Page 23 of Whisker me Away
Kieran's jaw tightened, his amber eyes flashing with gold. "Sacrifice how?"
"Death." The word came out flat, clinical. "She gave her life to create magical constraints strong enough to hold a corrupted dryad."
"And you think that's what you'll have to do." It wasn't a question.
Freya's hands stilled on the bottle she'd been organizing. "The binding is failing. Every day brings more corruption, more people getting sick. If the traditional method is the only way to renew it..."
"No." Kieran's voice carried absolute authority, the kind of alpha command that made her magic flutter despite her determination to stay independent. "Find another way."
"I don't know if there is one."
"Then we'll create one." He moved around the workbench, and suddenly he was close enough she could smell his distinct scent. "You're not dying on my watch, Freya."
The possessive certainty made her pulse stutter. "It's not your decision to make."
"Isn't it?" His gaze dropped to her mouth, and she felt her resolve wavering. "After what happened the other night..."
"What happened was a mistake." The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. "I'm with Rowan. Or I'm considering it. We're having dinner tonight to discuss his proposal."
Something dangerous flickered across Kieran's expression. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" He reached out like he might touch her face, then let his hand drop. "Tell me you felt nothing when I kissed you. Tell me it was just adrenaline and proximity and I'll walk away right now."
Freya opened her mouth to lie, to protect them both from the complications of wanting something that could destroy everything she'd built with Rowan. But the words wouldn't come. Because the truth was, that kiss had felt like recognition. Like something she hadn't known she was missing.
"I can't," she whispered.
"Can't what?"
"Can't tell you it meant nothing." The admission scraped her throat raw. "But it doesn't matter what I felt. I made a commitment to consider Rowan's proposal seriously."
"And what about what you want?" Kieran's voice was gentle now, coaxing. "Not what you think you should want, or what would be practical, or what would make everyone else happy. What does your heart want, Freya?"
You,her heart whispered. But saying it would change everything, would hurt a good man who'd done nothing wrong except fall in love with someone whose heart belonged elsewhere.
"It doesn't matter what I want," she said instead. "I have responsibilities. To the town, to my bloodline, to people who've been waiting for answers. I can't afford to make decisions based on feelings."
"Even if those feelings might save your life?"
Before she could ask what he meant, the shop bell chimed again. This time it was Rowan, carrying a bouquet of autumn flowers and wearing the hopeful smile that always made her feel guilty.
"There's my beautiful witch," he said, crossing to her with easy familiarity. "Ready for our dinner?"
Freya glanced at Kieran, whose expression had gone carefully neutral except for the tension around his eyes. "Actually, Rowan, I was just finishing up some research with Kieran. Can you give me a few minutes?"
"Of course." Rowan's brown eyes flicked between them with mild curiosity. "Making progress on the corruption problem?"
"Some," Kieran said, his voice perfectly polite. "We'll have more answers soon."
"Good. The sooner this gets resolved, the sooner we can focus on happier things." Rowan's arm slipped around Freya's waist with comfortable possession.
The casual intimacy of the gesture, the assumption behind it, made Freya's stomach twist with guilt. Beside them, Kieran had gone very still, his amber eyes fixed on Rowan's arm around her waist like he was calculating exactly how much force it would take to remove it.
"Why don't you wait for me outside?" Freya suggested quickly. "I'll just be another minute."
"Take your time." Rowan pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, the kind of affection that should have made her heart flutter. Instead, all she could think about was how different it felt from Kieran's fierce possession. "I'll be right here when you're ready."
