I shoot him a look of concern. “What do you mean? It wasn’t your choice?”
“This is part of what I don’t want to talk about my past. It’s too hard. But His Majesty told me that if I wanted to stay with my family, I had to be a courtesan, just like my mother.”
I suck in a breath.
“I was seven when His Majesty told me I had to choose between staying with my mother or being sent away. Staying meant following in her footsteps. Who does that? Who tells a child that? I stayed. I learned. I did well, but it’s obvious why I was given the choice. I was excited for my wings to glow, but do you know when they glowed?Twelve.
“I was fuckingtwelve. As soon as your wings glow in courtesan training, you’re sent to the proper house to learn pleasure. Mother, in her infinite wisdom, bound my glow so that no one knew, except for the two of us. Not even Lark knew. It took every ounce of me not to hate her after she bound my glow, but I thank her every day that she did.”
Wren shakes, and I pull him into my arms. I can’t imagine what he went through.
“That’s such a fanciful story,” my sister says.
I want to bite her. Wren’s been through so much and through it all he’s still so sweet. “Don’t say that.”
I turn to my family. “Do you have anything else you want to discuss? Or is this the end of our visit?”
Mother sighs and throws her hands up again. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“And you see that I am.”
She eyes Wren. “I suppose.”
“If you’ve said your piece, Mother, I think our visit is over.”
My sister fidgets and looks away. “We came because we also wanted some pastries for the party we’re having tomorrow night.”
“Pastries for a party,” Lark says. “After you came in and insulted Talon over his choice of lover?”
I can’t look at Wren because who uses those kind of words in front of someone’s family? Lover? No, just no, but I’ll let Wren talk however he wants to. I’d never stifle him, ever. Wren deserves to be the most happy Wren he can be.
“You want me to bake for your party, that one I’m not invited to, and two, you were just was an asshole to me about who I want to be with.”
“Nailed it,” my sister says. At least she has the decency to look embarrassed about the request.
“Well, no,” Wren says.
I hold up a hand. “I don’t want to, but since Idoenjoy baking, and Wrenhasasked me to teach him how to bake. We can make something together.”
Leslie snorts and shakes her head. “What do you mean, make something together?”
“This is our date. That way, if they taste horrible, you just have to deal with it.”
Wren bounces on his toes. His wings flutter. “Oh, I could over salt everything, can’t I?”
I winked back at him. “Yes, but then that hurts my reputation as well, so I’d rather you not.”
Wren laughs, and he wraps me in a hug. “I’d never purposely do anything to mess with your reputation.”
“I didn’t think so.” I squeeze his hand and look to my mother. “When do you need the pastries by?”
“Whenever you can get them to me?”
I shake my head and sigh. “That’s not an answer. I need a solid deadline, so I know what to prepare.”
“Oh,” Mother chuckles. “I think we’ll tell you what you’re gonna prepare.”
Wren stiffens. “Why are you being such an asshole after he’s already said yes? You’ll accept what he makes without being a dick about it.”
