“How could I forget?” I smiled at his usage of the name I’d given to his shadow ability. His ultimate superhero power, I’d called it. “Those crow demons didn’t stand a chance against you.”
“Because they tried to hurt the one thing in this life I care about. A treasure unlike any other.” His thumb brushed over my lips. “Even back then, I think a part of me loved you. You have a hold over me no one else ever will.”
“You have one over me too.” Tears stung my eyes. He was right. I really was a sap who cried all the time. “I’m so happy you Evan-napped me that day on the beach.”
“One of the best decisions I ever made.”
“One of the best? What’s at the top of that list?”
Rowan’s smile vanished, leaving behind something even softer. “Going all-in with you. I put everything on the table. Showed you the dark sides of myself. And instead of casting me aside, you grabbed my hand and told me to stay.”
“I’ll always want you to stay.”
His mouth slanted over mine before making contact. The kiss was shaky at first, buzzing with the vulnerability that came from such heartfelt confessions. But then, the tremble in his lips steadied, and the kiss deepened. A lot like our relationship. Unsteady in the beginning but growing stronger with the passing of each day.
“Your breakfast is getting cold,” I murmured against his mouth.
“Then I’ll eat it cold.” His fingers dug into my hair. “Right now, I only want you.”
Our lips met again.
As much as I wished for our future to be nothing but lazy mornings in bed, stomach fluttering kisses, and countless laughs, fate had other plans. Being with me put my men at risk should the wrong person learn the truth about whose blood ran through my veins.
But I didn’t think about any of that.
Instead, I focused only on him. On my smart-mouthed spy who loved spicy food, rum, and running across rooftops beneath a starry sky. A man I’d fallen head over heels in love with.
Chapter Ten
Fruit Carts Make the Best Hiding Spots
The market was a bustle of activity. Enticed by the sunny day, people ventured out for an afternoon of shopping and running errands. Me included.
Though still cold, the day was warmer than previous ones. I strolled down the lanes, taking in the smells of the various food stalls, burning coals from the blacksmith’s forge, and perfume from the lady selling floral oils and sprays. Wind blew in from the harbor, carrying with it the scent of saltwater.
“Fancy a baguette, mister Evan?” the baker called out from the doorway of his shop. “I just pulled some from the oven.”
“Oh, definitely!” I zoomed over, juggling the bags on my arm filled with my recent purchases. Spices from the shop near the bookstore, packages of meat from the butcher, and some colorful vials I’d seen in the window of the apothecary I thought Briar might like.
“Excellent. Give me a moment.” Barty offered me a kind smile and stepped back into his shop. He was in his late sixties, with a rounded midsection and a bushy mustache that fluttered when he laughed. A good guy all around.
Much better than the former baker. That asshole had been sent packing after too many complaints of his mistreatment of demi-humans; Miles having been one of them. Good riddance. Prince Sawyer’s hard work on passing protection laws for demi-humans had probably been the reason for that.
“Here you are.” Barty returned with a loaf that was, indeed, fresh from the oven and smelled incredible.
“Yay. Thank you.” I pulled out my coin pouch and paid him before tucking the baguette into a bag. I liked supporting the other shopkeepers. They, in turn, came to my café to return the favor. We helped each other. The way a community should be.
“Watch your step, darling,” a man told the lady on his arm before guiding her around a heap of slushy snow.
More snow had melted with the recent days of sunshine. What hadn’t melted had been shoveled from the main path and sorted into piles. I skirted around those piles and kept watch for any icy spots as I continued through the market, checking off items on my shopping list.
The café was open today, but Miles had told me he had everything handled and to take my time. Pretty sure it was a ploy to get me out of the kitchen for a few hours. I baked when anxious, and with everything going on in my life—worry over demons, fretting over the various doom endings if anyone learned my royal secret, and my growing feelings for Callum—I might’ve overdone it lately. Just a little.
“Make way!” a woman shouted.
A group of adventurers passed by, hauling a monstrous boar on a rickety cart. Off to claim their reward at the Guild Hall. Bounties were always posted for boars. The meat went to the butcher and the thick hide to the blacksmith for weapons and armor. Boar hunting was a lucrative, but dangerous, profession. Not sure if a bag of coin was worth that risk.
Fortunately, I’d never encountered a live boar. They kept to the lands east of the kingdom. I’d probably shit myself if I saw one running at me with its massive tusks and hooves that could easily crush a grown man’s skull.
