Frost Fae (Dark Fae Kings #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,29
guys or their dads had a castle.
I was in a different world now, plucked out of a future I’d once set my heart on. My college life was a faded dream I could never chase again.
“Let’s not go that far, Rowan,” I said. “We agreed to take it slow and get to know each other first. Perhaps we can talk about our hobbies?”
“Hobbies?” He peeked at me. “Like going to war and leading my warriors to victory?”
I grimaced, realizing that a career king might not have the luxury of hobbies. He might be more into giving orders to have someone’s head chopped off. According to the history books, kings and queens were mostly monsters, regardless of their race or nationality. I’d never met any royalty, so I wouldn’t exactly know. But now I was dating one, and soon three. So, I might have to get used to the new scenery and hope they wouldn’t turn out to be monsters in truth.
“Do you like music?” I asked.
“Yes.” He smiled, icy fire shining in his beautiful blue eyes. “The court bards sing in every festival. We’ll have the Summer Solstice carnival soon, and all the best musicians will perform in my palace.”
Oh boy. I wasn’t sure about the compatibility of this bard thing and my own music taste. I twirled a finger around a long strand of my golden hair. I needed to find common ground for us. But what were our common interests other than mutual lust? Feelings and desire would all fade one day if we didn’t have a solid foundation to build our relationship on.
“So, Rowan. Here’s the thing.”
Before I could continue, he lifted my chin and peeked into my eyes. The honest feelings written in his face made me lost for words.
“I can change for you, Evie,” he said. “I’ll adapt for you. You aren’t like any woman I’ve ever met. I can’t figure you out from one step to the next. And I love it when you surprise and challenge me like no one else. You’re fearless and exhilarating. I need a woman like you, as I’m getting too used to the old ways and becoming stagnant. You bring vigor and freshness into my life.”
“But you frown at me every time I challenge you,” I said, spreading my fingers over his dress shirt that stretched over his cut chest. The Winter King was huge, yet perfectly proportioned. My breath hitched at his breathtaking beauty.
“You can get under my skin. That’s a fact,” he admitted, the calloused pad of his thumb gently tracing my cheek. We seemed unable to keep our hands to ourselves in this lovely frozen world. “And no woman, except you, has ever had the privilege to see through my cold, merciless exterior and find the real man inside. I invite you in, Evelina, to explore me as I want to explore your every inch, and to see for yourself if you can finally trust me. Of course, I’ll keep earning your trust, respect, and love. See into my soul, Evie, and see that you are in its very center.”
It sounded like he was drafting an ancient poem. I kind of like this poetic side of Fae courting.
“Really?” I gazed up at him through my thick lashes. “And you won’t mind me asking you some tough questions?”
He beamed down at me, sending my core shivering. “How about a kiss first, my Evie?”
Without waiting for my nod, he brushed his icy lips across mine, igniting another wave of fire between my thighs.
The day wouldn’t go as I planned if I let myself burn so fast and so soon. I needed to keep my wits about me. I pulled back from the kiss, steeling myself for what I needed to ask.
When Baron and Rowan first appeared in my backyard, they hadn’t known that I understood the Fae tongue. Baron had accused Rowan of stealing a Fae woman named Minerva from him.
“Too bad you couldn’t protect her, and you let her die in your court,” Baron had said, his amber eyes brimming with hatred toward his half-brother. Then he’d pointed at me. “This girl will suffer the same fate.”
That episode had stuck in my mind.
“Who’s Minerva?” I asked, keeping my breath even as I watched my date’s expression closely. “Is she why you and Baron are always at each other’s throats?”
Rowan let out a frosty breath and looked away, staring into the distant glacier world. His arms tightened around me as if afraid I would leave him the