Page 57 of Bound to the Fae Assassin

Farrow paced the floors of the Emerald Suite in a silk nightgown, feeling like she was crawling out of her skin.

It was a beautiful suite. The rooms had pumpkin-colored pine floors with soft, green hand-knotted rugs at intervals. The walls were papered in a lovely moss color with dark green vines that reminded her of her adventure getting over the wall.

And the sitting room had a bank of south-facing windows, surrounded by gorgeous ceramic pots of lush plants.

She was certain the Prince had expected her to feel at home here, in the closest thing to her magical element that he could muster.

But the large rooms only served to accentuate her loneliness.

Even her family’s visit earlier had only taken the edge off for a short time. She was lonely for someone specific.

But I pushed him away.

Blackthorn had not been up front with her when they met. But how could he be? He was trying to protect his kingdom.

And now she knew how he felt. She had been willing to sacrifice her own life to do the same.

Seeing him up there while she used the skills she had honed in his company had made her feel closer to him than ever.

But now he was gone.

She comforted herself with the idea that he had gotten everything he came for. He deserved that much, at least.

She supposed that she should be trying to sleep now. It had been a very long day, but now it was over, and she had done her best. Both kingdoms would know the good the two had done for many years to come. That would have to be enough.

But his words still echoed in her mind.

I love her…

From any other suitor, she could have dismissed it as nothing but empty words, only uttered out of convenience. A means to an end. But from a Fae who couldn’t tell a lie?

A tap on the window distracted her from her thoughts.

Which was more than a little odd, since she was on the uppermost floor of the castle.

She walked past the pots of plants to the bank of windows and froze at what she saw.

Blackthorn was gazing at her from outside, his gray eyes blazing. He rode on Echo’s back, the incredible creature having transformed into a mighty midnight pegasus.

“Blackthorn,” she murmured, placing her hand against the glass.

His larger hand came up to touch the other side, and he mouthed the word please.

Her hands were trembling as she opened the window.

He climbed inside, fearlessly moving from Echo’s back across a sheer drop and into the room beside her with the unconscious grace she had come to love.

“Farrow,” he said softly as he straightened up, towering above her. “I’m so sorry.”

His expression was tortured.

She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t care, that she was sorry too, but the words tangled over each other in her mind, and all she could do was breathe his name.

“When we first met, I thought you were only a beautiful village girl,” he said, the pain in his voice cutting her chest. “I needed to protect my people, and telling you the whole truth would have been the opposite.”

She nodded. That was true - she had been thinking about it all evening.

“I had no idea you would become someone I respected,” he went on. “Someone I desired and treasured…”

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