Was I already his? Did he truly see me as such?
“…but to tell you more would place you in great harm.”
Those words snared my attention. I frowned. “Harm? Why? I rarely left father’s palace, I have no enemies. Who could possibly wish to—”
He squeezed my hand. “So long as I live, you will never know harm. All I ask is that you trust me. With your heart. With your body. With your soul. And I, in turn, will give you every part of me.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Could it really be this simple? Was it possible that even with the guise on me, and the fact that I could not even see who my husband truly was that somehow, we might be able to build a future together? A happy one?
“What do you say, Psyche? Will you live happily ever after with me?”
Growing up I had one truth instilled into me, I would never be my own. My entire path in life would be dictated to me by the whims of my father, that whatever I was told to do I would do. Even my own sweet mother had told me that no matter who my father choose for me, it was important that I always smile, always seem pleased by anything and everything my husband told me I should do. That my worth was simply in my body and nothing more.
And yet, here I was now, sitting before an invisible man who was asking me whether I would love him just as deeply as he loved me.
A smile more radiant than the sun and coming from deep within me, poured out of my soul. “I will love you forever, my mate.”
I heard his deep inhale and in my mind’s eye I imagined that he had his eyes closed and a grateful smile gracing his full, lovely lips.
“Then you may call me by whatever name you choose.”
I laughed. “You wish me to name you? Are you serious?”
Suddenly a plate of delicious delicacies popped into existence before me. I squealed at the juicy ripeness of the figs and the thick wedges of various cheeses and cured meats placed before me. A pot of gently smoking tea sat to the side.
He pushed the plate closer toward me, then the mug was lifted into the air and he poured us both tea.
“You really would allow me to just name you?” My laughter was incredulous.
“I do not like mine. Mine has been a name that has come to mean pain. Harm. Shame. I wish to be reborn. To have my new name symbolize something altogether opposite.”
His voice was soft, but there was a pain threaded through it. I shook my head. My curiosity to know more about him only continuing to grow.
“Well, I suppose before I can name you, I should know more about you. What is it you like?”
I took the cup of tea and sipped. It was amazingly delicious. There were notes of vanilla, and apricots, the sweetness of honey, and sharp notes of pepper. I smiled, sighing softly to myself as I pressed it against my chest.
“You. I like you.”
I laughed. The sweet sincerity of his voice made my insides feel mushy and hot.
“What?” he asked, a soft chuckle in his words, “it’s true.”
I couldn’t hide my smile, I felt like it stretched from ear to ear. But I was delighted with my partner. And I could never have imagined in a thousand years that I would feel as I did for my mate. Maybe drinking that potion had been the best thing I could have ever done. Father never would have consented to handing me over to a “beast” otherwise.
“While, I love hearing that. I need just a little more.”
“Like?”
I one shouldered shrug. “I don’t know, like what is your favorite color?”
He was silent for several long moments. “Auburn, with hints of gold in it when the sun bounces off of it. Moonstone flesh.”
I rubbed my hands over my arms, feeling goosepimples. Suddenly a lank of my hair slid through his fingers. I jerked, realizing that he was no longer sitting in front of me, but now standing beside me. I didn’t move, but my body felt liquid. Molten. I’d never experienced anything quite like this. I’d always thought I wanted to be alone, that I didn’t want to be hindered down by responsibilities of marriage. But maybe I’d just never met the right male before?
His hands were suddenly on my shoulders and I moaned as his thumbs rubbed