Chapter 46 Ginger
Ginger
Istruggled to put the pieces together. My mind whirled, and panic clawed at my chest, strangling my words. “Have you been… watching me?”
He scrutinized my expression for long seconds before he answered. “Yes.”
“Yes like… a lot?”
“I do not wish to upset you,” he said simply.
“Oh, fates. The answer is upsetting?”
“It might be.”
I pushed the mug aside and dropped my head into my hands, rubbing at my temples. “This can’t be happening.”
“I told you; I did not wish to upset you. Do not ask questions if the answers will make you unhappy.”
“For how long?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“How long have you been watching me?”
“Do you really wish to know?”
I glared at him, caught somewhere between panic, fury, and mortification.
He sighed and sat down, folding his arms on the table and giving me his undivided attention. It made me strangely nervous. “I have been watching you since the day I arrived.”
My heart thundered in my ears. “Oh, fuck,” I whispered.
His expression twisted. “You so rarely use language like that.”
“How do you know what kind of language I use? This is crazy.”
“I pay attention. You are mine, and I wished to know everything about you.”
“You’ve been stalking me.”
He nodded, unashamed. “I have been… observing.”
“This whole time! I thought I was losing my mind!”
His mouth ticked into an infuriating smirk that he immediately smoothed out. “You are quite perceptive, even though your senses are dull. I was impressed.”
“This is crazy,” I said again. I was sitting at my table, having tea with my stalker.
My stalker, who I had spent the night having mind-bending, life-altering sex with.
Not a ghost, apparently.
“It is an unusual situation,” he agreed.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why?”
“Why? Why follow me, why watch me? Why me? What are you even doing here?”
“That is hard to explain,” he said tightly.
I crossed my arms across my chest. “Try.”
And so, he did.
We had spoken previously about his mysterious arrival in Moonvale. About his memory loss. About him being a living, breathing god. But we had clearly left out one very important detail about his arrival—I knew he was obsessed with me, but I didn’t realize how deep the obsession ran.
I let him talk.
It was uncomfortable, really. And I could tell it was difficult for him to explain. Painful, at times.
But though I didn’t like watching him squirm, I let him.
He had some major explaining to do.
I considered my own reaction. In the silence that followed his long-winded explanation, I took stock of how I was feeling.
My arms felt a little weak, and I felt a bit faint, like the adrenaline was finally wearing off. The panic was leaving my body, as was the teeth cracking fury.
I was still pissed, sure. Outrageously so.
But I was also… flattered.
I wasn’t sure what that said about me. I was fucked in the head.
“While we’re spilling secrets, is there anything else you need to tell me?”
He rocked back on his heels. “I do not sleep.”
That stopped me short. “Ever?”
“Never.”
I couldn’t even begin to process that tidbit of information.
“This is why you’ve stayed?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Even when your memories started to come back, and you knew for certain that I wasn’t your wife?”
“There’s more to it than that but… yes.”
“This is all ridiculous.”
“I know,” he agreed. “But I couldn’t go. I just couldn’t.”
“And now?” I asked, anger flaring again. My teeth gnashed as I spoke. “Now that you’ve seen every inch of my body, and the King’s men are taking you away. Now what? You’ll bide your time and move on to your next victim when the King is through with you?”
His eyes bored into mine. White hot fury burned in his golden gaze. “How dare you think me so fickle.” His voice was hot iron—low and dangerous.
I slapped my hands on the table. “You’re a god. You’ll just move on when I die, anyway. Might as well start now. Go ahead. Don’t run. Don’t stay. Just turn yourself in and get it over with.” I regretted the words as soon as they passed my lips, but I couldn't’ take them back.
I snapped my mouth shut.
His face pinched, and then smoothed into something unreadable.
I hated it—the effortless switch up. The mask he was able to so thoroughly slip on.
And that’s when the bell tolled, signaling the arrival of the king’s men.
He stood without another word and slipped out the front door, leaving not a speck of shadow behind.