“I take that to be a yes.”
Good grief. I don’t know how to act in a castle. I don’t have servants. How do I talk to them? I’m a regular person, not a princess, and here, standing in front of me, is a king. Of the fae. A billionaire king at that.
Holy crap. I might faint.
“How long will I be gone?”
“I don’t know.”
I’m to go with him.
I’m engaged but won’t marry.
Too many thoughts are swirling in my mind. I can’t think clearly. Pacing helps me sort things out, so I start crossing back and forth in the room.
“There are things that I need to do here, in town.” I shoot him a look. “My grandmother’s funeral.”
“We’ll go. I’ll attend with you.”
“And I might be needed at the Bookshop of Magic.” I shake my head in frustration. “Supposedly I’m taking it over.”
Not that I deserve it.
He visibly stiffens but nods. “I’ll accompany you there as well.”
“But not right beside me.”
He rolls his eyes. “No. I’ll be sure to keep a respectabledistance.” His gaze catches me as I turn to walk toward him. “There are also things you’ll have to do for me.”
Oh gods. I am not sleeping with him. He might be hot, but there’s no way I’m doingthatwith someone I don’t know.
My face must reveal what I’m thinking because he says, “Notthat.”
“Good.”
“Our engagement will be announced, so you’ll have duties.”
“Duties?”
“Ceremonies, events to attend,” he replies in a tone that suggests I’m the densest person in the world. “Those sorts of things.”
Fae things. Fae events. Everything fae. “Are you sure we can’t get out of this—the whole distance thing?”
“How about when I leave here, I magic myself away and let’s see what happens.”
Relief floods every cell in my body. “You would do that?”
“To keep you happy? Anything.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”
“I thought those were the terms of our relationship.”
Our gazes collide and his eyes search me. It feels like he’s peeling back the layers of my soul, scanning my thoughts. The tips of my ears burn, and my gaze skitters away.
“I can’t think of any more questions.”
“When you do, just ask. I’ll tell you anything that I know.” I nod. He hesitates slightly. “I…don’t want this to be any more horrific than it has to be.”
