink. He’s the King.”
“So? That should fall under the pro category,” he reasoned.
I stared at him. “Do you know what will happen if he doesn’t choose a Queen from his people? I know you do. That’s why you got all quiet and weird after you saw him kiss me. That’s why you tried to get me to understand that he had reasons for pushing me away.”
“You’re right, but he still chose you. He chose you over his Court, over—”
“And you know what that means.” I couldn’t hear how he chose me. That wasn’t helping. “You know what will happen.”
“Is that why you’re saying things are different now?”
“Why else would I say it?” I admitted, shoulders slumping.
His gaze roamed over me, and his chest rose with a heavy breath. “You love him, right?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It’s the only thing that matters,” he responded. “Despite what and who he is, you still fell in love with him. Is that not true?”
