Page 37 of Broken Hearted
“Oh, look, your castle,” I blurted out and pointed at the white stone structure in the distance.
He nodded calmly, unsurprised, which he probably wasn’t since he knew exactly where we were. It was his realm after all. “Do you want marriage for yourself one day?” he asked suddenly.
Why was he going so deep? We didn’t know each other well and it was a huge question to ask. Maybe not for other women, but it was for me.
“No,” I answered honestly, and his head reeled back a little in shock.
“Why not?” He sounded hurt for some reason, like my answer had personally offended him.
I peered over at him, catching his gaze and holding it. “Because if I don’t get married, I never have to worry about divorce.”
Turning away from him, I gave him my back, sending a clearmessage that this questioning was over. He was quiet for the rest of the ride.
When we arrived at his castle there was a flurry of activity. We learned that Elisana had fled after she realized Adrien had been taken and wasn’t going to marry her. She had probably put two and two together and realized she was caught and that her time was up.
“I want every inch of this realm scoured until you bring her to me for justice,” Adrien told one of his spies.
According to Zane, Adrien had a network of spies who were some of the best in the realm, who worked to not only ferret out information but also were among his most elite warriors. In some ways, Adrien’s spies were like a small army themselves.
“Yes, sir,” the man said and then left with a bow, disappearing into the hallway.
Adrien then turned to his head housemaid. “Please collect every article of clothing and personal belonging of hers and burn it. Let’s not forget she was a witch and we don’t know what other traps might lie in wait in my very own home.”
Underneath the anger, he sounded vulnerable and hurt, and he had every right to be.
“Yes, my lord.” She rested a comforting hand on his shoulder before leaving the room.
Night was falling, and it was well past dinner and as much as I wanted to just go out there and unlock this crystal, a yawn escaped me.
“I’m tired, too.” Adrien rubbed his face. “Shall we have dinner and then get some sleep? Leave first thing in the morning?”
I agreed, and Adrien led me down to the kitchen. I expectedhim to instruct the chef to feed us, but instead he told his kitchen staff they could take the rest of the night off.
“Would you like a melted cheese and tomato sandwich?” he asked me.
“Sure, that sounds great,” I told him.
He looked relieved. “Good. Because that’s the only thing I know how to make.”
I laughed and pulled a milk crate over to the counter and sat down. As he sliced the tomato, bread, and cheese, he told me all about his childhood and what it was like to grow up with so many brothers.
“You’ve heard about my ton of sisters, so I totally know what you mean,” I said.
“Chaos, all the time,” he agreed.
I found myself enjoying the conversation and couldn’t help comparing it to my talks with Zane. I liked both brothers, they were good fae and easy to get along with. But why did my eyes linger on Adrien’s biceps as he cut the bread, watching his muscles flex? And why did my stomach turn over when he handed me my sandwich and winked when I said thank you?
I wanted to feel nothing for Adrien, just like when I’d thought about kissing Zane. But the mere thought of getting close to Adrien, of pressing my lips against his, caused a full-body flush to come over me.
“Is the food okay?” Adrien asked, his gaze studying me in a way that only made my blood heat further.
I gave a nervous laugh. “It’s wonderful, thank you,” I answered and took another bite of the warm cheesy goodness.
He watched me, his eyes going to my lips, and I wondered what he was thinking. Then he hung his head a little and shook it.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled, staring at his sandwich as if it held a secret.
