Page 50 of Death of a Mortal

“It does. You look quite handsome yourself,V.”

He chuckled, that grin I liked so much on display. “I thought you’d never say so.”

All teasing aside, he did look good in his fitted black pants and coat with silver fastenings at the wrists and down the chest. If purple was my color, then black was his—somehow the darkness made his blue eyes glow more.

We walked through the castle at a leisurely pace, my hand planted firmly on his arm. His muscles were distractingly strong and flexed with every small movement.

The conversation was light but flowed easily, and I found both my nerves and the butterflies had settled—for now.

We left the castle through a side exit I hadn’t yet seen. It led us directly into a smaller, more private garden, but in my eyes, one far more beautiful than the manicured hedges, rows of flowers, and trees across the grounds.

Everywhere I looked, there were roses blooming full, and in every color imaginable—deep pinks, light purples, bright reds. Soft white, electric pink, even light blue, and pinkish orange. They were all intermingled, giving off an impression of colorful chaos. It was just my kind of garden.

There were even smaller roses growing on vines, weaving their way across the archways that stretched overhead every few feet down the main path. I didn’t even know roses grew on vines.

And the scent—gods, the smell. Roses thick in the air, sweet and heady. Next to honeysuckle, this was my favorite floral aroma.

“This is my favorite of the gardens around the castle. Most are trimmed, clipped to perfection, and grown with precision. Here, the roses grow as they please. It’s beautifully wild.”

He was looking at me when he said the last part. My heart stuttered.

“It’s… I don’t even have the words. It’s wonderful.”

“I’m glad you approve. Because we’ll be dining here, under the stars and blooms.”

He nodded toward a table set for two at the end of the path. Candles lit the area, some on the table, some hanging from the archways, some just…floating. Fae magic could be beautiful, I thought secretly, though I didn’t want to admit it.

The sun was setting, and the stars were coming out in the darkening sky. The scene was exquisite, bringing a smile to my face. This was the kind of scene you’d read in romance books. I’d thought surely things like this never happened in real life.

Yet here I was, in a real-life fantasy.

He pulled a chair out for me, and I took my seat. He remained standing as he opened a bottle of dark-red wine and poured a glass, first for me, then for him. I watched him above me and thought vaguely that this was a position I might like to find myself in at the end of the night. Him, over me, and me…

Gods, I hadn’t even had a sip of wine yet. The slip I was wearing under my dress clearly had the sexual tension wound tight within me.

He sat down across from me at the small, intimate table, mere feet away from me, eyes twinkling in the candlelight. “To you, Naci.” He raised his glass and flashed me that princely smile. “To hoping that you’ve found both your stay at the castle and my company enjoyable.”

Then he took a long drink from his glass.

I took a longer one.

The wine was divine. Not too sweet, but a perfect balance of spices and fruit.

“Have you learned anything about your mother since your arrival?”

I took another sip to give myself some time to think about my answer. No matter how much I wanted to trust him, I couldn’t forget who his father was—the man who had brutally murdered the leader of the rebels and possibly held my mom prisoner.

“I haven’t.”Thatwas what took me so long to think of?

Had I wrinkled my forehead? Oh gods, he was looking at my forehead. He knew I was lying.

He hesitated for a long moment, which set my heart racing. “That’s a shame,” he finally said, leaning back in his chair, crossing an ankle over one knee. If he knew, he was letting it slide.

“So tell me about your magic,Prince. I know you’re a wolf shifter, but do you have an elemental ability too? Don’t all fae have elemental abilities?”

He gave a quick smile, as if he knew I was changing the subject on purpose. But he indulged me anyway. “They do. I have ice in my veins alongside the wolf in my bones. Often the elements complement a shifter’s vey.”

“Vey?”