He backs away and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Then don’t learn the secret, and forever wonder what knowledge I was going to impart on you.”
Now Ihaveto know what it is. “Fine. I’ll tell you a secret, but you first.” He opens his mouth and I quickly add, “And if I don’t think your secret’s worth giving up one of mine for, I have the right to forfeit.”
He exhales a mocking grunt. “You drive a hard bargain, Addison Thornrose.”
I grin. “Speak. If we have time.”
Feylin’s gaze sweeps the meadow. “We have as long as we want.”
“We do?”
“They’re waiting forus.”
Great. They’re waiting for me to prove that I’m some sort of fae goddess wannabe, which makes me want to dive into the nearest bush and never return. “Even if they’re waiting on us, we can’t stand here all day.”
“We won’t. Just long enough to make them sweat,” he adds with a mischievous wink.
“That’s not very kingly of you.”
“People want a show. I’m just giving it to them.”
I fold my arms defiantly. “Okay, what have you done with Feylin? Where’ve you hidden him? You had me for a few minutes, but I know a double when I see one.”
He chuckles, and it’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh. It’s a low, sexy grumble that makes my insides somersault. “Surprisingly we’re the same person.”
“Hm. I’m beginning to think you’re stalling and that there isn’t a secret.”
“Oh, there’s a secret.” He frowns, which creates an adorable divot under his bottom lip. “I’m part human.”
It’s the last thing I expect him to say, but it makes the most sense. How else could his ears be rounded? “Oh. Wow. That’s…unexpected.” And knowing how much fae hate witches, I can’t imagine they made it easy for him, being part human and all. “Did they accept you?”
“Partly,” he admits, pain flaring in his eyes. “Mostly it’s been an uphill battle. Being different with the folk has it’s…challenges.”
The sadness on his face makes a pit open in my stomach. I, too, understand being different. My whole life I’ve been an oddity in my family.
I peer into his dark eyes. Among the flecks of silver floating in that deep blue sea is the anguish of a life spent trying to prove that he’s good enough.
My chest tightens just thinking about the pain he’s suffered. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I killed all those who opposed me.”
He says it so seriously that it takes a minute to recognize the sparkle in his eyes. I bite back a laugh as he slowly smiles.
And again, it’s a first. If I thought he couldn’t be more handsome, I was wrong. Smiling lifts his beauty to a whole other level.
“I’m not sure killing them is something to brag about.”
“Trust me, it is.”
He shifts his weight, and his gaze trails down my body. This dress is modest, but the way Feylin drinks me in is scandalous.
“You make it very easy to lie about us,” he murmurs in what sounds like a reluctant admission.
I tip my chin toward his and study the sharp lines of his superhero face and the soft curves of his mouth. Again, the urge to trace his features overtakes me. I wonder what it would feel like to touch those lips.
I clear my throat to jog some sense back into my head. “You make it easy, too. I don’t think anyone suspects the truth.”
He takes a step forward, closing the distance between us. “You play your part well,” he adds as if upping an unspoken ante.
