“More biscuits?” He sounds almost hopeful.
“Something better.” I withdraw the flask filled from the tap and hand it to him.
He sets it right back on the counter with a murmur of thanks.
“You should drink it.” If what Maddox said is true, then he hasn’t had any water from the well for over a week.
He shifts once more, his eyes brimming with shadows. “Why have you come, Kerris?”
“I missed you.” Although I try to smile, there is no sincerity behind it. How can I feign happiness when my heart is broken for all Ever has lost?
He must understand the words I cannot bring myself to speak aloud, because his head drops and he says quietly, “Maddox told you everything, then?”
“He did.”
“So you know that I have nothing to offer you.”
Doesn’t he see? “All I want is you.”
“I am not enough.”
“You are?—”
“Stop. Please. You do not understand. I have nothing but what is in this carriage.”
“Youare in this carriage, Ever. I don’t need anything else.”
He cards a hand through his hair, sending the thick strands every which way. “And when I leave for days on end to hunt for food? Who will protect you from what lurks in these forests then?”
“I can stay inside.” Even as I say it, my legs begin to ache. Surely there must be plenty of exercises I could do to remain active in such a tight space.
“For weeks?”
The walls feel as if they’re closing in on me, pressing from all sides. It would be fine. Worth it for a chance at happiness together. “I would manage.”
His head falls even as it shakes. “I would rather you hate me now than resent me for the rest of your days.”
I could never hate him.
Would I miss the chance to have a house and garden of my own? Of course. But perhaps, in time, we could acquire the materials to build one for ourselves. If not, then we will find a different way to make a happy life inside this carriage. The other Unseelie have done so, haven’t they? We can figure it out together.
Still, it strikes me as odd that he would give up his chance to remain part of the village, to continue drawing from the well, if he planned on remaining here, alone. Did he even think of coming for me after he called off his engagement?
I swipe my clammy hands against my thighs, gripping the silk with trembling fingers. “Why didn’t you marry her?”
His deep voice is like a breath of air for my drowning heart. “You know why.”
“Maybe I need you to say it.”
He turns fully to face me, dark eyes locking with mine. “Because I love you, Kerris Dawn. And I do not know how to stop.”
The air rushes from my lungs and a smile lifts my lips even as tears prick the backs of my eyes. “Then don’t. Because I love you too. And I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.”
41
“To bear the mark of another is a sign of unwavering devotion.”
Author Unknown
