Page 37 of Obsidian Prince

Alexander Bennett was not a good man. He was a beautiful man, a compelling and powerful man. In his own way, he was even an honorable man. But in the end, Alexander Bennett would do what was in the best interest of Alexander Bennett.

Liliana knew she should not be angry with the prince for being himself, but she also knew who she would choose to fight beside if the two men became enemies. "My first loyalty is to the Others of Fayetteville. I watch over their lives." She fiddled with the blanket, putting folds of it between her fingers and pulling them out, watching the motion. "Pete is good for Fayetteville. He brings justice to the most dangerous predators, but he does it with compassion and fairness. We need you, too, though." She glanced up at the prince's face for just a moment, then back down at the blanket. "You bring living power to a land that has been fading for a long time. You have the strength of will that the Others of this land need." That was all true, but it avoided the real question, and they both knew it.

"That's the first time you haven't answered a question I asked you."

Liliana sighed. She told him what he wanted to know, even though she knew he wouldn't like it. "I will do what I can to keep Pete safe, even from you."

The prince's face hardened. He drew back from her, hands on the bed as if to stand.

Liliana put a hand on his arm. "You like me because I tell you only the truth. If you want honesty, you have to accept that the unvarnished truth may not always be what you want to hear."

His lips twisted a little, not quite amusement. Irony, perhaps. It made a tiny dimple appear in his cheek. "Fair enough.” He settled again, face on level with hers. “I am many things, but I try not to be a hypocrite, at least."

Liliana touched his forehead, tracing the outlines of the crown of sliver horns that he wore in his Fae form. She knew the moment when he realized what she was doing, because he snatched her hand, pulling it away from his skin. His huge hand on hers was rough, abrupt, as if he stopped an attack.

"I have looked inside you, Alexander Bennett. I have seen the faces you hide."

He held onto her hand hard, keeping her from getting too close.

She’d seen him, the core and all the complex layers of him. "Knowing you, I desire all that you are. I will risk my own life to keep you safe."

His expression didn't change in any way she could identify, but something softened in his eyes. His grip gentled until he held her hand as if it were a tiny fragile bird he'd caught. His thumb stroked her skin. He swallowed. For a moment, he showed hope and fear and a potent mix of the emotions she’d only seen before boiling under the surface. "That is more than anyone else has ever given me.”

In that moment, she didn't doubt that he had a heart. She also understood that while she risked all in this gamble, she wasn't the only one with something at risk.

The Fae prince leaned down to kiss her. Liliana suppressed an inappropriate urge to giggle. It was like a fairy tale, being kissed by a handsome prince while she lay injured in bed. She opened her third eyes and felt a different inappropriate urge.

The flood of scarlet desire she’d seen in him after he watched her fight was back. His heart was filled with a promise of far more than a chaste kiss. "I'll come back when you're feeling better." There was a rough edge to his deep voice.

"Spider-kin heal quickly."

He left with a chuckle. "I hope so."

Chapter11

Appreciation, Kisses, And Pie

The next morning,Liliana slept until 9:37. Her first customer appointment, Janice Willoughby, was at 10 AM. The spider-kin groaned as she rolled out of bed, still in her torn tights and bloodstained leotard. She would have loved to take a very long, hot bath, but she only had a few minutes.

She showered off the lion-kin's blood as quickly as she could, but it still took quite a bit longer than it should have. There was no part of her body that didn't hurt. Her ankle was swollen. Her left arm was useless. She pulled on a clean purple leotard without bothering with tights or shoes, dropped a flowing homemade blouse made of scarves in multiple shades of lavender over it, she pulled on a skirt made of royal purple silk scarves with sequins sewn around their edges.

Another scarf, in red and yellow floral patterns, tied around her shoulder became a sling for her broken arm. Yet another scarf, a cerulean blue stretchy knit, made a serviceable wrap for her swollen ankle.

Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. She could already hear insistent knocking at her business door.

The spider-kin limped into the one room of her house that was set aside for her fortune-telling business so she could open the front door.

Janice held a covered serving dish in one hand. The other hand went over her mouth. "Oh, Madame Anna, what happened to you?"

"I was nearly killed by a big lion." Liliana didn't wait for Janice to come in, nor did she bow or do any arm flourishes. She just left the door open and limped over to her normal chair at the little round table with the crystal ball.

"How? I mean, didn't you see him coming? Couldn't you have avoided him?"

"Some lionesses asked me for help. They wanted to hire the Celtic wolf to fight for them, but I told them he was busy last night, so I would fight instead."

"You did that for ..." Janice's hand went over her mouth again. "You could have been ..."

"I had intended to cancel our appointment today, but I overslept. I didn't get a chance to call you."

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