Page 47 of Between Realms

I wonder, how did that happen so fast, so instantaneously? She feels like my mate match, but fated mates are only supposed to exist between elves.

I lightly trail my hands over the ghoul’s marks. “I’msosorry.”

Her flesh goose-bumps under my caress.

“It’s fine. I lived.” Wyn shrugs and keeps her gaze locked in the far corner to distance her mind from what’s happening.

My energy pours into her skin, and she leans into it despite her cool demeanor. Will I ever win back her trust? “I never meant foranyof this to happen.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this either.” Wyn flattens her lips in anger. “If the prince released me this second, I would be on the road to Betonie in the next.”

“I know.” I trace the scars, and they slowly disappear.

I vow to never let her get hurt again.

Protecting her from the royal court has meant keeping her out of their field of vision, but Eldrin keeps shoving her presence in their faces with this blatant interest. Eldrin’s servants and guards are loyal to the prince, but they aren’t thrilled about the human either. Most think of Wyn as a pest, at the very least. Eldrin’s servants say he flaunts his interest too much. The whispers of how fond Eldrin is of a mortal female are not being taken lightly.

I have tried to counter the rumors by laughing them off as the prince’s young and inquisitive nature. I assure the other elves his interest will soon fade once the prince grows bored. Of course, in any other circumstance, that would have been true already.

Why do I sense there is more to the prince’s interest in Wynstelle? What if Eldrin is actually falling in love? Likely, I’m not the only one who wonders the same thing.

Wyn sighs and looks at me. “I don’t belong here. Stupidly, I thought we had become friends on the road. A highborn elf befriending a human servant? I was naïve to think such a foolish thing. You were just there to do a job for the prince.” Wyn turns her gaze away from me as I continue to brush my fingers over her scars on her stomach.

I want to be more than mere friends. I want to press my lips to the soft swell of her belly and explore her lower with my mouth.

I’m already on my knees before her, but she will laugh at me if I confess that. Should I plead for her forgiveness? Beg for her heart?

Wyn suddenly whips her gaze to mine when I don’t immediately address her fear of our false friendship. “And now you seem irritated by my very presence.”

I jump up, standing so close she gasps. My hands come up to cradle her face in my large palms. My gaze sliding over her lush mouth, I wonder what her lips taste like. Might she slap me if I try to find out?

Why does it feel as if her half naked body has gravitated to press against me? Is it my imagination that her body craves my touch?

“I am not irritated withyou.” I enunciate every word. “And Iamyour friend. Maybe your only one. I may have been forced to deceive you when I met you, but please believe me when I tell you it killed me to do it.”

Wyn’s eyes water with my declarations. “Why would an elf claim a mortal as a genuine friend?”

“Believe me…” I steady my nerves with a deep breath. “Your friendship means more to me than you know.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Because I want what is best for you. I will do whatever it takes to earn your favor back. However I have to prove that over time. But please, give me a chance.”

Wyn cocks her head at me, clearly confused at my emphatic plea. “I don’t see why my forgiveness would mean that much to you, but I understand why you did what you did. Eldrin asked you to find out about me. But now, I’m upset because of how distant you have been since I’ve been here.”

“Oh,” I say, realizing I have misread her irritation with me. “I’m sorry that I made you feel worse. Eldrin has been jealous, and well, I thought you wouldn’t forgive me… not truly.”

“I thought you were my first friend.” Wyn shakes her head like she feels silly for confessing that. “Can you tell me something?” Wyn asks. “Can I trust Jaden?”

“Jaden is honorable and honest.” I nod. “If he has stated something to you, it is the truth.”

“And Eldrin?” she asks.

“He won’tmeanto hurt you.”

Wyn shivers but nods with understanding.

18

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