Page 46 of Consort

A smile lights up his face. He releases me and lowers himself to the ground, patting the space by his side. I miss his warmth as soon as it’s gone, so I settle in beside him. I take a quiet breath, relieved to be out of his direct line of sight. He excites me, but he also makes me nervous.

“Why are you hiding, Rue?” he asks softly.

Thinking of why Mother and I ran sobers me. I tense up and begin twisting my fingers in my lap.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he says, noticing my hesitance. “I feel lucky enough to have your name. But I’d like to know what’s got you and your mother spooked enough to brave the forest alone, if you’re willing to tell me.”

Telling him won’t hurt anything. Fae aren’t concerned with shifter customs. My instincts tell me I’m safe with him, and my Omega is practically begging me to open up to him… in more ways than I should be comfortable with.

He’s just curious. It’s unnatural for two small shifters to live hidden and unguarded so close to the castle. I just hope he doesn’t lose interest in me when he learns what fate had planned. The mystery is exciting, but that may be all I am to him.

I blow out a deep breath and stare at the berry bush. “Our Prime is a good leader in most ways,” I start. “He just has this one practice I disagree with. One that the rest of the Alphas in our pack support him in. The time came when it would affect me personally. So, my mother and I fled.”

I can’t be more specific. The sick feeling of becoming the pack’s Alpha pleaser crawls back over me. A feeling I thought I’d left behind. I don’t want him to see me in that way.

“Does it have something to do with your heats?” he asksgently.

“Something like that,” I say, feeling a little too exposed. I go to change the subject, but when I turn to meet his gaze, he looks pained. I shake my head in confusion and ask, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. He reaches for my hand but hesitates, eventually deciding against it.

“For what?” I ask, ignoring my disappointment. I didn’t even tell him the worst part of it.

He looks at the ground before answering. “I didn’t know why you were crying out when I found you. It sounded like you were in terrible pain. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of the situation. I swear.”

Oh!My heat. The heat he... helped me through.

“I did think that at first,” I admit, looking away. “But now, you don’t strike me as the type to do that. I’m sure I was desperate. I was probably pushy about you helping me, judging by what I’ve seen from other Omegas.”

I scoot a little closer and slip my fingers between his, intertwining them. It’s bold, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what I can’t remember us doing.

“You weresopushy!” he says, making my stomach drop.

“What?” I squeak, pulling my hand away to cover my face.

I can’t believe this. Howhumiliating.

His laugh rumbles through me, straight to my core. A trickle of slick dampens my undergarment, and I wish the dryad would just fling me to the other side of the forest. Could this possibly be any more mortifying?

But Durin just chuckles and pulls my hands away from my eyes. I reluctantly open them to find him leaned forward, looking back at me with a breathtaking smile. He doesn’t seem to notice the scent of my slick. Thank goodness he’s no Alpha. I think I’d die if he commented on it.

“I’m kidding!” he says.

I stare at him in disbelief. “Kidding?” I ask. “I thought fae couldn’t lie.”

“Kidding is allowed,” he says.

His expression turns serious, and he slides his fingers gently along my jaw. “You were in a lot of pain. It was difficult to watch.”

He lowers his hand and looks away. “I thought you were cursed or poisoned. When I finally understood what you needed, you were…” he looks off into the trees, lost in a memory I’ll never get back. “You were sweet. For all of it. Very sweet.”

I can’t tear my eyes away from his face. He looks so sincere, maybe even a little vulnerable. That’s why he’s so interested in me? Because my behavior touched him? Not the mating itself. Not what our bodies did. Just me?

Now more than ever, I wish I could remember. What was it about me that affected him? Has he never found a fae who made him feel that way before? Fae don’t mate for life, as far as I know. They just kind of mate whenever, with whomever, wherever they happen to be at the time.

Maybe he’s different. Intimacy could mean something more to him. If it does, I hope as he gets to know me better, he doesn’t decide he prefers me mindless and mute.

He gazes back at me and asks, “Can I kiss you, Rue?”

---