Page 78 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“I liked it better when you were smiling,” he gently observes. “Why did you stop?”

I shrug, but I know the reason.

“Adeline,” he whispers, getting closer to me. “Tell me. Let me help you.”

“When the baby comes, I won’t be able to see you as much,” I reply, not looking him in the eyes.

I don’t know why it’s hitting me so hard. Maybe because I really want to be around him. I’ve grown to love being around him. Crave it even. We have a connection.

Maybe we really are mates.

“We will see each other, I promise. It may not be as much, but you will make time. I will keep a lookout for you. In the meantime, we’ll practice to try and talk to each other through the bond. See if I have enough magic for that,” he explains. “I don’t know if it’s possible for more than a word or two, but it’s worth a try.”

It warms my heart, knowing he is trying to come up with some way for us to still talk. He wants to be with me. Kieran hasn’t wavered in telling me we are mates. Either he is trying really hard to lie and convince me or he really is telling the truth but I’m leaning more towards he’s actually tell the truth.

“I suspect we will since you told me you were struggling in the snow all those weeks ago, but it was very faint. So we may be able to do it but it will be quiet and spotty.” He cups my face with his hands. “And even if it will only work when you are in danger, we will figure it out. We always will.”

Sighing, I nod and lean into his touch. Everything feels so right with him.

“Are there other humans who have Fae mates?” I quietly ask.

I know no one is around us to see or hear what we are talking about, but I’m still hesitant to ask.

“There are others,” he gently replies. “Would you like to meet them?”

I shrug and take a step back. I look down at my feet, clasping my hands in front of me as I shift in place. Do I really want to meet them? Yes, I do, but at the same time I don’t. I want to see who they are and if they can talk to me about everything, to see if they believe they are mates with a Fae man.

“If you want to meet with them, I can talk to their mates and set up a time. Or I can tell them who you are and for them to contact you,” Kieran suggests, placing his fingers under my chin and lifting my head. We make eye contact, and I see him smile at me. “Or if you want to think about it a little more, you can. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“I-” I take a deep breath.

What do I want? “All of them accept that they are mates with the Fae and believe?” I ask quietly.

Am I the only one who doesn’t believe?

“They do now. In the beginning, they didn’t, so don’t feel bad,” he replies. “They would be happy to talk to you if you want to. They would be happy to answer all your questions. I like to think that you would ask me the questions, but I understand if you aren’t comfortable or don’t believe me yet. Times are weird right now, and I don’t blame you for being hesitant.”

He doesn’t blame me. He understands why I’m being hesitant, and he’s still being patient with me and trying. What did I do to deserve someone like him? Nothing and yet he is here in front of me, wanting to take care of me and make sure everything is okay.

“Now, let’s relax a little and enjoy the time we have,” Kieran suggests. “Unless you have to head back now.”

Do I have to leave now? Whenever I’m with Kieran I lose track of time.

“You’ve only been here for ten minutes,” he tells me. “Come snuggle and listen to the birds with me?” he asks. “You can ask me any questions you want, and I’ll answer them. Unless they are things that will confuse you. Or anything that will get you in trouble.”

I chuckle and sit on the ground. “So I can’t ask you anything.”

He sighs and sits down right next to me. “No, sadly, you can’t. Not yet. I wish, but in time you will be able to tell you so much more.”

Lying down on the ground, I look up at the trees and see some of the branches with birds on them. But with each passing second, the snow seeps into my clothes.

“I can’t lay here. What was I thinking? I clearly don’t think when I’m around you. It’s like everything around me disappears and I just want to be with you.” I stand up quickly. “My clothes are wet. I’m going to get sick if I don’t get out of these soon.”

I try to brush all the snow off my clothes, but it’s hard when it’s on my back.

“My brain just turns off when I’m around you. It’s like it knows it’s safe with you, that you will take care of everything, and I don’t know why. I’ve never felt this way before and yet the first time I met you, it happened,” I ramble.

Kieran stands and helps get the snow off my back before pulling me into his embrace. “Deep breaths,” he gently says. “Take a deep breath for me and calm down.”