Page 21 of Oathborn
Sudden, icy fear trickled down Zari’s spine. All thoughts of him being anything other than fae vanished. She hadn’t provided her surname. “I don’t want anything.” Certainly not from him, whoever he was.
“Oh, everyone wants something, I’m sure of it. If not now, then soon.” He brushed past her, close enough she caught the scent of minty soap and salt water. Their shoulders bumped, and she staggered backward, only for his hand to grab hers. They stood like that for a moment, his uncannily bright eyes locked on hers. He nodded. “Enjoy the peace your father left you.”
He plunged into the gap between two rose bushes.
“Wait!” Zari yelled, charging after him. “What do you—” The thorns snagged at her dress and she bent to free herself. Each tug at the fabric only pulled the thorns deeper. They seemed animated somehow, as if they’d been given a mission not to let her pass.
Such a thing was impossible. Wasn’t it?
When she looked up, the stranger had disappeared entirely. Only the branches swaying in the wind made any noise. She searched the area around where he’d been and found nothing, not even a bent branch to indicate where he’d walked.
Magic, a little voice in her head said.Fae magic.
“Come back!” she yelled.
Again, she pushed aside the bushes, as if sure that the man would reappear. He didn’t, nor could she find any trace of him at all. This time, no thorns snarled her already-ripped dress. In fact, it seemed most of the stems of theplants barely had thorns at all. Which meant what had so thoroughly stopped her before had been magic.
There was no way around it, no way to logic through what she’d experienced.
Sitting on the nearest bench, she tried her best to calm her racing heart. Something crinkled in her pocket. She fumbled with one hand to retrieve another one of those strange, folded bits of paper. The man, or fae, must have slipped it to her when he’d bumped into her. But why?
“Zari?” Yansin’s voice called. Relief swept through her. He sprinted into view, his eyes wide with concern. “I heard you shouting.”
“Someone cut through the rose bushes,” she said, tucking the paper back into her pocket. “I followed them and tore my dress.” Her best dress, in fact. One she’d looked forward to wearing tonight.
His brow furrowed as he leaned past her, one hand reaching out to part the branches. “Did they upset you?”
“No.” Unnerved might be the better word, but she hardly wished to ruin the date. What good would it do to mention the use of magic, the possibility the stranger had been a fae?
Instead, she smiled at Yansin. He’d changed into a fresh shirt and pulled his auburn hair up. Apart from the artists who sometimes painted in the park, she’d never seen a man with hair as long as his. She found herself liking it a great deal. “How are you?”
“I am well, though not convinced you are.” He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.
Surely, blurting out that she’d met a strange man who might be a fae wouldn’t be the most auspicious start to a date. “I’m sorry,” she said. A small part of her wanted to ask if he knew how to read the fae language, but given how his heritage had weighed on him earlier, she decided against it. Her father had once told her no human had ever learned the fae’s language. If it was easily passed down in families with fae blood, surely he would have known that.
Yansin tilted his head, looking at her a bit strangely. “Our date’s not even started and you’re already blushing. Shall I take that as a compliment?”
“You may.”
He sketched a silly little bow, as if he was about to ask her to dance a waltz. “And may I escort you to this ice cream parlor we agreed upon?”
“You may,” she said again, this time, smiling as her worries faded like dew in sunlight. She had the night off from work. The weather was perfect. She was on a date with a kind, handsome man.
What could possibly go wrong?
Zari had never seen a store quite as charming as the new ice cream parlor. The walls were a pale mint green, matching the cushions on the row of chrome stools, and the booths along the window. Yansin held the door open for her, and as she entered, the sweet smell of caramel and vanilla enveloped her. “This is lovely!”
“I agree,” he replied, though he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. He blushed, suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll admit to being slightly worried about the first impression I’d make taking you somewhere I’ve never been before.”
“Nonsense,” Zari smiled back at him. “We’ve already made our first impressions.” In far less peaceful setting as well. Their first meeting had been forged in fire. He’d worked so tirelessly to help her save the soldiers, and so bravely fought through his own pain.
As they settled into a booth, Zari studied the paper menu. “So you haven’t been here before?”
“Even trying ice cream will be a first for me.” Yansin grinned. “Though I’ve yet to meet a sweet I didn’t like.”
The way his hazel eyes sparkled made Zari wonder if she wasalsoa sweet to him. Was Yansin nothing more than a flirtatious cad? “The floats are supposed to be good,” Zari said, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.
The ice cream parlor was clearly a place for budding romances. A couple occupied each booth, and most had ordered the drink, which was served in a tall glass, bedecked with whipped cream and two straws.
