Page 42 of Their Promise

I hadn’t been asked something like that before. Pondering, I said, “I absolutelyhateonions and asparagus.”

He laughed, and the sound was so melodic I swore I heard bells. “That’s definitely not something I expected you to say.”

“Tell me about yourself,” I said.

Smirking he answered, “I’m a Prince of Elves, third in line for heir, love water skiing, and have an animal form of a sparrow.”

A sparrow? How interesting.

“And you’re not terrified to be considering mating a snake?” I asked and set my chin on steepled fingers with my elbows resting on the table.

“We are not our animals,” he said. “At least, not all the time.”

That had been a clever way to get around answering my question. So, I let it lie.

“I saw the demon fight at the mall,” he said.

My eyes widened. “There’s video of it?”

He nodded. “Someone was videotaping you with the alpha you were shopping with when it happened and captured the entire thing.”

Oh, boy. Why hadn’t anyone told me?

“Ah, I see,” I replied since I didn’t know what else to say.

“Your strength in snake form is truly remarkable. And your speed in general. It was impressive to watch you. Most of the elvish women I know would have simply run away in fear.”

“Well, you have to remember how I was raised,” I reminded him. “I wasn’t given the luxury of a quiet life. Aside from my college days.” No one knew about the few events that had happened while I was away, since they’d occurred off campus and had not been recorded.

“Which is what makes you so fascinating,” he said. “You are beautiful, smart, and humble. You took time to sign the little girl’s book and even drew her a little cartoon character.”

“It’s part of my autograph,” I explained.

“So, what is your plan or goal for the future?” he asked. “Aside from finding a mate, obviously.”

“To help my parents with their businesses to ensure the financial stability of our clan. That’s why I went to school for business administration.”

“And will you, like many of your female family members, opt for a multi-partner relationship or will you be monogamous?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ve had both monogamous and triads approach me for courting and I can’t say I have a preference as of yet.”

He leaned back and stared at me silently for a moment. Just long enough for the waiter to return with my drink and take our order.

“I have to ask, why are you interested in me? You have your pick of women, not just because you’re a prince, but because you are handsome and kind. Why throw your hat in the ring?”

“I’ve truthfully had a crush on you since we were teenagers,” he admitted. “I went to the same high school as you.”

My mouth dropped. “What! How did I not know that?” How had I not noticed another royal at our school? Especially, a handsome one like him?

“I’m two years younger than you,” he explained with a smile. “Plus, you always had Prince Trey and his friend around you. So, I assumed you were basically spoken for. When I heard from mymother that you were back from college, single, and looking for a mate, I thought perhaps it was fate or at least a chance for me to try.”

Every single word he had said was true. Wow. I had known that keeping Trey and Mason around me in high school was likely the reason I didn’t get asked out much, but I hadn’t really cared then. I wasn’t looking for a mate then. Poor Kayden was too young to go to high school with us, but he’d made up for the age difference by learning to be one of the strongest alphas, able to hold his own with Mason and Trey against almost any partner. My dad still wiped the floor with them, though.

“I appreciate your honesty,” I said. “It’s … refreshing.”

Our food came and I took the time eating to think about my choices.

Yes, I had feelings for the trio, and while they were back and had explained the misunderstanding, that didn’t completely erase the hurt. And, just because we had been friends when we were younger didn’t mean we would be great together as adults. They were often traveling all over the world to hunt demons, which left the question of how often would they be with me, and if our goals even aligned.

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