Page 3 of Luca

“Nonsense,” he said as he lowered himself onto the bed beside me. “I enjoy doing this for you, and I am grateful that you indulge me.”

I couldn’t exactly argue with that, could I? Not with the reverent expression he aimed at me. I chewed the inside of my cheek, hesitating for a moment. “Well… if you’re sure?”

“Most definitely.” Cair bowed his head, his grin turning impish, and before I could warn him against saying exactly what he was going to say, he tacked on, “Your Highness.”

I groaned and hid my face in my hands. The bastard chuckled, perfectly aware of how that particular bit of teasing affected me, especially since it wasn’t exactly a tease. It was a goddamn fact, and that only made the discomfort worse.

Being mated to Cair meant I was now a prince of the Fae, and whoever had spun that little thread of fate clearly had a stellar sense of humor. Thankfully, there had been no official ceremony or celebration. There was no custom for it as I was the first to be mated into the royal family in thousands of years—or at least for as long as the king had reigned—so they weren’t prepared.

Though he had never voiced it outright, the quiet integration suited the king, considering he wasn’t exactly ecstatic with my presence in the first place, but for once, his assholery worked in my favor. Normally, I would have done anything to spite him, but I wouldn’t have survived standing in front of a throne room full of creatures, accepting my new title. It was terrifying enough knowing that when the day came for Cair to ascend the throne, I would have to ascend with him. It may be a hundred, or even a thousand years from now, given the king’s stubbornness and his reluctance to have a half-blood human polluting the royal line, but naturally, I still stressed myself out about it well in advance. I mean, I barely coped with people calling methathonorific and dipping their heads in respect as I passed them in the hallway. I could only imagine what it would be like to hear “Your Majesty.”

I shivered at the thought.

“Open up,” Cair prompted. He had the fork—loaded with pancake, syrup, and fruit—hovering in the air, waiting for me to obey.

I did, and though I’d had this exact meal many times before, my eyes still rolled as the sweet and tart deliciousness hit my tongue.

Easily the best pancakes I’d ever had in my life.

“I can feed myself, you know,” I said once I’d swallowed, though I opened my mouth for the second bite.

“Yes, but why should you when you have me?”

He presented a solid argument, so I focused on chewing and watching as Cair fed himself with the same fork before preparing the next bite for me. His tongue peeked out to catch a smudge of syrup at the corner of his lips, and the tempting sight had my imagination whirring.

I grinned as a thought popped into my head.

“Well, I sure hope you brushed your fangs after eating my ass last night,” I joked, feeling much too smug when Cair paused mid-slice of pancake, peering up at me with one eyebrow raised. I probably should have known better than to think I’d ever win in a contest of wits against a Fae, but I was a little delusional at six a.m.

“Considering your penchant for riding my mouth after I’ve come inside you, sweetheart, I’d say it’s a little late to act squeamish about such things. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The instantaneous blush that heated my cheeks spread all the way down my chest.

Welp, he had me there, and since no clapback to that very rhetorical question was forthcoming, I kept quiet and opened my mouth for the next bite.

Cair obliged with a chuckle, alternating between feeding me and himself until both plates were clean. I blew out a breath and reclined against the headboard, rubbing circles over my stomach. Cair set the tray on the bedside table before scooching closer to comb his fingers through my hair.

If I were a cat, I’d have been purring.

“Do you need anything else?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, I’m good. Think I’m going to need a nap now.”

“I’ll be in my office most of the day, though it pains me to leave your side.”

“That’s okay. I was going to check on my patch of nathrach, anyway. They’re starting to bloom. I might do some reading in my nook, too.” During one of my visits back to the human realm, Alex had given me the idea of finding a hobby when I’d expressed my discomfort with being idle. ‘Working’ wasn’t a possibility for me here, and it was rare to find someone willing to let me help out. Mrs. Loris sometimes gave me vegetables to peel when I showed her my best sad-puppy eyes—andonlywhen there was no one else in the kitchens—so I’d come up with the idea of gardening.

I loved plants. They soothed me somehow, with all their unique shapes, scents and patterns, and though I wasn’t always perfect at nurturing them—as Teighan would attest to—it was something I found joy in and was willing to improve on.

At first, Cair had been a little uncertain, but only because it wasn’t proper etiquette for Fae royalty to get their hands dirty, and definitely not to be seen by their subjects doing so. Sure, we may have lived to be a thorn in his father’s side, testing the limits of our boundaries, but breaking the rules outright was a level of disrespect we wanted to avoid. Thankfully though, we managed to sidestep the issue by keeping me hidden from the public eye. There was a small plot of land in the palace courtyard with a sculpted water fountain, a wooden love seat, and a cobbled path, all walled off by tall hedges and secured with a locked gate. I called it my Secret Garden—a place just for me, where I could plant all sorts of flowers and herbs without being watched. It was a diversion, something to keep me occupied whenever Cair wasn’t around. It also lessened my anxieties about being a burden, as anything I grew could be used in the kitchens or for medicine.

Each plant in the Otherworld had a purpose, and it was my goal to learn them all.

That was where my nook came in handy. It was a cozy blanket and beanbag filled hideaway Cair had commissioned for me near our rooms on the top floor. The palace library was insane. It had more tomes, scrolls, and written records than I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t always vacant, so on the days when I needed peace, I would borrow as many books as I could comfortably carry and take them up to my den.

I appreciated having the option to be completely secluded, able to immerse myself in research or whatever fantasy world I wanted to explore away from any prying eyes. The winding staircase was a pain in my ass—it really gave off some ‘princess in a tower’ vibes—but was worth it for the tranquility. There was even a desk and a blackboard for whenever I found myself so absorbed in a topic that I ended up down a rabbit hole and in need of a place to map out every fine detail.

I could stay there and fixate for hours until my prince came to rescue me.

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