Page 57 of Obsidian Prince

"I think that rule only applies to women," she teased back. "And I already told you how old I was, so, you owe me an answer for balance."

He chuckled, then bowed his head to her to concede the point. "I'm fifty-eight."

"You look like you are not yet forty."

Alexander shrugged and sipped more wine. "Fae blood is good for something."

"The land chose you. Sleeping Fae are awakening in a hundred-mile radius and wandering into Fayetteville looking for a leader. I would say your Fae blood is stronger than your mother credits."

"Titania doesn't doubt the strength of my blood since it's hers. She simply sees it as fleeting, and therefore unimportant." He shrugged. "With my short life expectancy, no European Fae court will ever recognize mine. They will simply assume they can outlive me and take what they want from my wrinkled corpse."

Liliana fell silent, considering that. The server brought their food.

Should she tell the prince that her venom would extend his life indefinitely? She probably should, but she didn't want to. She considered him a strong possibility for a potential life mate. She could not imagine spending her life with someone who stayed with her only because of the calculated advantages of her venom. Yet, it would fundamentally change his life. He should have the right to choose immortality in full knowledge. Perhaps, he already had chosen. "There are various magics that extend life. Do you want a Fae lifespan? Have you considered seeking one of those magics out?"

He nodded. His face blanked. His feelings on this subject must be very deep. "I have. Magic always has a price. I haven't found any form of immortality that has a price I'm willing to pay."

Liliana fell silent while she ate her meal.

He wanted immortality. Most methods that extended the lives of mortals involved dark, blood magic. He wasn't willing to sacrifice the lives of others to extend his own. She was glad to know that there was a limit to what he would do to get what he wanted. She was also very glad that he had already chosen to seek immortality.

If he became her mate, then he would be as long-lived as a spider-kin. There was no blood magic involved. Liliana was the price for the magic. But she was unwilling to be a means to an end. He would either choose her or not, for herself. She would not use immortality as a bargaining chip. But if he chose her, then she could give him something special, something he wanted very badly. She smiled to herself.

The food was delicious, although very rich. She ate less than half of it.

"Alexander?" she asked, finally, as she realized she was just pushing food from one side of her plate to the other. She knew that dates were intended to help people know each other better in order to enhance their relationship. She did know more about Alexander now than she had before. He knew more about her as well. On dates in the past, nearly everything she said had damaged her relationships, rather than enhancing them. This time, even her comment about the blood fire time and children had not seemed to dissuade Alexander from wanting her. She wondered if asking him personal questions had made him uncomfortable enough that he no longer desired her. "Do you still want to have sex with me?"

He set his fork down. His stare had that hard, dark look that was almost like anger, but not. "Absolutely."

"This has been the least disastrous date I have ever been on. I would like to go home with you now and have sex."

He raised a hand to get the attention of one of the servers. "Check, please."

The server brought a tablet computer. Alexander authorized payment with his thumbprint.

"I had intended to take you dancing," Alexander said as he escorted her to his car.

"I like dancing. Right now, I would rather go to your home and have sex. You can dance with me another time."

He chuckled as he got in the car. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your honesty right now." The trip back to Fort Liberty went much faster than Liliana thought was possible. He risked getting a speeding ticket.

"Oh," Liliana said as they sped through traffic. "I almost forgot to tell you something important. You and Detective Jackson were wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

She quoted, "The murderer is in custody. There is no further danger. The forests around Fayetteville are safe again."

"The bear-kin wasn't the killer?"

"The Kodiak-kin that John Runningwolf captured killed two of the men, but he was imitating the method of the other murders for a personal vendetta."

"A copycat." He nodded minimally. "Who is the real killer, then?"

"Many trees in the forest around Bones Creek are waking up as your influence spreads. A Green man woke before most. He did most of the killing. But the entire forest will slowly wake now. You must speak with the dryads and sylphs, the Green man and the goblins. They will all awaken at once if you ask them to. You should also have the foresters warn people not to cut green wood when they camp."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "The trees are waking up because of me. Those deaths are on my head."

"The land chose you." Liliana said. "You did not choose." She put a hand on his arm. "It is true that your aura has been magnified by your bond with the land, but the land doesn't just make you stronger, you make the land stronger. As your bond deepens with Fort Liberty and Fayetteville, the land will flourish. As the land flourishes, beast-kin will be drawn to it. Fae sleeping in plant or mineral form will awaken. This is not your fault. It simply is. The Green man chose to kill because the campers hurt the sleeping dryads. That is not your fault either."

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