Page 58 of How To Please A Princely Fae

Before long, though, Druze has all our packages neatly tucked in the cart, along with several tins of Lila’s amazing tea. She tucks two thick wool blankets around our shoulders and legs before hopping off the cart.

“Be safe, stay warm!” she shouts over the storm, and Druze urges the horse forward at a quick trot.

It’s too loud and uncomfortable to make conversation, so I huddle into Kieran’s heat, his strong hand rubbing over the arm of my coat as the cart jostles along the cobblestones. The rest of the people we saw earlier are gone now, and the streets of Wild Oak Woods are all but empty as an even darker blanket of clouds bears down on the town.

Lightning forks across the sky, illuminating the multicolored roofs. Most awnings and signage has been taken down by savvy shopkeeps, but the few left outside flap and creak in the onslaught.

“It doesn’t feel natural,” I mutter, eyeing the bank of clouds. The skin on the back of my neck prickles, and Druze shoots me a look of agreement before returning his attention to the draft horse.

Maybe I should look into getting a cart and horse. I wonder if Rosalina could help me source one. It would certainly make getting around town easier. Maybe with Kieran’s help, we could set up a small stand on the other side of town, or do deliveries when our customers are ill.

I cut the line of thought off, shaking my head.

I won’t include Kieran in any plans for the future.

My stomach turns leaden.

Not until he regains his memories and decides what it is he truly wants, mated or not.

I swallow around the thickness in my throat, the cold air like knives as I breathe.

The wind catches my scarf, blowing it from around my neck, and I yelp in surprise. Kieran, however, simply reaches over and rewinds it around my neck, his fingers making quick work of a sturdier knot and tucking it neatly within the collar of my coat.

I smile up at him, grateful, and while he returns it, he looks away quicker than I would like.

My heart drops.

Druze tugs gently on the lines and the huge horse comes to a slow stop at my front door. I take a beat, trying to collect my thoughts as Kieran easily swings down and collects the myriad of packages. I glance up at the clouds overhead, the sleet that’s been icing the streets and roofs turning slowly to soft, down-feather snow.

Thunder rolls overhead, and Druze shoots me a concerned look. “You all right? It’s early for a winter storm like this.”

“I’m fine. Just… tired.” It’s a lackluster explanation, but it’s not untrue. Not really. “Worried about this storm, too.” I fold up the wool blanket over my legs next to him, and he nods, eyes still narrowed as he inspects me.

“If you need help, send that owl of yours, you hear? The cold doesn’t bother me as much as some species. I need more sleep in the winter, but I can make it out here to help if need be.”

Chirp hoots softly from my shoulder before gliding through the front door behind Kieran.

“Thank you, Druze,” I tell him with a smile. “We’ll be okay.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Druze replies, his expression utterly serious.

I inhale sharply, forcing the smile onto my face. “I’m fine. Kieran and I… it’s new, but it’s good.”

I think. I’m pretty sure.

Still, misgivings and doubt crowd my thoughts as the sound of hooves and cart fade away.

“It’s early still,” Kieran calls from the kitchen. “I can start a stew for dinner, I think I saw a recipe for one earlier. How about a simple lunch? Cheese, some fruit? Bread?”

“You don’t have to put everything away, I can do that.” My cold fingers struggle with the fastenings on my coat for a long moment, and I’m on the cusp of cursing them open when warm hands find the clasps and do it for me.

“I know you can do it, but that’s not the point, Willow.” Kieran’s voice is pitched low, gentle as a caress. “The point is I want to do it for you. I want to help you; I want to be a part of your life.”

“You’re here, doesn’t that mean you’re a part of my life?” I ask, hating how petulant the question seems, wishing I hadn’t asked it… and now hanging on tenterhooks waiting for his reply.

He laughs, helping me shrug out of the coat before fixing me with a serious expression. “I want to do things for you—make your life easier. Make it a life that I’m a part of—be the mate you deserve.”

I drop my gaze and take the coat from his hands, hanging it in the small closet by the door.

---