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“I’m Quinn Malum.” He holds out a hand as if he expects me to kiss it. His fingers are impossibly long and white. “And you are?”
I don’t respond to his hand dangling in the center of the table. “Maribel Windsong,” I choke out, unsure if I’m addressing royalty. I glance up at the bar. Levi freezes, beer in hand and eyes wide. My pulse quickens, knowing he’s afraid to return to our table.
“What a lovely name for such a ravishing woman.” Quinn doesn’t need to smile to capture my attention. His eyes hold me in the palm of his hand, and I don’t know how to break free. “Are you here with your husband?”
“Uh… no,” I stammer, feeling like the least eloquent person in the world. “He’s only a friend.”
Quinn quirks an eyebrow, suspecting my charade. “Ah, a friend with benefits. Or are you always so familiar with your friends?” He leans in closer, moving to the seat beside me almost magically. “If this is true, how do we become friends, Maribel Windsong?”
What is it about this guy that has me so enamored? It feels unnatural, like really wanting to eat a ton of desserts from the Sweet Street Bakery but knowing I’ll have a massive stomachache afterward. Quinn Malum is a ten-layer cake with buttercream icing.
“Are you from around here, Mr. Malum?” The formal question is a way to avoid his obvious forward intentions. “You seem different than most people in this town.”
He scoots closer to me in his chair and gathers my hands into his. An icy chill runs down my back at his touch, but I can’t look away. “I’ve traveled here from the north. I have business in Mafekadi with a distant relative. No one told me the human women are so captivating in the south. There’s something about you, Maribel.” With him this close, I’m enveloped by a woodsy scent, like moss and rotting leaves on the walk from the cabin to the Grove.
“Are you fae?” I ask. It makes sense. His unnatural good looks, the way he has me almost under a spell, and having relatives in Mafekadi.
“I’m a courtier in Frostacre. Have you heard of it?” He arches a perfectly manicured eyebrow.
“Only recently. I’m new to the wilderness, so I’m only learning.” I bite down on my lip.
That was an incredibly dumb thing to say.
His long fingers intertwine with mine as a beguiling smile crosses his lips. “You are from Avren.” It’s a statement. Obvious with my lack of understanding of the dangers of the wilderness. “Then you need someone to teach you all the benefits of this world.” When he pitches forward, his long hair sweeps over my arm and his lips almost touch my ear as he whispers, “Let me be that man.”
My skin is on fire. I don’t know if it’s the brush of Quinn’s hair on my arm or registering what he means by “showing me the ways of this world,” but it has me burning up.
“You’re in my seat.” Levi stands next to us, his face sheet white. “I need to ask you to leave.”
Quinn looks up at Levi, pursing his lips and trying not to laugh. “You have fae blood, boy, but only a half-, maybe a quarter-blood.” He tilts his head to the side, appraising him. “Your friend here is bewitching. I’m not sure what it is yet. Make sure you keep a close eye on her for me. Don’t want a vamp too curious about what’s brewing in her blood.” He stands, picks up my hand, and kisses it. “No worries, Maribel Windsong. I will circle back to find you soon.”
And then he’s gone, and I’m suddenly an empty shell, unsure of how my life will go on without his presence.
“I’m so stupid.” Levi takes the seat beside me and places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you ok?”
My skin feels clammy, as if I’m getting sick, but I have too many questions I need answered. One in particular. “Tell me more about who you and Grayson think I am.”
He squeezes my shoulder, hanging his head. When he looks up, there are tears in his eyes. “Come up to the room, and I’ll tell you everything.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The dim light from the hallway spills into our tiny room as we enter. Levi strikes a match to light the oil lamp on the table before I close the door. He doesn’t say a word as he skirts the bed, sits, and fluffs a pillow on the far side. Lying down, he faces the wall. I’m not sure if he’s more afraid of what I asked him or of sleeping beside me.
“You really don’t have to act weird.” I unlace and kick off my boots beside the door. “It’s not like we haven’t slept in the same room before.”
Turning toward me, he props his head up on his elbow. “Can you say that again?”
I’m not sure how we’ll have the conversation we need to have in a darkened room.
I settle under the covers, trying not to shiver in the cold air. I turn to face him so he can read my lips. “What’s so special about me?”
He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “The prophecy is only part of it. There’s a connection we feel when we’re around you. It’s almost spiritual if that makes sense.”
Spiritual? In Avren, people look down on religion. We exist because of science. The progress of humankind is all due to what we’ve accomplished establishing a perfect society. When left to chaos or even religion, we spiral downward into the creatures of the wilderness. “How do you mean?”
He shifts significantly closer to me. “Don’t you ever get a gut feeling?”
“I suppose.” Since being in the wilderness, I’ve had them more.
