Page 46 of First Light

She stepped back, unsure of everything. The practicalities of the day had been taken care of. She was dressed in warm clothes, her hair was fixed and braided into a bun at the nape of her neck, and she had shoes that fit her.

She should have felt prepared to see him, but she wasn’t.

He was still the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, and Carys had the urge to run to his arms, close her eyes, and beg him to tell her this had all been a horrible dream.

But Lachlan wasn’t in Baywood anymore. He was standing in a castle, carrying a tray of something with steam coming from the top.

“Can I come in? I brought you tea and fruit,” Lachlan said. “Well, apples and herbal tea. We don’t have mangoes here. Or tea. Or coffee.” He held up the tray and tried for a smile. “Not really grown in this climate. But there are apples.”

It was the same thing he’d gotten in the habit of bringing her in the mornings at home. He’d wake early to watch the sunrise, then bring her coffee or tea in bed along with whatever fruit they’d bought at the market. Seeing him at her door like this felt familiar and sweet and… complicated.

She opened the door and allowed him in the room. “Thank you, Lachlan.”

He walked over and set the tray on the table near the window,closing the shutters. “There’s a draft. I’ll have someone come up and seal it so you don’t get cold.”

She didn’t know what to say. He was here, in her room, taking care of her just like he’d done back in California. One of the things she’d fallen in love with was his consideration. Lachlan was the most thoughtful man she’d ever met save for her own father.

He turned to her and stood waiting. “Will you sit with me?”

Dressed in Shadowlands clothes with his long hair flowing, he felt like a familiar stranger, and Carys battled between the urge to run to him and hang on for dear life and the urge to slap his face and scream at him.

She couldn’t stop her heart from racing at the sound of his voice. She couldn’t stop the bright leap of happiness at the sight of him. But all that was wrapped around hurt and confusion from the revelations the day before.

“Tea.” She sat in the chair. “Sure.”

Lachlan sat across from her. “How did you sleep? The bed was aired out, but it wasn’t new. Do you need a new bed? It’s not as comfortable as your bed at home, and I can get something new for?—”

“I don’t need a new bed.” She closed her eyes. Staying mad at him was proving to be difficult. “I slept well. I’m sore from all the riding, but they brought up so much hot water last night. All those stairs,” she murmured.

“That’s their job, and my father pays them very well, but I know having servants?—”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine. “Uh… my feet are feeling better.” She stretched out her legs. “Better boots than Duncan’s old ones.”

“Yes, your clothes fit well.”

Of course they do—they belonged to my dead twin sister who was your wife.

Anger.

Then sadness.

Her heart ached, but she picked up the steaming cup of tea and sniffed it. It smelled like honey and spice, not tea at all, but it waswarm and delicious when she sipped it. The herbal concoction warmed her belly and settled her stomach. “Lachlan, I know I was angry yesterday, but surely you understand why?—”

“I love you, Carys, but I think you should go back home.”

She blinked. “What?”

He seemed to force the words out. “Nothing has changed about my feelings,” he said. “I love you. I could see myself happily spending the rest of my life with you, but circumstances here are complicated and I don’t think it’s safe for you. I can’t be selfish and keep you here when?—”

“You’re kicking me out?” She set the tea down. “Are you… Are you joking right now?”

He shook his head. “It’s not safe for you here. Duncan is right. It would be better for you to go with him and?—”

“So is this Duncan’s idea or yours?” Anger flared. “Your brother is the one who wouldn’t tell me a damn thing about what happened to you and instead dragged me into a… an alternate dimension. It was all cryptic messages and mysterious motives and then I ended up walking through a fuckingfairy murder forestto find you. And now I’m inconvenient, so you want me to go home?” Her voice rose on the last question. “Are you kidding right now?”

Lachlan put his “I’m-being-reasonable” face on, and Carys’s anger flared again.

“It’s the safest option for you,” he said evenly. “I’mtryingnot to be selfish.”