Page 30 of Joined By Magic

I settled my head on his chest and let the peace of the moment surround me. Leo spoke, his voice more subdued than normal.

“Would you go back if you could? To your old life?”

I heard the tension in the words but didn’t rush to reassure him. Instead, I gave the question serious consideration. Would I go back to life before my arrest? Living with Hex, working at the Academy, walking the city streets safely and anonymously. Making a difference, in a small, secretive way, with my site. No guards, no hatred, no public disgrace. No restrictions, no rules.

No Leo.

“No.” I let the certainty I felt bleed through into the word. “I wish it could be just us, without all the other bullshit, but I wouldn’t go back.”

He gave a long sigh and kissed the top of my head. “Good. Because I’m never letting you go.”

Chapter Fourteen

Talia

Ipulledoffmygloves and rubbed my chilly hands together, then pushed the door open to Katrin’s eatery. The usual blast of heat hit me, and I smiled, ready for a cup of hot chocolate and, hopefully, a chat. I’d made a few friends in the last month, but Katrin was my favorite. In her early thirties, she’d lost her husband in a mining accident two years earlier but had stayed in Ghasul, running her diner. She was always keen for a gossip.

The prince let me into town every few days for supplies and to maintain our cover story. He was an academic, and we’d moved here to limit distractions so he could complete his thesis on something to do with physics. A simple way to explain why he didn’t come to the shops with me, and boring enough that no one asked many questions.

I’d dyed my hair a depressing, mousey brown that annoyed me every time I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Between that, the prince’s short hairstyle, and our dull clothes, we could pass for a normal couple as long as people didn’t look too closely. And in this mining town, used to new faces and a shifting population, no one had.

I settled myself in my usual seat by the fire, and Katrin popped her head around the corner with a smile. “I’ll just be a minute. Hot chocolate?”

I grinned back. “Please.”

“How about a cake too? I’ll have one with you. Go on, I need the excuse.”

I laughed. “Sure.”

I closed my eyes and let the warmth seep into my bones as she busied herself. This climate suited me. I loved the chill, the way heat was a luxury—something to soak in like a hot bath. No stickiness and sweat.

Katrin thumped two slices of cake down on the table, fetched my drink, and sat down beside me. Her curly blonde hair bounced, getting in her eyes, and she pushed it away with a huff. “It’s been a boring day. Shift change, so everyone’s in the pub, pissed. I was about to close up early before you rocked in. Lucky.”

“Yes. I’d have been disappointed. You need to tell me what happened with Davinia’s date. I dropped into the butchers, but she wasn’t there. Was he as gorgeous as he was in the picture?”

She brayed a laugh. “Oh shit, you haven’t heard. He might have been twenty years ago when it was taken. He’d a bald head and a beer gut. She sneaked out the back before he saw her.”

I covered my mouth and laughed along with her. We chatted until the food was gone. My heart sank when Katrin glanced toward the clock and got to her feet. I needed it, these little bursts of normal interaction. Brief moments to chat and just be a girl.

I helped her pack up plates and switch off the lights. She turned pleading eyes on me. “I’m going to the pub. Come with me. It’ll be fun! You can stay for one. Please? All the girls’ll be there.”

I wanted to. A night of fun and chatter, a few drinks, maybe even a dance. I could almost taste it. But I couldn’t go. The prince had been very clear on that point. In the pub, I’d attract too much male attention and draw unwanted eyes. He was probably right, but it rankled me.

“I can’t. I need to get back and start dinner.”

She frowned and gave me a searching look. “You never come. Is your husband jealous? Does he think you’re going to cheat on him or something?”

“No, it’s not that. He just—” I searched for a plausible lie. “He worries about me coming home late at night.”

She stared a moment longer, then shook her head. “Well, if you’re sure. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.”

I headed toward the chairlifts. The exchange had set a coal of worry burning in my gut. She was suspicious. In a very minor way, but talk could start, and the last thing we needed was questions. One reason the prince let me into town was to keep an ear out for any rumors about us, any suspicion that we might not be what we seemed. A sign it was time to move on.

I didn’t want to go. Anxiety wrapped around me as I walked through the sweet-smelling, heavy green trees. I loved it here, more than I’d ever loved anywhere. The friendly people, the safe, clean streets and, most importantly, the total lack of prejudice. I had friends who were mages. They treated me as if I were the same as them, not inferior. I’d begun to get used to it and crave the possibilities it brought. Strangers asked me what I did for a living, what I’d studied, and where I’d traveled, as part of polite small talk. As if all those things were normal and accessible to a non-mage girl. And here, they could be . . . if I wasn’t hiding with one of the most wanted men in the world.

The walk back to our house took close to an hour, but I liked the exercise. The air changed as I approached the lake, the earthy scent lessening beneath the sweet tang of mountain air. So fresh. As I exited the trees, I was greeted by the prince’s unmoving form, staring at the water. I headed over and tapped his shoulder. “Your Highness, I—”

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