Page 26 of Blossoms and Bloodlines
“I’d apologize,” he murmured against her skin, his voice still thick, “but you’d know it was a lie.”
A breathless laugh escaped her, uneven. “You wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near me if I didn’t want you to.”
They stood like that for a moment longer, suspended in something that didn’t have a name yet, but eventually, the spell began to loosen. It didn’t break, but settled into something more solid. Gael lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm like she was something rare he didn’t dare rush. Then, without a word, he moved to stand beside her, their fingers still laced. He didn’t pull or lead. Just waited. And when she stepped forward, he fell into pace beside her like they’d always belonged that way.
“I remember when you first came to Mystic Hollow,” he said.
“I was a mess,” she replied quietly. “If there ever was one.”
“I could see it. Your aura was fractured. I could feel your pain if I opened myself to it.”
“You never said anything.”
“I can manipulate perception and memory, even heal a spirit, but....” His jaw tensed with regret. “Aryon told me you were safe, so I stayed back. Watched from a distance.” He glanced at her, something raw in his expression. “Your aura began to brighten, and you became you.” He paused. “I watched it happen. All that strength, all that warmth. And I wondered what could have possibly wounded someone like you.” He looked away. “The High Lord and Lady wouldn’t tell me.”
“You asked?”
“Very discreetly, of course, because it wasn’t really any of my business.” He let out a chuckle, “And because I couldn’t be caught obsessing over you.”
Beth blinked. “Because I’m a human waitress?” Even asking it felt like a bruise being pressed.
He didn’t flinch nor sugarcoated it. “Yes.”
Anger sparked, sharp and sudden, crackling up her spine, making her voice a little tighter than she’d wanted. “I still am, so what are we even doing here?”
“I don’t know about you,” he said, scanning the trees like they might offer an escape, “but I’m being recklessly honest.” He shook his head “We were all born into roles and obligations. They more than us, but we’re Betas to their Alphas.” His voice dropped. “And one of our duties, among others, is to keep the bloodline pure.”
Beth’s stomach turned. She’d heard Elara rant about elven traditions before, the way they clung to ancient rules like lifelines. She’d never thought those rules would touch her, though. Her lips parted, fury right there, rising in her chest like a storm, when he cut in again.
“Do you know how short the jump from curiosity to obsession is?”
Thrown off, she blinked. “No.”
“It’s incredibly short.” His grip on her hand tightened, then softened again like he regretted the impulse. “Do you know when I took that jump?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Litha.” He exhaled hard. “That night, after what I told Val, something snapped. I’d told myself it was fine, that watching you was enough. But it wasn’t. It isn’t. Seeing you smile, watching you thrive, it made me happy, yes, but also restless. I needed more.”
He was speaking plain English, but still, none of it clicked. Her thoughts were a whirl of emotion and half-formed warnings. “I left something awful behind,” she said, stepping back. “And I promised myself I wouldn’t walk into someone else’s chaos. This feels like chaos with rules I don’t know and consequences I don’t understand.”
He didn’t argue, didn’t fight her frustration. He just stood there, his eyes fixed on hers like they could anchor the moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “To me, it’s all so clear. I didn’t realize how confusing it must sound.”
Beth flung her hands out. “Yeah, well, it is. So either say what you mean, or let’s just stop this before it becomes something that hurts.”
She turned to walk.
“Wait.”
She stopped. Slowly turned back. Arms crossed, heart pounding and was faced once again with a High Elf in all his authority.
“You are a human waitress, and I’m elven royalty. My mother’s disapproval is only one ripple in a sea of consequences,” he stated, hard. “The bloodline would be altered. Promises I’ve never made but bind me would be broken. Centuries of tradition would forever be changed.” He stepped forward to tower over her and took her hand to rest it over histhundering heart, looking at her like she was both salvation and the fire about to destroy him. “And I still want you. Desperately enough that I’d burn it all to give us a chance.”
“A... a chance?”
“Yes,” he said, quiet but firm. “I’m not asking for promises. I’m just asking you to take me—just me, not the title, not the family—and see what I can be. With you. For you. And we’ll fight the rest when it comes.”
It was kind of reasonable. Basically, it was the elven way of saying,Hey, let’s see where this goes. Of course, Gael being Gael, it sounded like they were about to trade souls. Which shouldn’t have been so enticing, honestly. But that was a thought for another day.
