Page 37 of Compass Points
Rose decided to let her down gently, just in case. “That’s very thoughtful. We’ve got quite a bit to do the next couple of days with our arrival.”
“Consider it an open invitation.” Juliette’s smile was still shy of genuine, but her gaze was much more casual now. “I do hope you stay long enough for the Summer Solstice Ceremony. It’s coming up, and I’m quite sure that Luc has managed to miss the ball every year since he’s been Suden Point.” Her smile turned self-satisfied as she said, “Well, I just wanted to say hi and see what all the gossip was about. I can see that they held back. I’m not sure the rumor mill knows quite what they’ve got here.” She glanced again to where Rose and Luc’s bodies connected and the casual intimacy of the posture before waving a hand and turning away. “Have a lovely evening.”
They both nodded, and Luc took Rose’s hand, entwining their fingers again as he moved them away from the border and towards the lake shore.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Waiting until she thought they were far enough away, even for fae hearing, Rose asked, “What was that, Luc?”
Luc let out a deep sigh as he wiped his hand across his face. “I’m sorry, Rose, I promised you one thing, and I didn’t even make it a day.”
“What?”
“I didn’t even keep the Osten Point away from you for a full day.”
“That wasn’t what I was asking about. What was with your magic flaring?” Rose asked.
Luc raised an eyebrow at her as if his actions had been for obvious reasons. “I thought she’d recognize you and that I would need to move quickly.”
Rose almost laughed. She had been right. He was planning to fight the Osten Point for her. She couldn’t help but smile as she replied, “She doesn’t know me.”
His head tilted ever so slightly as he tried to process her words against what he thought to be true about her being Osten herself.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Luc said. “Though I find myself curious why the Osten Point wouldn’t know you. She was Osten Point when you were last here, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Taking the easier question first, I see.” Luc seemed…Was it disappointed? She couldn’t be sure. “I mean that there was a calculation in her eyes and a recognition that had my magic standing on end.”
“I noticed the magic part.” Rose sighed again. “But what do you mean recognition?”
“As I said on the boat ride, I notice how people react to you. The people in town were intrigued by you just because you were with me, but they didn’t see you.” He gestured to the eastern border. “I’d bet anything that Juliette saw you. I don’t know what she saw, but I know she recognized you as a much more important piece to the puzzle than simply a pretty face on the Suden Point’s arm.”
She felt a warmth bloom in her chest at Luc’s words. But it was instantly cooled with the consideration of fear. Had Juliette recognized her? Rose couldn’t think of why the Osten Point would have known who she was. She had rarely been seen playing with Aiden, given his demanding schedule. It wasn’t like the Osten and Norden Point were so close anyway. She’d only been to Norden house for meetings and celebrations.
“Wasn’t Juliette the Osten Point when you were here last?” Luc interrupted her thoughts to re-ask his question.
“Yes.” She didn’t see much point in lying about this.
“May I ask why you’re so sure she doesn’t know you from your time here? Wouldn’t you have met with her?”
Rose laughed. There Luc was still assuming she was Osten and that, as an Osten fae, she would have at least had a test of her magical abilities with the Osten Point.
“That’s a no, then.” Luc couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head. “I still can’t quite work out how I can be so wrong on that,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.
Was she now a mystery to be solved as well as a tool to be used against the mist? If she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to believe that. She wanted to believe that their fake relationship had some real, unexplored feelings. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was still hiding it from him. She’d already proven that it wasn’t Juliette she was hiding from. That only left two other options. For too long, she’d been used to making sure no one knew.
“Luc…” She let his name hang there, unsure how she would continue. Was she ready to tell him more about herself? About her past here? About what it could mean for her future? Was she prepared to let the reality of who they each were interrupt the trust they were building?
“Rose, I’ve been looking all over for you.”Arie, in bird form, flew down to meet them on the lake shore.
“What’s going on, Arie?” Rose said aloud, smiling apologetically to Luc at the interruption. He nodded as she started a conversation that he could only half hear.
“Did I see you with the Osten Point? Did she recognize you?”
Rose glanced at Luc before responding, “We were just discussing that. I don’t know why she would, but Luc seems to think she knew something.”
“His instincts about you are good. You’re so used to people underestimating you. I fear sometimes you actually expect them to.”
