Page 25 of Rejected By the Fae King (Kings of the Fae Islands 3)

"I only know a few pieces of information," Asher responded quickly, hoping his answer would calm her. "I prefer not to learn everything about the people I meet before I’ve even met them. I find it a breach of privacy."

Rayne's eyes whipped up and she stared at him as though she truly were seeing him for the first time.

"So, then you don't know about my father?" she asked, sounding hopeful. For just a moment, Asher thought of lying. Maybe if he told her he didn’t know anything, she might trust him enough to tell him everything. Then he scolded himself. If he were to begin lying so early in their relationship, he could never forgive himself.

"I do know a little," Asher responded honestly, holding Rayne's gaze in the hopes that she would see he would only ever tell her the truth. "I know that your father was charged with murder and died a short while after being imprisoned."

The way she flinched at his words made him wish he could take them back. Instead, all he could do was reach across the table to take hold of her hand. He was more than a little relieved when she didn’t pull away.

"I don't know whether he was guilty or not," Rayne admitted, shaking her head, "but from what my mother says, he was."

"People can be driven to do desperate things," Asher said softly. He squeezed her hand, hoping she would be reassured before he added, "Your father's crimes are not your own."

Her gaze flew to his once more, surprise sparking in her blue eyes.

"I am the daughter of a criminal," she pointed out. "Many would say that makes me one too."

Her eyes flickered, and Asher got the sense she was trying to read him, trying to see what his reaction might be before he actually reacted.

"If I had any doubts as to whether you were a criminal or not, do you really believe I would allow you anywhere near my daughter?" he asked, and Rayne finally squeezed his fingers in return. She offered him a sad smile, as if she didn't quite put all her faith in his words, but she was hopeful to be able to.

"They say my father killed another farmer who was trying to steal cattle as they had lost their own just the month before to some illness, and were at risk of losing their farm," she explained. Asher could feel the tension growing in her hand as she spoke and knew she was having a hard time talking about it.

"And your home here?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. There were tears in Rayne's eyes now, and he could only hope he hadn't pushed her too far.

"It wasn't much of a home, but it was all we had," she shrugged, and this time she did pull her hand away from his, somewhat reluctantly. Asher forced himself to pull back, not wishing to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. Asher could tell from the look in her eye she didn't wish to talk about it anymore. Asher felt as though the time for words had passed, and instead of continuing the conversation, he pushed himself to his feet and stepped around the table to offer her his hand. "Would you do me the honor of a dance?"

Surprise registered on Rayne's face, and for just an instant, Asher thought she might reject him. Then a warm smile began to spread across her face and she nodded, placing her hand in his.

The lilting music led them out onto the dancefloor, and he was pleased to find Rayne in his arms once again. Only the night before, he feared he would never again get the chance to touch her. Now, he reveled in every moment. When he pulled her close, she rested her head upon his chest, and it was in that moment that he knew one thing for certain: this was meant to be.

Chapter 19 - Rayne

Nobody had ever taken the time to get to know her before. It was an odd sensation to feel a king was interested in doing so. Although some of the questions he’d asked had brought back painful and complicated memories, Rayne found as she answered them, she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She found talking to the king to be much easier than it had been talking to anyone before. The sense that he wished to get to know her and not just what he could use against her was heart-warming, and when she stepped into his arms to dance, she began to feel as though she were light as a feather.

"Rayne?" The king's voice drew her from a dazed half-slumber of contentment, and she lifted her head from his chest to see him gazing down at her.

"Yes?"

"Look down."

As soon as she did, her stomach almost dropped right through her.

"No! Oh, no!" she gasped, realizing for the first time that her wings were beating in time with the king's. Not only that, but they’d left the dancefloor far beneath them.

"It's alright," the king assured her, gripping her waist a little more tightly as if he feared she might suddenly slip through his fingers.

"No! It's illegal to fly in the presence of royalty!" she gasped, trying to pull herself from his grip. Falling would be better than the fate of committing such a crime. At least if she fell from this height, she might perish with her wings still intact.

"Rayne! Be calm!" Asher ordered, but she was too flustered, and she escaped his arms in that very moment, suddenly realizing her wings had become paralyzed with fear. A scream erupted from her throat and the music coming from below was suddenly silenced.

The musicians saw me! she realized, screaming all over again. The musicians would be all too ready to give eyewitness accounts of how the daughter of a murderer had flown in the presence of a king, breaking the rules created for the safety of the royal family. They would likely receive prizes for aiding with the sentencing of such a crime.

Rayne's mind was whirling even faster than her body was hurtling toward the floor. She braced herself for impact with nothing left to do but hit the ground.

Then, suddenly, a rush of wind caught her and in seconds she had stopped falling. Finding herself once more in the king's arms, hovering just above the ground that had been ready to embrace her, she found herself weeping uncontrollably.

"Oh, Your Grace, please forgive me!" she gasped, clutching hold of his waistcoat, because it was all she could do to stop herself from trembling. "Please, Your Grace, I allowed myself to get carried away. I didn't mean to fly in your presence."

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