I had so many questions...
Why this place? Why now? How could falling into a portal even be real?Then again, falling into a rose hedge hadn’t seemed particularly possible either.
“Maybe… you’re here to discover something about yourself you didn’t even know you were looking for.”
The room seemed to fade away, dimming around us until all I could focus on was him. He stepped closer, and his scent of peppermint, rum, and something deeper wrapped around me like smoke.
“Or perhaps,” he continued, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his full lips, “… you’re here because a part of you wanted to be.” The man stepped even closer to me, his hands grazing over the lace of his blouse.
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned in, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath grazing my ear. “Only a few find their way,” he whispered, “Some don’t recognize it when they do…and some never want to.” His words echoed something the forest deities had said to me. That same strange phrase, hanging in the air like a thread tugging on my fate. Did they really believe this was where I belonged? That this man, this place, was what I was meant to find?
I hadn’t even realized how close he was now. His intoxicating presence wrapping around me, his gaze burning into my soul. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering a second too long against my face. “You might not yet understand why you’re here, but trust me, it’s for a reason,” he said softly. His thumb brushed my lower lip, his soft fingertips causing a shiver to run down my spine. “There are always reasons...”
“Then tell me why your raven brought me through the rose hedge? Why am Ihere?” The questions fell from my lips before I could hold them back.
His green eyes were considering me with an intensity that crawled into my skin. Why was he studying me with such curiosity? Instead of giving me a reply, he gestured toward the tub.
“You wanted to take off your dress to bathe, right?”
Was he serious? Did he really expect me to bathe in front of him?
“I won’t peek. I promise. Unless…” His eyes glittered with mischief as his fingers lingered near mine. “Unless youwantme to. Then I would gladly indulge.”
My fingers were hovering above his, accidentally brushing against his fingers. There was such a weird force inside me, begging me to take his hand, to feel his skin against mine.
Were my lungs forgetting how to breathe? Is that why my chest was rising and falling so rapidly?
“Do you have to stand there?” I asked, my voice softer than intended.
A small chuckle escaped his lips, amused as he asked, “Would you rather I leave?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. I could feel the weight of his gaze—not demanding, but patiently waiting for my next move.
“I… I really can’t bathe with you standing there,” I admitted, my fingers clutching my dress tighter. I knew it couldn’t just fall off, but his gaze felt so penetrating, as if he had the power to make it fall.
His lips curved into a slow, teasing smile. “So, you won’t let me admire the breathtaking view in front of me? That’s a shame.”
Just then, a flutter of wings cut through the tension. A raven swooped in, gliding effortlessly through the doorway before settling on his shoulder. They were both staring at me now.
“Not even Maverick wants you to bathe alone,” he murmured.
“Maverick?” The echoes of my voice rebounding through the huge bathroom.
“Yes. I believe you called him mydemonbird last time,” he replied. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he stroked the raven’s head.
I gulped, remembering our little conversation back when we were in the tunnels.
“And what’s your name?” I asked, unable to look away from him.
Why had fate wasted such perfection on him?
He ran a hand through his dark hair, the motion careless and confident. “Xavier.”
The name hit me like a whisper in a dream.
Xavier.
