Chapter 8 #2
“After the funeral dinner that night, I returned to my rooms to find that Jacques, and maybe the twins as well, had filled them with birds—-geese and ducks and swans. It’s probably where he put Phoebe.
But if you’ve been around birds, you know that they tend to…
leave messes. My rooms were full of filth, and they ruined the one thing I had left from my sister, a knitted shawl she made me when we were children.
” The tears were falling in steady streams now, and she swiped her hands angrily over her eyes.
“I wanted revenge in that moment. I thought about cursing them. I still had a bottle of magic-infused liquid that I could have used, but I didn’t.
Or, at least, I thought I didn’t. I was so angry I threw it on the floor and broke it.
I guess the emotion in my voice was enough to carry the magic to the princes’ rooms. The next morning, they were swans. ”
“Good riddance.”
She gaped at him.
“I’m serious, Lindy.” His jaw worked back and forth.
“It serves them right. They treated you abominably. You were their father’s wife, his queen, and they teased you like schoolboys with an old governess.
Even if you had entered their lives acting as if they were beneath you—which they were, purely based on rank alone—they should have respected you as a female member of their family.
If they didn’t want you as a mother, they could have at least treated you as a sister.
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t even bother with undoing the curse.
They made their nest; they can lie in it. ”
Lindy laughed nervously through her tears, unsure what to do with something as unfamiliar as support from anyone other than Elise.
“There is the small matter of now being suspected of murdering the princes as well as the king. If they know I cursed the princes, they might just lock me away. If they think I killed them, I’ll for sure be executed. ”
“Then don’t go back.”
“It’s that simple, is it?” Her emotions were becoming overwhelming, and she needed to gain control.
He had caught her off guard with his caring, and she was so starved for affection that it was dangerously tempting to do something foolish like trust him.
“We met one another yesterday. Don’t pretend you know anything about me, or my life, or what my options are. ”
Atlas stared at her over the flames, his attention so focused and heavy that she had to drop her eyes under its weight.
“You’re right.” His voice was deep and gravelly.
“I don’t know you, beyond what I’ve learned the last day and a half.
But just because we’ve only met doesn’t mean that you aren’t a person worthy of basic respect and protection.
If returning to your home is unsafe, then I’m happy to offer you an alternative—that part is simple. ”
She twisted her hands together, her throat too thick with emotion to form the words to answer. The silence between them stretched on until it felt awkward to respond, even if she wanted to.
Just because he seems different, doesn’t mean he is.
He can say that he’s offering shelter, but once I put myself in that position, there’s no way I’ll be able to protect myself if he decides to leverage that power against me.
It’s dangerous enough accepting his help now—who knows what he might try to claim as payment?
“Your thoughts are awfully loud over there, Your Majesty, and I hate to interrupt, but…are you going to eat that?”
Lindy jerked her head up, blinking in surprise. “What?”
Atlas nodded to her uneaten fish. “You didn’t finish your dinner.”
“Oh.” Dazed by the sudden casual change in the atmosphere, she handed the bark plate over. “Here.”
His fingers brushed hers as he took it from her, sending frissons of warmth up her arm.
When was the last time a man had touched her with any kind of gentleness? Theodor had been kind, but their marriage was purely political. The only time he had even held her hand was during the marriage ceremony.
“Thanks.” He grinned sheepishly at her. “I know I said I would get myself more, but it was just sitting there.”
“It’s fine.” She pulled her hand away and tucked it back in her lap. “It’s your fish, anyway. Thank you for sharing with me.”
He paused with a bit of fish halfway to his mouth and shook his head. “No, it’s yours. I gave it to you, which means that now you’re sharing with me.”
Lindy rolled her eyes. “Are you truly going to argue about this?”
“Yes,” he said simply, surprising her once again.
His face was frank. “I won’t pretend to know what kind of a life you come from, but it’s important that you understand that you hold the power in this situation.
You could have said no, and I would have respected it.
You could still say no, and I’ll give it back. ”
“Fine.” She set her jaw and held his gaze, challenging him. “I changed my mind.”
Atlas returned the uneaten piece of fish to the plate and extended it to her at the same moment his stomach growled.
She shook her head and tried to push it back. “You’re obviously hungry.”
“So? I can catch more. This is yours.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Too late.”
Lindy crossed her arms mulishly. “You can’t tell me that you’ll respect my words and then turn around and ignore them. Which is it?”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you still hungry?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “I just wanted to see if you would do what you said.”
“Good.” Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he set the plate on his legs and popped a piece of fish into his mouth.
She wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Good? Aren’t you annoyed that I didn’t just trust you?”
“No.” A few more bites, and the first was already nearly gone.
“Why would you? Like you’ve said, we’ve only just met.
I want you to test and see for yourself.
Demanding trust before proving myself trustworthy is like asking you to jump blindly over the edge of a cliff.
It would be foolish for you to do that without knowing what’s at the bottom. ”
He tipped the fish bones into the fire and stood, brushing the sand from his trousers. Lindy tilted her head back, her eyes tracing his massive form as it towered over her.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, as much to herself as to him. “You’re not nearly as frightening as you look.”
He laughed half-heartedly as he walked out of the circle of firelight. “I’m glad you think so. Now if only everyone else would come to that conclusion as well.”