“I don’t think I can give that to you. Try again.” I select my warm loaf from the basket. He hums. I suddenly notice he’s avoiding my eyes. His cheeks are slightly flushed. “You have something else in mind?”
“I’m thinking.”
“I’ll wait.” I tear of hunks of bread, popping them in my mouth while he works up the courage to ask for whatever it is he wants.
“Iwannahearyousinggain.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I wantta hear y’singagain.”
I lean toward him. “One more time.”
“I want to hear you sing again.” He finally enunciates every word, looking painfully yet adorably shy as he does. “Play me a song with the lute I bring you.”
I’m on the verge of agreeing when I think of what Davien said. “What song?”
“Any song of your choosing.”
“When?”
“Any time of your choosing.”
“For how long?”
“Any song, any time, in any fashion of your choosing. You have free will to decide the circumstances of how you fulfill this deal.”
I hum and narrow my eyes. “You know I know your parents now, right? You’re not trying to be sneaky, are you?”
His skinny tail twitches with annoyance. “I’ll bring you a lute if you play me a song as you want, when you want. But when you play, I have to be able to sit right in the front to listen. That’s all I ask. No catches. No tricks.”
“Deal.” I stand and ruffle his hair. Who knows if he’ll actually bring the lute, anyway? “You’re not so bad, for a kid.”
“And you’re halfway decent, for a human.” He sticks out his tongue at me.
“Raph.” Davien’s tone is a warning.
I stick my tongue back at the little fae, making sure Davien sees so he knows our jest is mutual. I glance back at him with a slight grin. “I started it.”
“I’m sure you did.” He holds out a hand expectantly.
It takes me a moment to realize he wants a hunk of my bread. Maybe I like the man more than I think I do, because I actually pass him a chunk without telling him to get his own.
“You’re not quite the docile wife I was expecting as the daughter of a lord. I feel like our time together is punctuated with me finding you in places you shouldn’t be, doing things you shouldn’t do.”
“It’s a curse of mine,” I mumble, thinking of my childhood. I always ended up in their way, or finding a place Joyce didn’t want me to. Like a back entrance to her closet. In Helen’s studio.
Or the rooftop…
“I rather find it a delight. If I was going to be married in the Natural World’s record to any human, I suppose there are worse ones to be saddled with.” He’s fighting a grin and losing.
“I’m shocked you didn’t find a wife before me, with charm like that.” I shove bread into my mouth.
“I’m shocked you didn’t find a husband before me, with manners like those.”
I roll my eyes but crack a smile. It falls as a thought occurs to me. “You said married in the Natural World…”
“Don’t worry, we’re not married here by any stretch.” He starts for Vena’s audience chamber. “There are no tricks and no laws of the fae I’ve used. Rumors of fae stealing women’s hands are greatly overexaggerated.”
