Page 62 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
They walk arm in arm to join the others, but I remain rooted in place. Sitting around the fire, Zeke is fooling around with Diana of all people. He’s grown complacent of our non-relationship, and I draw in a deep breath, heading off toward the ocean.
The sea breeze soothes my nerves. The waves lap gently at my ankles, washing away my worries as I wade forward until they reach my knees.
Ezra’s head pops out of the water up ahead, the blonde Prince of Light wiping his wet hair from his face while the rest of his body remains submerged.
“Looking gorgeous as always, Lady Snow,” he greets me. “Still betrothed, I hear?”
He swims closer and stands, water streaming down his bare chest as he leans in to peck my cheeks. Droplets spray my shoulders at his closeness.
“Ugh,” I grunt. “How was your trip to the new world?”
“Enlightening, I’d say. No matter how much we read about mortals and their customs, living among them is an entirely different affair. Was it very boring without me here?”
“Oh yes, quite.”
The corners of his mouth quirk. “The mortal world is changing so fast. If they keep it up, they’ll shoot right past us, and we’ll be the ones living in the dark ages.”
From what I’ve glimpsed of the new world, he might be right. “I thought Winter Fae were anchored in traditions because of our close connection to death, but I’ve realized here that all Fae are adverse to change.”
“Irrevocably so.” His irises reflect the silvery orb of the moon over the sea. It feels like his soul is shining through, quietly surfacing. “Do you ever wish you could…disappear? Start over somewhere new, where no one knows who you are?”
“That’s sort-of what I did when I came here.”
A soft chuckle quakes his body. “Yeah. Good for you, Lady Snow.” With a sad smile, Ezra glances over my shoulder before a heavy sigh heaves his lungs. “Here he comes. I’ll leave you two to talk.”
I open my mouth to ask him to stay, to mitigate the impression that Aidan and I want privacy, but the words get caught in my throat. Ezra spins around and sinks back into the gentle waves, floating on his back with his arms extended like he’s some religious martyr.
Aidan’s fiery bite of power contrasts with the coastal wind, and goosebumps tighten my skin. I rub the chill off my arms, the current suddenly tugging at my knees as if swallowed by his gravity.
He keeps himself at a safe, almost awkward distance. “I want to apologize. For how I acted that night. I’m sorry that I pushed you and made things more difficult,” he whispers, his soft words almost lost to the salty breeze.
“Nothing came of it, really. After you left, everyone sort of latched on to the newest scandal.” I draw absent-minded patterns on the seafloor with my big toe. “I was glad to see you, earlier.”
He draws closer. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I tuck my hair behind my ears. “I’m sorry, too. For being so hard on you. Willow’s become my lifeline here, and I’d love it if you and I could be friends going forward.”
I meant it as an olive branch, but Aidan grimaces, suddenly widening the gap between us by several inches. “Because of Willow?”
I offer him a nod, then immediately get the impression it wasn’t the answer he wanted. He combs a hand through his shorter hair, a sad smile curling his lips. “You were right before. I don’t think I’d be a very good friend to you.”
An ache stings deep at the pit of my belly, my tongue parched. “Right. Of course.”
I move to leave, but he stops my escape, his hand hot on my shoulder. My lips part in a gasp at the smoldering heat crackling at the surface of my bare skin, and my gaze falls to his long fingers, wondering how such a small touch could feel so intense.
Aidan tucks both hands at his back, biting his bottom lip. “Don’t misunderstand me, Songbird. I wish I could be your friend, but my heart went wild the second I saw you… I can’t help it.”
“Were the new world women not to your liking?” I ask, thinking about the rumors I’ve heard. Aidan is a legend around here, and it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.
“To be clear, and only because you asked, I haven’t so much as looked at another woman since we’ve met. I wantyou,Songbird.” He reaches for my shoulder again, his hand sliding down my arm and leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
For a moment, I can’t see anything beyond the hope in his amber gaze, the magnetic pull of his magic, or the shape of his full, tense lips. The sea itself rises up at the chemistry between us, propelling me forward, and a splash of water wets my skirt.
When Aidan looks at me like that, I want to offer myself up as a sacrifice and head straight into his flames, consequences be damned. Peel the fabric off his sculpted shoulders and kiss every inch of his skin. Burn at the stake of his pyre for the ever-growing, dangerous pull he has on me, despite all my bravado. Because when he’s close, the thought of marrying, loving, or even touching any other man is heresy. Everything else feelsless realthan him.
And it scares me to my core. “I-I can’t.” Without looking back, I skip out of reach and jog up the beach to the stone path heading back to the Abbey, never looking back.
I can’t, but I’m dying to.
