Page 94 of A Legacy of the Light

Reyne chokes on her tea in an attempt to stop her laughter.

“I swear, your mind is as filthy as mine,” I tease her.

“What did you do while you were out in the forest? Where did he take you?” She turns on her stool and crosses one leg over another, facing me.

I’m not sure how much to tell her. On the one hand, it would be nice to talk to someone about what happened between us, but Tavish is a prince, and I don’t want to betray his confidence about the meadow. It’s special to him, and it’s special to me.

“We raced, we stopped by this stream for a while. We had a run-in with a Brollachan, which was fucking terrifying.”

“Shit. How did you get away?” she asks, a look of horror on her face.

“Tavish threw some sort of magic dagger at it. He said it wouldn’t kill it but it ran off after that.”

Reyne shivers. “I’m glad you’re okay. Those things are vicious.”

“I only saw its hand and arm, but that was more than enough for me. Aside from that, I really enjoyed myself.”

“And nothing happened between the two of you?” she asks, lifting a brow and smiling.

I pause. “No. Why do you ask that?”

“I’ve seen the way you look at him, lass. And the way he looks at you. You’re into each other.”

I hold her gaze. The blue of her eyes gleams under the lights hanging above the breakfast bar.

Do I tell her? Or do I keep it between me and Tavish?

“Your silence is telling, Elsie,” she smiles smugly at me.

I sigh. “Fine. If I tell you, you’re telling me what’s going on between you and that guard you have a crush on. And you have to keep it to yourself.”

“Deal!” Her reply is quick and excited.

I chuckle and tell her what happened. I don’t tell her about the meadow, only that we swam in a stream and that Tavish looked at me as if he wanted to devour me.

When I’m finished, Reyne’s face splits into a huge grin and she bounces in her seat. “I knew it!”

“Could you be any more excited, Reyne?”

“Look, we’re friends and I like you. Tavish is a good man. Seelie are pretty open about sex. Why not have some fun while you’re here?” she replies with a shrug before leaning forward on the counter with her elbows.

“It’s not the same for humans. And I haven’t had sex for like a year. I’m out of practice and he’s an actual prince. You don’t rebound with a prince.” And his father would have something to say about it if he found out.

But what if he didn’t find out?

Reyne’s laugh pulls my attention back to her. “Here’s my advice. Tavish is attractive, and he’s into you. Don’t overthink it. If you want to have some fun with him, do it. He’s well aware of your circumstances so don’t let that get in your way. And frankly, after a year, you need some action.”

I nudge her shoulder with mine. “You sound just like my friend Rach back home. She would be telling me to climb that man like a tree.”

“She’s not wrong, lass,” Reyne chuckles. “Shall we start getting ready?” she asks, sliding off her stool.

I follow her into my bedroom. “Oh no, you don’t get out of sharing. What’s the deal with the cute guard? Spill it.”

Reyne flops down onto my bed with a dramatic sigh. “Dad trained him. That’s how we met. I had a thing for him right away and he was my first lover when I was twenty.”

“What happened?”

“We had a great night together, and then he was posted down in Alba for a while. I didn’t see him for two decades and, when he came back, he seemed different. He still flirted with me, but something felt off, and he kept me at arm’s length unlike before. So it never went anywhere beyond that one night.”