Chapter 16 #2
Before the wave reached me, Charles jumped forward and snapped a silver cuff on Louisa’s wrist. The wave splashed to the ground, and I let out a tight breath.
Louisa sagged and started to sink into the lake, but Charles caught her.
He put the other handcuff on and carried her back to shore.
“I’m sorry, Louisa, but you’re under arrest.”
Her expression crumpled, and she turned her face into Charles’s chest.
I stepped forward, and Darcy’s grip on my hand tightened. Not that I owed her any explanation, but if Darcy and I had been clear from the start, maybe Jane wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
“Just so you know, the only reason Darcy and I have been spending so much time together is because we were stuck like this from a spell that went awry.” I dropped Darcy’s hand and tried to step away, and the invisible cord pulled taut.
Louisa turned to face me, her eyes wide. “You aren’t dating?”
“No,” Darcy and I said at the same time.
“We can’t even stand each other,” I added automatically, even though that wasn’t true anymore. I couldn’t stand Darcy at first, but now? Somehow he was exactly who I thought he was and not who I’d thought he was all at the same time.
“I’ll take her back to the house,” Charles said.
Most of the men followed him, and Caroline trailed behind, her eyes red. “I’m sorry,” she muttered to me as she passed.
I blew out a breath. “I’m glad that’s over. For real this time.”
“I wish it was over.” Darcy ran a hand over his face.
“Now that we’ve solved the mystery, things are just getting started.
I need to call my uncle and let him know what happened.
We’ll have to figure out how to handle Louisa’s case, and…
” He trailed off and gave me a worn grin.
“Anyway, I think it’ll be a long night. Do you want to sit down? ”
“Yes.”
We filled Jane in on what happened, then returned to Darcy’s room. I joined him on the couch along the wall. The soothing lull of his deep voice as he made phone call after phone call coaxed me to sleep as the adrenaline drained from me.
The next thing I knew, sunlight streamed across my face. I was lying among silky sheets, my cheek pressed against something warm that rose in fall with steady breaths.
I stiffened, keeping my eyes shut for a second while I tried to figure out how to extricate myself from the situation. The steady thump of Darcy’s heart was at odds with my racing pulse.
“Morning,” Darcy said.
Darn it. I’d given myself away. I sat up and smoothed my hair, retying it in a loose braid to keep my hands busy. It also gave me an excuse not to look at him.
“Sleep well?” Darcy said as if I hadn’t just been using him for a pillow, but I could detect a faint hint of amusement in his voice.
“Sorry, I fell asleep on you. I mean, not literally on you, but, you know…” Sitting on the couch was the last thing I remembered, which meant Darcy must’ve carried me to the bed.
“No problem. It was a long night, and you deserved the rest.”
“So did you.” I glanced at the dark circles under his eyes. Even with them, he was unfortunately attractive. Curse him.
He shrugged one shoulder as if to say, “What do you do? My kingdom won’t run itself.”
“What’s going to happen with Louisa?” I got off the bed as if just sitting on it would magically end up with me cuddling him again.
“There’s a lot of bureaucratic red tape to go through, especially since she’s now guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder.” He climbed off after me.
“Not to mention the fact that the laws aren’t made to protect werewolves,” I said bitterly.
It didn’t matter that I wasn’t a werewolf.
I knew what it was like to be treated as a lower class.
Hex, Louisa’s entire reason for trying to kill me was that she didn’t think I was suitable for Darcy because I was a half-witch, half-fae.
Darcy met my gaze. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“About what?”
“I spoke with my uncle last night, and we agreed that the laws around werewolves and maybe vampires need to change. It isn’t fair.”
My mouth fell open. “You changed the law?”
He pressed his lips together, revealing the hint of a small dimple in one scruff-covered cheek. “No, we agreed that the law needs to change, and that’s just the first step in an excruciatingly long process. Unfortunately, there are many people we still need to convince.”
“Wow.” I stared at his jaw, slightly mesmerized by that dimple. How had I not noticed it before?
“I asked my uncle to keep our discussion quiet for now since I wanted you to be the first to know.”
My heart sped up. “Why?”
“Because you gave up a chance to help yourself to protect my friend, and you deserve the shot at another story since.”
Was he saying what I thought he was? If I had the first scoop on the prince trying to change laws about werewolves and tied it into Easton’s murder without revealing the details, would that be enough to get my job back?
Before I could figure out how to thank him, he grinned—a smile as warm as the hum of magic in an old spell book.
“But I think it’s only fair to let you know you were wrong again,” he said.
I cringed. “What about this time?”
“You told Louisa that I couldn’t stand you.” He shook his head, a lock of hair flopping into his eyes. “Maybe that was true at first when I thought your family was involved with what happened, but not anymore.”
“Oh.” What else was I supposed to say when my heart sped up so fast?
“I find your obvious disdain for me refreshing.”
I laughed. “You do not.”
“It’s nice to know exactly where I stand with someone and that they see me and not just my title.”
I smiled at him, and for a moment, everything was right. “If we’re being honest, I said that more out of reflex than anything. When we first met, I thought you saw me as nothing more than an insignificant pawn.”
“If I did, that’s only because pawns have the potential to become something much more,” he murmured.
My breath caught. “I guess I don’t not-like you.”
“So you like me?” His inscrutable tone matched his lone raised eyebrow.
“I didn’t say that,” I hurried to say. “I said I can stand you now.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up into a small grin. Not a full-blown smile, but that might’ve been too much to expect from Darcy. “That’s progress.”
“Progress for what?” I asked breathlessly.
“This.” He moved his connected arm, so I tumbled forward against his chest. His mouth met mine in a soft kiss, so light I almost wasn’t sure it happened. It was more the whisper of a kiss. But when I didn’t pull away, he pressed harder.
I stiffened, my heart pounding, but the softness of his touch melted the rigidity from me and I leaned against him. The warmth of the sun coming through the window was nothing compared to the heat of Darcy’s hand on my cheek. His other curled around my waist, his fingers digging in.
I gripped the back of his cotton shirt, and my other hand wound itself into the soft hairs at the back of his neck without my permission.
This kiss was nothing like the other. The tension was still there—no, tension wasn’t the right word. Pressure grew between us as our lips finally worked through the differences that had lingered for days until the friction’s sharp edges melted into something soft.
Darcy pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. “Still think you don’t like me?”
“Yes.” But my voice was too breathless to be convincing.
He took a step back, then another.
Nothing pulled at my wrist. The connection was broken. We were free.
He raised his arm with a smile. “At the very least, you don’t hate me anymore.”
“Don’t get a big head. Your crown won’t fit,” I mumbled.
He laughed and winked at me before walking from the room.
With a shake of my head, I followed him.
Some mysteries, like Easton’s murder, were meant to be solved, but others, like the man in front of me, I could spend a long time puzzling out. And I was starting to think I wouldn’t mind the challenge.