Page 41 of Fates Fulfilled
Lex leaned back. It was either that or she’d instinctively lean closer. But in her totally not smooth effort to keep her composure, her thigh bumped his, and her skin zinged through the fabric of her dress.
His chest rose, and his eyes dropped to her mouth.
“What are we doing?” she said, swallowing her nerves and clamping her hands together.
She’d admired men from afar. Occasionally considered what it would be like to have a boyfriend. But she’d never wanted anything the way she wanted to get closer to Garrin right now.
“You left me in that lion’s den, a-and that can’t last,” she said. “They hate me. Well, everyone except for Em. And I have no idea where you stashed my mother.”
“Lion’s den?” He lifted his eyebrow. “Your mother is with Zirel’s people and safe. Are you feeling”—he gestured with his hand and looked down her body—“the fear you had when we first met?”
What?“You mean my anxiety?”
He nodded.
“No, actually. I’m not comfortable here, but I don’t have the anxiety I usually do in new places. Which is weird.”
“That is not so strange,” he said. “You have shed powerful magic that hid your appearance on Earth. You are not the same physically or magically. It stands to reason that your emotions have changed as well.”
“I suppose.” Maybe somewhere deep down she knew something hadn’t been right back home, and the social anxiety was a result of not being able to be herself?
“Either way,” she said, daring to lean closer, “what is the plan? You can’t keep me here.”
Bad move, the leaning closer part.
“The plan,” he said, his eyes moving from her cheekbones to her neck and back to her eyes, “is for you to master your magical ability when it is safe to do so and without calling attention. Without the magic, we are either trapped in Dark Kingdom or risk death trying to escape. The strongest of us might survive travel through the Land of Ice, but most would perish.”
A shiver racked Lex’s body. They would have died if her mother hadn’t saved them. And she had only managed that because of some unseen power Lex supposedly had.
“If your powers are as strong as your mother believes,” Garrin continued, “there is hope that one day we’ll be able to leave without risk. And not only some of us, but all of us.”
“You escaped,” she pointed out. “Several times. How did you do it and survive?”
“Once. I made it through to the Earth realm only the one time, when I found you. I lost dozens of Fae soldiers over the years trying before that,” he said gravely. “My life was put at risk repeatedly, even with careful preparation. I am stronger than most in our land, save my father, but I have limits. Which is why we need a portal that isn’t affected by the magical barrier separating our land from the rest of Tirnan.”
“The ravine is what stopped you?”
Garrin nodded. “Among other things.”
“My mother said your father put her in the ravine. Do you still trust him?”
A shadow crossed Garrin’s face. “I don’t know what to believe. Your mother’s story is confounding.”
“Fae don’t lie. And my mother is Fae. And for the record, it seems I can’t lie either. I tried to, and it got stuck in my throat.”
“And you are disappointed?”
“Yes! The ability to lie is one of the best things about being human.”
Garrin smiled, then looked down and seemed to consider her words. “Your true energy level, physical form, and essence have returned. The rules that apply to Fae apply now to you as well.”
She glanced away nervously. “About that physical form business. What’s the deal with that?”
He set both feet on the ground and leaned on his forearms, making their heads level. “You don’t like your appearance?”
“It’s not that. I just…look kind of pretty compared to what I used to look like.”
“You’ve always been beautiful, whether Fae or human.”
