Page 37 of The Royal Engagement

I cringe at the thought of asking my future mother-in-law for dating advice.

As I am coming out of the bathroom, I spot our waitress standing at a computer in the back of the restaurant.

“Excuse me,” she says, as I’m about to walk past.

I turn to the dark fae. “Yes?”

She clears her throat. “I know it’s none of my business, but you should tell him.”

“What?” I ask.

She rocks up on the tips of her toes and talks excitedly. “I’m a dark fae, so I can sense emotions. I don’t mean to sense them, it’s just who I am. And I could tell that you are in love with that cute vampire guy. You should tell him. I promise he feels the same.”

He feels the same.

My head swims with the knowledge.

It’s kind of weird to think that this dark fae has been reading my emotions all night, but sheknows.And I don’t think she’s lying about Damek’s feelings.

I glance up at the girl who watches me with bright eyes. “Thank you.”

Her grin widens. “Of course. And I really am sorry about reading your emotions. People always hate that I can do that.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “You can’t help who you are and I’m thankful for what you’ve told me. It makes everything easier. I don’t really have anybody that I can talk to about things like this.”

Her shoulders relax. “Well, good luck.”

I wave at her and then head back to the table where Damek is waiting. He raises an eyebrow, glancing toward the back where I was talking with our waitress. There are too many people in the restaurant, so I know he wasn’t able to hear our conversation.

“What was that about?” he asks.

I grin. “Nothing. She was just being friendly.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like you’re hiding something?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I promise him. And Iwill. Once I get up the nerve to take her advice and tell him that I love him.

He nods, not pushing me to talk, though I can tell he wants to know.

As we head outside, Damek holds my hand. The close contact makes my heart race and I wonder if he will always make me feel like this. But he doesn’t comment on my increased heart rate. Instead, he leads me along a path. I’m surprised when he tugs me in the opposite direction of the car, but I allow him to lead me.

It’s a beautiful night. There aren’t many lights on the island, so the sky is dark and the stars are bright. Because I am a hybrid vampire, I can see perfectly in the dark, so once the lights disappear behind us, I have no problems keeping up with Damek. He leads me along a narrow footpath. I can’t see wherewe’re heading because of the thick foliage and trees that seem to get thicker as we head up a hill.

Damek is quiet and I wonder what’s on his mind. He’s been very quiet tonight and he’s acted strange. Part of me wants to tell him how I feel right now, but I don’t dare break the silence between us. Damek is very focused and it’s clear he’s thinking hard about something. Maybe I’ll find out once we get wherever he’s leading me.

Soon, the trees and foliage clear and Damek leads me to the side of a cliff. From here, I can see for miles and miles on the ocean. The sight is gorgeous and nearly takes my breath away, from the way the moon reflects off the water to the dark depths further out.

“Wow,” I whisper under my breath. “This is gorgeous.”

But Damek doesn’t respond, so I glance over at him. He got his hand in his pocket and he’s looking down at the ground, not paying attention to the views at all.

“Hey, are you all right?” I take a step closer to Damek.

He takes a deep breath and nods. Finally, he looks up, meeting my eyes. The determination on his face makes me turn and give him my full attention.

“You are beautiful,” Damek says softly.

My breath gets caught in my throat. “Thank you.”

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