Page 5 of Fae Farewells

Novak chuckled. “And that’s only two reasons why we love you, Trouble.”

I scoffed as he tugged me back into his lap. “You say we like I’m just supposed to accept the second-hand confessionals of your eavesdropping?”

“If the demon was telepathic, he’d be worse than me,” my vampire murmured, tracing his nose along my neck.

“I don’t doubt that.”

“They do love you.”

“That isn’t for you to tell me. We’ll cross those bridges when we get to them. I’m not in any rush.”

He nodded, as if my answer was sufficient for him to drop the subject. “Now, show me the memories.”

I dragged him into another clip of memories with an audible sigh. This type of sharing was intimate, nothing like how I passed information to my hounds or even Jack. But I understood why this could be vital in the coming days, though something told me my fae wouldn’t need reassurances like this.

A monster lurked beneath the surface of my dark prince.

I was just waiting for him to burst forth, leaving my heart ablaze and my body wrecked.

I was so close to escaping the VIP section and all the stares that accompanied my secluded corner. Three more steps was all it would take, but that hellacious pull in my chest grew unbearable. I stopped short, and Jack quirked a perfect fucking brow at me as my focus frayed.

The male before me smirked, his icy blue eyes dancing in amusement as his cheeks flushed. I cataloged every feature on display, swearing he was a gift from the gods. I knew he wasn’t, though. This male was trouble. The good kind, but trouble nonetheless.

Novak snorted, and I swatted at his shoulder, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

“Oh, the irony,” he sang through his laughter.

“Do you want to see the next one or not?”

“Please proceed.”

I huffed in response, unable to kick the looming attitude. Shielding my thoughts was already becoming tiresome, though it felt easier with my vampire actively flitting through my mind. I shook my head at his questioning gaze, unsure of how to explain what I didn’t know.

The pad of Vaughn’s thumb stroked over the cuts on my face. Concern sharpened his expression as he sped my natural healing along, because he knew it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. He wanted to help me appear like that wasn’t the case when I addressed Kade’s minions.

He understood without me saying a word. And as he watched Grim collect the souls of the dead, I watched the striking fae before me, briefly wondering why my chest felt so godsdamn fuzzy.

“That’s something I can answer for you.”

“Don’t,” I warned softly.

“You still don’t get it?”

“I comprehend it. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to say it. And unlike someone we know, he won’t pressure me into admitting feelings before I’m ready.”

Novak smiled as he shook his head. “Being ready and being scared are two very different things, Trouble. You were ready. You were just too scared to say it after everything that happened with York. I, a telepathic vampire, could read all that once we sealed our bond. I wasn’t going to let you use past trauma as an excuse to not live a little.”

“A. You’re so fucking romantic,” I grouched. “And B. You’re fucking nosy.”

“You love me.”

“That is beside the point, not the main points.”

“Give me one more memory, Trouble. I know you have a few to pick from.”

I leaned my forehead against his as I shared the echo of turbulent emotions in the moment I showed him… and how they settled, if only for a few stolen seconds.

Vaughn sighed as he sat beside me on the edge of the roof, pressing me to his side as he traced his fingertips over my knuckles. He was worried, but this differed from his usual worry. I didn’t know if he intended it or not, but he was good at comforting me, letting me know it was okay to not be okay.