“Are you planning to take care of her when this is all over?” I asked, surprised that it might be something he was considering. No other man I knew would. Most would drop her at the nearest orphanage and move on.
“Of course. She has no one.”
That stunned me into silence, and my heart swelled. Was Zane for real? He’d stumbled upon a young orphan and decided to take her in and care for her? He was literally perfect.
I glanced over at him to find him watching me. Warmth spread through my chest, making it hard to look away.
Maybe blocking whatever might happen between us was a bad idea. Maybe I shouldn’t deny myself the chance to live fully in the few days I had left, to embrace whatever these moments with Zane might bring.
But would that be selfish of me in the long run?
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked away, heat rising to my cheeks as I tried not to smile. “Thank you.”
I wanted to say “you too,” but it felt awkward.
This whole situation was strange. He was my mate, but I barely knew him.
“It’s kind of strange, isn’t it? The mate thing,” he said, breaking the silence. His tone was light, but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice.
I exhaled, relieved. “So strange. We don’t have mates in this realm. At least not in reality. Just in children’s storybooks.”
He nodded. “Well, there’s no need to rush anything. I’ve waited my whole life to find my mate, so I’m in no hurry to force a connection. I just want you to know that.”
Every word he said was exactly what I needed to hear. He was so respectful, so understanding. Part of me almost wished I could find a flaw in him, but I hadn’t—not yet.
“Thank you for saying that,” I replied, smiling. But the smile felt a little hollow.
He didn’t know the truth. We didn’t have all the time in the world like he thought. We only had until we reached the Tree of Transformation, until I drank the vial.
After that, whatever bond we might build would be over. Forever.
I fell silent again, unable to shake the sadness weighing on my heart. The rhythm of the horse beneath me offered some comfort, lulling me into a calmer state.
We ate lunch on the road, keeping our pace steady to reach Meadow Village by nightfall. From there, it would be justa half-day’s ride to the border of the wild terrain where the Tree of Transformation stood.
As we rode, I found myself stealing glances at Zane. His presence was magnetic, and when he started humming a tune to himself, the sound relaxed me.
Everything about him drew me in, making it harder to stay resolute. My heart screamed at me to be reasonable, to remember how this would end. The letter was clear: there was no future for us.
But having Zane here beside me, so alive and real, made my task infinitely harder.
I needed to be strong. To keep my resolve. Yet, riding next to him, my literal dream come true, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to have more time. To have a life with him.
Chapter Eighteen
Zane
Lorelei was quieter than I expected her to be. It didn’t bother me, but something seemed to be upsetting her, although she clearly didn’t want to talk about it. I couldn’t stop sneaking side glances at her, enchanted by her beauty, but I worried I might be overwhelming her. Knowing someone was your mate and then trying to live out that reality naturally felt like two conflicting forces.
Nothing about this situation was natural.
Part of me wanted to pull her down from her horse and kiss her until she was breathless, but the other part knew I had to wait for her to feel comfortable. That meant letting her make the first move. When I’d told her I didn’t want to force anything between us, she’d seemed relieved—but then she’d gone quiet again.
I was starting to learn some of Lorelei’s personality quirks. When she was nervous, she chewed on her lower lip. She didn’t talk just for the sake of it; whenever she spoke, it was with intention. She seemed to enjoy companionable silence but also appreciated it when I initiated conversations.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts about her and what she might think of me that I barely noticed when we reached Meadow Village. Lorelei pulled up the hood of her soft blue traveling cloak as we passed fae going about their day. I took it as a sign she didn’t want to be recognized.
