Page 27 of Whisker me Away
"Including us?"
The direct question hung between them like a blade. Freya met his eyes, seeing hurt and hope warring in their brown depths, and felt her heart break a little.
"I don't want to be," she whispered. "You're everything I should want, Rowan. You're kind and dependable and you understand my magic. You'd be an amazing partner."
"Should want." Rowan's voice was quiet. "That's an interesting choice of words."
"That's not what I meant."
"But it’s what you said." He leaned back in his chair, his expression growing thoughtful. "Freya, I've known you since we were children. I can read your moods better than anyone except maybe Maizy. And lately, you've been different."
"Different how?"
"Distracted. Like your mind's somewhere else." Rowan's thumb traced across her knuckles. "Or on someone else."
The accusation was gentle but unmistakable. Freya's magic responded to her emotional turmoil, making the candle flames dance between them.
"I saw you with Kieran this morning," Rowan continued when she didn't respond. "The way you looked at him, the way your magic responded to his presence. I'm not blind, Freya."
"We're working together. Nothing more." The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.
"Are you sure about that?" Rowan's voice carried no anger, only sad understanding. "Because if there's something between you two, I need to know. I can't fight for someone whose heart belongs elsewhere."
Freya stared at their joined hands, at the promise of safety and partnership he represented. Part of her wanted to lie, to push down her feelings for Kieran and accept the life Rowan offered. It would be easier. Simpler. It wouldn't require her to hurt anyone or make impossible choices.
But the memory of Kieran's kiss burned through her resolve like fire.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I honestly don't know what I feel or what I want anymore."
Rowan's face fell, and the pain in his eyes made her want to take back the words. But she couldn't lie to him anymore,couldn't pretend her heart was as logical as her head wanted it to be.
"I see." He pulled his hand away slowly, like he was afraid sudden movement might shatter them both. "Is it him? Kieran?"
"Rowan, please."
"I just need to understand." His voice stayed gentle despite the hurt radiating from him. "Is this about his reputation? The challenge of taming someone untameable? Because if that's what this is..."
"It's not about that." Freya's magic flared with defensive energy, making the wine glasses ring softly. "I don't want to tame anyone. I don't even want to want him. But I can't seem to stop."
The confession was raw and honest and devastating. Rowan absorbed it with the grace she'd always admired, his expression cycling through pain.
"Then I suppose we have our answer," he said quietly.
"I don’t think so." Freya leaned forward, desperate to salvage something from the wreckage of their friendship. "Because wanting something doesn't mean it's right. Doesn't mean it's smart or safe or good for anyone involved."
"Maybe not. But it means it's real." Rowan managed a sad smile. "And real feelings deserve honest consideration, even when they're inconvenient."
The restaurant's front windows suddenly exploded inward in a shower of glass and writhing black vines. Diners screamed and scrambled away from their tables as corrupted plant matter poured through the opening like living smoke, seeking and questing with malevolent intelligence.
But the vines weren't random in their attack. They moved with purpose, flowing across the dining room in a direct line toward her table.
"Freya!" Rowan was on his feet instantly, his earth magic flaring to life as he threw up a protective barrier between her and the approaching corruption. "Get behind me!"
The vines hit his shield with enough force to make him stumble backward, his magic crackling under the assault. Freya watched in horror as black tendrils wrapped around the edges of his barrier, testing for weaknesses, probing for ways through his defenses.
"It's not going to hold," she said, her own magic surging in response to the threat. "Rowan, your shield is breaking."
"I've got it." Sweat beaded on his forehead as he poured more power into the barrier. "Just stay back."
