These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(42)

Not only do I need to think about what I learned during the meeting, I need to consider what I want to do about what I felt from Sebastian when I lowered my shields, but I guess that’s not happening.

I pull out a cloak. I’ll need it if I end up lingering at the settlement until after sunset, and I might as well get on my way. “How long until you leave?” I ask, slamming the armoire closed a little harder than necessary.

When I spin around, Finn’s blocking my path to the door. He cocks his head to the side. “Already dreading my departure?”

“Not in the slightest.” But as soon as the words leave my lips, I recognize them for the lie they are. Gods, I hate how conflicted I am when it comes to Finn. I miss our friendship, that feeling of belonging I had when I trained with his misfit faerie crew, but it wasn’t real. The only reason he befriended me to begin with—the only reason any of them gave a shit about me—was because of that damn crown, and I’m too proud to let my anger go so easily.

But now that he’s so close, I’m reminded of the way my power purrs in his presence. My power and . . . other things.

Maybe this physical attraction was never real. Maybe the way Oberon’s power responds in the presence of Unseelie royalty messes with my head, makes me think there’s attraction— chemistry— when what I’m really feeling is a great magic I’m still not able to control.

“I should’ve known Misha would take advantage of the opportunity to scoop you up.” He smiles, and for once it’s not the cynical twist of his lips I know so well. “He always was one of the smarter ones.”

“I had nowhere else to go,” I say, folding my arms. “It’s not like I rushed headlong into some sort of alliance. I’ve already made that mistake once.”

“Is that what I am to you?” he asks, stepping close. “A mistake?”

He’s so tall and broad, and when he’s this close and looking down on me with soft eyes, I feel . . .

safe.

None of this is real. They need Oberon’s power. Nothing’s changed.

“Excuse me,” I say, sidestepping even though there’s not enough room between him and the bed for me to move around him. “I’m running late.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“What?” I shake my head. “No. I go to the settlement every day. I can manage on my own.”

Finn arches a brow. “I don’t doubt that, but I’d planned to visit today anyway and figured we could go together.” He steps to the side, finally allowing me through. “After you, Princess.”





Chapter Eleven

Less than twenty minutes later, I’m riding Two Star and trying not to admire the way Finn looks trotting along in front of me. I’m failing. The truth is, Finn looks absolutely regal on horseback. He rides like he was born atop a horse, as if adjusting to the creature’s canter is second nature. He looks like the king he should be.

“What are you thinking about so hard back there?” Finn asks, glancing over his shoulder.

“The children,” I lie. Though they’re never too far from my mind. “Many in this settlement have yet to be reunited with their families.”

Finn bows his head, as if he took the words as a reminder of his failings. “Misha told me what you did,” he finally says.

Frowning, I nudge Two Star forward to ride alongside him. I don’t like the idea of Misha talking to Finn about me—especially since the king has all too frequently been privy to my most private thoughts. “What I did when? ”

Finn keeps his eyes on the trail ahead. “When you were running from the Golden Palace, you stopped to help with an escape at one of the queen’s camps. You freed those children even though you hate the fae and were angry with Sebastian—and with me, for all I’d done, for my trickery and . . . for what I’d planned.”

“The children are not responsible,” I say. “For any of it.”

“I know that, but . . .”

“You thought I’d hold it against them? They did not choose to be born fae, and I do not blame them for the decisions of those who came before them.”

He arches a brow, as if he finds my response intriguing. “Perhaps not, but there are many who believe themselves good people who avert their gaze from injustice every day. You could’ve done the same.”

I look away, unable to handle the intensity in his eyes. “I know what it’s like—to be powerless like that. There are children in the mortal realm who are tricked into unfair contracts and end up spending their lives in servitude. I always told myself that if I had the power, I’d free them. For years, I would look at the night sky and send that wish up to the stars, but I remained trapped and powerless, and I stopped believing.”

“No, you didn’t,” he says softly. “You told yourself you didn’t believe, because that hope made you feel weak, but you never stopped believing.”

I shrug. He’s probably right, but back in Elora I was too busy surviving to give it much thought. “I helped because I could. That they’re fae hardly matters. They’re innocents, and they deserve someone to fight for them.”

“Just like you and Jas needed someone to fight for you?” he asks.

I swallow hard. “I fought for us. We were okay.”