The Rebel Queen (Outlaw #1) - Lexi Blake Page 0,101
His expression had softened as though fond memories were playing through his head.
Memories I had no part in. His formative years had come and gone, and I’d been a distant memory. “I’m sorry I missed it. Did it help at all to have your grandfather?”
“Like all things in this life I find myself leading, Grandad’s reappearance was confusing. I’m glad it didn’t happen until I was almost seventeen or I think my sexuality would be even more fucked up.”
Now we were getting somewhere. “You like Shy?”
He’d eaten half of his second sandwich but seemed to lose his appetite. He wrapped it back up. “She’s a beautiful woman. She’s smart and kind, and she’s been through a lot.”
“And she carries your grandfather’s soul around.”
Rhys huffed, a frustrated sound. “He chooses the worst times to come out, Mom. Like the absolute worst. I almost managed to forget he was there once. Shy and I had been talking late into the night, and it was almost dawn. I lost my head and moved in to kiss her and Grandad shows up and tells me she’s not ready. Couldn’t she have told me that herself? Did she have to send my grandpa after me?”
I bit back a laugh because though he was joking, it was easy to see it hadn’t been funny for him. “Was it the first time you tried to kiss a girl?”
He snorted as though I’d said something silly. “No. I’ve had some minor experiences. We visited some interesting planes. I’ve made out with a few women in bars, but I couldn’t let it go far. Sasha made sure there were condoms around, but I didn’t know if they would work on me. And I didn’t know how to ask. I can’t believe I told you that.”
“I’m very easy to talk to. You know you used to tell me everything. As for the condoms, they work or you would have many more siblings.”
“I shudder at the thought. I can’t handle the ones I do have. That’s good to know though. Condoms, however, don’t stop my magic from going crazy. One of the pubs we were in, one of the ones I made out in, it got covered in ivy. We had to hack our way out. The owner was not happy.”
“You’ll get better with that, though you’re already far more powerful than your papa was at your age. He could only explode a single houseplant when we would make out.”
“You don’t have to talk about it. Trust me, Papa talks far too much about it. I don’t remember him being this forthcoming,” Rhys admitted. “I know we had talks about how to control my powers, but they did not include stories of how he has to control them around you and Dad.”
I felt my jaw drop. “He does not.”
“And he gives examples.”
“Well, he’s Fae. I happen to know his mother is very open about her sexuality. Including hitting on your dad once.”
Rhys winced. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “And I will talk to your papa. He needs to know where your boundaries are.”
If we’d been here all along, would those boundaries be as tight as they seemed to be now?
“Anyway, Shy and I have a nice friendship,” he continued. “It’s good we didn’t confuse things.”
I’d seen the way Shy looked at my son, the way her eyes followed him anywhere he went. “You never tried again? You haven’t talked to her about how you feel?”
“I told you how I feel,” Rhys replied, his expression shuttering. “It would have been complicated. Besides, she doesn’t want that kind of relationship.”
“That’s not what she said. At least that’s not how you said it,” I replied.
Rhys shrugged. “She didn’t say anything at all. Granddad did.”
“I suspect your grandfather was protecting Shy. Not from you. He said she wasn’t ready. That doesn’t mean she’ll never be ready. You said yourself that Shy’s been through a lot. How early was this in your relationship with her?” I asked.
“A few weeks after she showed up in Frelsi.”
“And you haven’t talked to her about it since?” I thought he might be too timid around her.
“I respected her wishes,” Rhys said firmly.
“What are her wishes now?”
“She seems happy with the way things are.” Rhys sighed and stood up. “We should go. We’re losing what little daylight we have. I’m beginning to suspect Ingrid and Halle have moved on. We’ll check deeper into the countryside tomorrow. I can send out someone to find them and then we don’t have to repeat this.”