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“Whoa,” I say, my voice coming out warbly. “I sound funny.”
“You didn’t,” he says flatly.
“Hullo, princey poo!”
“You did.” He runs a palm down his face and heaves a sigh. “Gods save me.”
I twirl around, wishing I was in a dress instead of pants, just so I could make the fabric spin around my ankles.
“You are too pretty to be so mean, you know,” I say.
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he grabs my hand, interlacing our fingers. My skin burns where his soft skin touches my own. But it’s not a sweet or romantic gesture—no, he practically drags me along. We pass a few willowy trees, plopping me down in a patch of grass out of sight from the castle.
“Stay here,” he orders.
“You are a bossy faerie.”
He blinks slowly, clearly unamused. The blades of grass beneath me tickle my skin, and I want nothing more than to lie down and roll around.
So I do.
“Stop that.”
“Make me.” I giggle and Rainer sighs heavily. Somewhere deep down, beneath the lightness and fuzzy feelings, I recognize something isn’t right, but I’m too happy—too free, for once—to care.
“Is this what freedom is?”
“What, exactly?”
“Happy. Light. Safe.” I pet the grass beneath me, loving the softness. “Am I safe here, Rai Rai?”
Rainer’s body goes rigid. After a beat, he loosens up and grabs a seat on the grass next to me.
He glances up at the sky and mutters, “feckin’ hell.” Then he turns to me. “Do you feel safe here?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “I want to be safe here.”
He cocks his head, taking me in with interest.
“And I also want—” I stop to think. I’ve never taken the time to truly consider what I want. What I want has never mattered. “I want a family. I want friends. I want Char.” This time when I say her name, my heart flutters with love and peace. There’s no grief—no sadness attached. “I want muscles like Viveka. I want beauty like Fern. I—”
“You don’t need her beauty,” Rainer says, his brows furrowed. “You have plenty of your own.”
My stomach clenches at his words, and the way he says them with such vigor.
“You think I’m beautiful?”
“I don’t think it. I know it. You are beautiful, Alessia.” The way he says my name melts my insides. He glances away, muttering under his breath, “too beautiful.”
If I was standing, surely my legs would’ve given out at those words.
Seeing this muscular fae prince, dressed in dark colors, with his gold jewelry and tattoos, sitting so casually in the middle of a flowery lawn would be humorous if he hadn’t just called me beautiful. I’m melting in a puddle of lust and yearning. For him.
“I’m onto you mister,” I tell him. “You secretly look out for others, but you hide it behind sharp words and cruel scowls. Why?”
His eyes widen in surprise. He turns away, trying to hide his reaction, but I saw it. It makes me wonder how often others point out the good in Rainer. If he even sees it himself.
“I see you,” I whisper. “I want you.”
