Page 59 of Black Hearted
She blinked twice and then refocused on me. The smile that lifted the corners of her mouth looked forced, but it was a start.
“I do,” she admitted. “But only to myself. I’m not trained or anything, so I’m not very good.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true. Your voice is as lovely as a songbird’s. I could listen to you sing all day long.”
She ducked her head slightly, unsuccessfully trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. “That’s kind of you to say,” she said shyly.
I leaned forward, wanting to get closer to her in any way I could.
“What else?” I asked again.
I hoped I wasn’t overwhelming her, but I couldn’t help myself. There wasn’t a single detail about her I didn’t find completely and utterly fascinating. I wanted to know everything—every small detail,every innermost thought. I was determined to learn her like no one else ever had or ever would.
“Well, I love reading—anything romance. I spend hours in the garden. I hate visiting the Winter Court because snow and cold are dreadful. And I love puppy breath.”
My brows furrowed at that last part. “Puppy breath? Is that a flower?”
She burst into laughter, the sound filling the room and causing my heart to thump wildly.
“That’s cute,” she giggled. “No, like a puppy. A dog. Their breath is amazing.”
I barely recovered from her calling me cute. Now I was laughing. “You just go around smelling puppies’ breath?”
She nodded, grinning.
“That’s weird. I’m going to erase that from my memory.”
“It’s not weird. We’re going to find a puppy after all this is over, and I’m going to make you smell its breath.”
I leaned forward, utterly entranced by her. “Promise?”
She smiled, but then her expression fell. I was about to ask what was wrong when a knock came at the door.
The barmaid arrived with two heaping bowls of meat-and-yam stew, fresh bread, and hot cider. The food looked as delicious as it smelled. As we ate, I tried to get Lorelei talking and laughing again, but she’d retreated into one of her quiet moods. Not wanting to press her, I fell silent, too.
I’d wait years if it meant Lorelei would open up to me on her own terms. She was worth it.
Chapter Nineteen
Lorelei
Zane was amazing—funny, strong, patient—and it was killing me to know I had to give up my life to end the curse. I wished I’d never read that stupid letter. It felt like it was burning a hole in my bag, constantly pulling at my attention.
I felt like I was giving Zane whiplash, alternating between engaging in conversation and then falling silent, but I was struggling. Part of me wanted to shut down, to stop getting to know him, while the other part wanted to throw caution to the wind and make whatever time we had left together matter.
I repeatedly found myself staring at his lips when we spoke, wondering what he kissed like. It was torture—a torture of my own making.
We’d had the best time before dinner last night, laughing and joking, but then he’d asked me to promise I’d find a puppy for him to smell. It had reminded me that I wouldn’t be alive to do so, and I shut down.
After dinner, he’d gone to the bathroom to wash up, and I usedthe opportunity to take the coward’s way out, pretending to be asleep when he came back. Now, in the early morning light, I lay awake, wondering what to do.
I couldn’t keep going hot and cold—it wasn’t fair to either of us. I had to stick with a plan. Either lock Zane out or let him in.
“You awake?” his gruff voice whispered from the other side of the privacy curtain.
I chewed my bottom lip before answering, “Yes.”
“I’ve been thinking. There’s a very real possibility that one or both of us could die trying to get to this tree.”
