Chapter 28

Something about that simple statement has a smile tugging at my lips.

*I thought this might be where I'd find you.*

He said that simple phrase like he knows me. Knows something about what sort of things I like and dislike-would draw me in. The soothing atmosphere of the garden shifts to something electric, the air now crackling with a sort of fiery charge as if the very air buzzes with anticipation. Anticipation for what, though, I have no idea.

"I'm that predictable?" I ask him archly, eyebrows lifting in mock offense.

His eyes flash a deeper shade of yellow and his pupils flicker as he matches my smile with one of his own, "Far from it, actually." He corrects with a

"The way you were hiding away all day, I was starting to think that you were attempting to get out of our agreement."

His face shifts with confusion before understanding dawns, "Ah. *That* agreement. And I wasn't *hiding away.* I asked your guards to inform you that I was held up in a meeting with my second. Did they not tell you?" He looks genuinely alarmed by this, his brow furrowing with his concern. The sight of his genuine uncertainty sends another grin streaking across my face.

"Don't look so worried," I say, smothering down a snicker, "I was only joking. Xavier and Arden *did* tell me that."

"Good thing," he says dryly, "They would have needed to be transferred for something as egregious as that."

It takes me a moment to process the fact that he's teasing back with me. He made a *joke*.

He turns to lower himself onto the bench beside me and I work to school my expression so he won't read from my face the way his body is so close is mine sends a thousand little electric shocks through my skin.

As discreetly as I can be, I rub at the tiny goosebumps forming on my skin from his proximity. He notices, though. Of course, he does.

"Are you cold? Here." Before I can object, he removes the formal overcoat he's wearing and tucks it onto my shoulders. I instantly feel much warmer, with the soft fabric draped over me. I would much rather him think that I'm cold than know the real reason I'm shivering is from simply being so close to him.

"Thank you," I tuck my arms down the too-large sleeves, pulling it closed around me. The rustling fabric brings his scent along with it-pine salt and warmth. The smell has me breathing it in deeper, making heat bloom in my cheeks and low in my stomach.

He clears his throat, turning his gaze to stare off into the gardens around us, "Your question from before," he says, "you wanted to know how I came upon who you are?"

I nod, biting worriedly into my lower lip, "How long have you known? Did you realize it when you took me the first time?"

His eyes flash down to my face as if surprised by the assumption, "No," he tells me, tone suddenly serious, "Unfortunately, it wasn't something I discovered until later. Your existence isn't common knowledge among your Court or beyond it. Though I admit that I suspected something wasn't quite right during negotiations with your father, I didn't discover the truth of who you are until dropping you back at the Seelie Palace."

He could be a skilled liar, but there's a note of sincerity ringing in his voice as he speaks that's impossible to ignore.

"What finally clued you into the truth?" I ask, staring off into the surrounding flowers, blossoms swaying as a slight breeze rolls through. A single butterfly lands on the bench beside me, its blue wings flicking back and forth as I watch.

It took him longer than I anticipated to begin speaking again. Long enough that the butterfly takes flight again and I turn my gaze back up to him curiously. His dark eyes are already on me, "The smells were off."

Wait what? That's not what I'd been expecting him to say.

"*What*?"

Something in my shocked expression makes the corner of his lip tilt up, the tip of one of his sharp teeth peeking through, "When I got us into the rooms that were supposed to belong to Princess Lucia, the smells were similar, but they didn't match up the way they were supposed to. And while the rooms were lived-in and safe enough that I could have left you there, I was curious."

My mind pitches uncomfortably and I rub at my eyes as I try to make sense of what he's telling me, "Okay, back up for a second, you can *smell* me?"

He huffs out a small laugh, "Compared to the fae, shifters have a strong sense of smell, among other things. I'm surprised that this wasn't something that was covered in your studies."

In my studies, growing up I'd learned quite a bit about the different species inhabiting the continent-humans, seelies, unseelies, dwarves, merfolk, centaurs, elves, shifters, and the now extinct dragons. The fae courts mostly keep to themselves, -until recently that is.

Our last war with the elves left many other species with an aversion to dealing with either of the fae courts, which I can't blame them for at all. But, embarrassingly, aside from the strengths and weaknesses of the other species, I was never taught much else. My tutor mainly kept to the fae histories, and I'm a little embarrassed that it never occurred to me to wonder about it until now.

I purse my lips, considering, "I was told that shifters are strong--typically stronger than an average fae. That you can change forms on command. But I wasn't aware that your senses are so much stronger than ours."

He hums low under his breath, "When compared to other species, Fae senses aren't something to look down on either. And while the Fae's have a vastly superior affinity and access to magic when compared to shifters, a shifter usually has stronger physical senses and strength when compared to the fae."

I take a moment to let this information sink in then say, "So after you knew I didn't smell right to be the person living in Lucia's rooms, what then?"

His lips tilt up in the corners, a subtle hint of his amusement, "Like I said, I was curious."

I raise my eyebrows at him in question, and while I want to pepper him with a million questions, I force myself to wait. He chuckles under his breath at the expectant look on my face.

"I eventually caught a hint of your scent and followed that to your rooms. Aside from it smelling like you, the setup in those rooms just felt more like you." His eyebrows curve up as he watches me, studying me for any sort of reaction.

I'm not sure what to think about that and instead decided to consider all that later when I was alone. I move away from that, asking him another question, "And when did you find my real name? Did you see something in my rooms?"

"No, it wasn't in your rooms. In the weeks after I left you back home, I did a bit of digging until I found out that King Tarquin did indeed have a second daughter named Liliana."

"Lily." I quickly correct him, a small smile playing on my lips as I stare off into the gardens, "Only my father calls me Liliana. Call me Lily."

There's a soft undercurrent in his richly deep voice that surprises me, as he says, "Lily, then."

And in that moment, for the first time in my life, my name sounded like a caress. Like a promise that it'll be safe in his mouth. It's an effort to force back the shivers that wrack their way through my body at that single word. And I have no idea what that means.