Page 24 of Broken Hearted
“Look Zane … this whole mate thing is new to me. We don’t have mates where we come from. And my parents are divorced, so love … isn’t really something I’m looking for.”
His face fell, but he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I can understand that mates are a foreign concept for you. That’s why I haven’t been pushing anything on you.”
I nodded. “Yes, and I truly appreciate that,” I said truthfully. “But …”
His eyebrows pinched, and I could tell he didn’t know where I was going with this. I had to just lay it out there.
“I think you are amazing,” I started. “One of the most genuine men I’ve ever met. Kind, thoughtful, strong, and handsome. Youmake me laugh, and I feel so comfortable around you. Any woman would be so fortunate to be mated to you.”
“I can’t help but feel there is anotherbutcoming,” he said with a frown.
I gave him a small smile. Zane wasn’t stupid. “But if mates are real and if I need one to unlock the Shadow Heart … I’m not sure it’s you. It just feels like there’s something missing.”
The moment the words were out of my mouth hurt flashed across Zane’s face, but closely after that, a completely different expression appeared. One I had a hard time interpreting. Relief?
“I asked the Wise Ones if you were my mate,” I plowed forward before Zane could say anything. “But they wouldn’t tell me. I just wish there was a way to know for sure. Especially since, according to them, I have to combine my power with my mate’s to unlock the Shadow Heart and end the curse. I know you think it’s you but … I’m sorry, I just … I’m not sure. What if we go to the belly of the sea and combine our magic, only to find out we’re not really mates? The curse will then eventually overtake not only Faerie, but Ethereum as well. All will be lost.”
Zane seemed slightly distressed, but I could tell he was hearing what I was saying and taking me seriously. Another way he was proving he was the perfect guy. But the nagging feeling that he wasn’tmyperfect guy still wouldn’t leave me.
“Thereisa way to determine whether or not we are mates,” he confessed.
“There is?” I asked, my back straightening.
Zane cleared his throat, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable. “A kiss.”
I froze at that. “What do you mean?”
His eyes bore into mine. “When we kiss our mate, we know. There’s a magical reaction. Undeniable physical proof.”
My heart hammered in my chest, and I knew what needed to be done.
“Okay. Then kiss me.”
Zane looked shocked at my forwardness; he peered at the path leading down the mountain as if he wanted to run away.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “We need to see if you’re my mate. So kiss me. A small chaste kiss should prove your theory, correct?”
He seemed unsure now. “You are beautiful. Funny. Kind.”
It was like he felt deep inside that I wasn’t the one for him either, but he was trying to convince himself I was.
“Thank you. Now kiss me to prove whether we are or are not mates.” I stepped forward, pursed my lips and closed my eyes. Best to just get this over with right away. We didn’t have time to waste.
I felt Zane move closer. He took my face gently between his hands right before he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. We stayed like that for a good five seconds. It reminded me of when I was younger and would kiss my mom and dad on the lips.
But nothing more.
No spark, no heat, nothing close to what I read about in the romance novels. I popped one eye open just as he did the same. He peered at the space around us as if expecting to see something and then pulled away from me frowning.
“You’re not … but … what does that mean?” He sounded fragile, so I didn’t want to kick him while he was down.
Reaching out, I took his hand in mine. “It means, if Dawn’stheory is right, that the Ethereum lords and Faerie princesses are mates, Princess Lorelei of the Spring Court is your mate. Not me.”
What that also meant was that if Zane wasn’t my mate, then Adrien was, and that felt … surprisingly right.
But Adrien was engaged. And that didn’t feel good at all.
A barrage of emotions suddenly slammed into me. Fear. Excitement. Dread. Joy. It took a moment, but I wrestled all my feelings into submission, cramming them deep down inside until I had the luxury of examining them.
