The King of Hearts - Jovee Winters Page 0,16

not understand, because this male was not beautiful by the standard definition. And yet, I recognized a spark in him I wasn’t sure others would. Perhaps he’d been burned by a lover before, one who’d chosen someone else over him.

I shook my head. “Superficial beauty fades in the mortal realm, peddler. It is the heart that remains. And his is ugly. It is dark. I hear rumors of him. Of what he does to his lovers. I fear for my safety if I’m with him.”

His nostrils flared. “Parents should not be able to dictate the lives of their children. It is not fair. Or right. We are autonomous creatures with minds of our own and those feelings should be respected. I am sorry, milady.”

“My name is Psyche. And you may call me so. You’ve given me a great gift, peddler. To hear another, recognize my plight and be so kind to me, it is more than I’ve gotten in a long time.”

He stared down at our hands, at the vial beneath and there was a sadness on his face that I could not understand.

“Psyche, I can save you from him. If you trust me.” He looked up, and there was something a lot like determination glittering in his oceanic eyes. “I can even guarantee that you will find a love like no other. Blessed by the very gods themselves. All you have to do, is drink.”

Then he turned my palm over, and suddenly it was I that held the vial. My lips parted and I looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Do you not trust me?” he asked quietly.

“I shouldn’t.” I blinked. “You and I are but ships passing in the night. We will never see each other again. I would be a fool to take this. And yet…”

I paused, again studying him. There was a sense in me like I’d known this male forever. Like I’d waited the entirety of my nineteen years for him. It was bizarre and so strange. And I had the sudden yearning that this was the male I’d been betrothed to. That it was him and not the beautiful Arganon who was my future.

His knuckles brushed feather light across my cheek. “I do not deceive you, milady Psyche. Most beautiful female both on earth and the heavens,” he said it quietly, reverently and I sucked in a sharp breath. “My potions do work. But I cannot lie to you either. There is a cost with them.”

I frowned. Looking down at the vial. “Will it kill me to drink this?”

“No.” He was quick to say. “No.” His larger hand encircled my wrist gently. Tenderly. “But it will make mortal men not want you.”

“But you said—”

He nodded. “Yes. And I did not lie. You will find a love like no other. But it will not be from among the realm of man.”

I blinked, thinking of stories of the sons and daughters of the gods. Great monstrosities. The mammoth cyclops, or the bull-headed Minotaur. They were called monsters, but some…some were not so hideous. There were the gallant centaurs and the seductive merpeople who lived deep in the ocean trenches.

“I only have one question, peddler. Will he love me?”

He shook his head, but his beautiful lips turned up in a gorgeous, crooked smile. “With all his heart.”

“And you can see this? You know this with a certainty?”

He nodded. “Absolutely, divine Psyche. His heart will be completely yours.”

“Then…” I snatched my hand back, uncorking the vial. I did not stop to think for another moment. I did not want the life my parents had chosen for me. I did not want Arganon. I wanted peace. I wanted love.

I drank.

The elixir was sweet. Sticky. It was hard to swallow, but once I did, I felt heat course through me in a rush. I sucked in a sharp breath and then I looked at the male.

His eyes were still soft. And full of wonder.

“You chose love,” he said it like he could not actually believe it.

“I chose peace. I chose, peddler. Not my parents. No one else, but me. Whether true love exists for me or not, I now know I am safe from the clutches of Arganon. And I am thankful for it.”

“Sister,” Adelia’s voice suddenly pierced through our conversation.

I turned. “Adelia?”

She laughed uncertainly. “What are you doing kneeling in the dirt like a common street rat? You know how angry father will be when he sees your hem dusty.”

“I was speaking to the ped—” I turned, ready to make