A handsome distraction.
“What can you offer her besides a lifetime of being hunted? A lifetime of heartbreak when you fall back on old habits? And when Fiadh finds out that you married her . . .” He left a lengthy pause. “What do you think she’s going to do to yourwife?”
Shit. He was right. All I’d been thinking of was what I wanted.Not what was best for Keelynn. And what was best for her wasn’t me. Keelynn belonged in her world of daylight, not my world of danger, death, and darkness.
* * *
The gray light of morning danced on lapping waves as ships sailed into Gaul’s main port beyond two stone arches overlooking the vast sea.
After only a few hours of fitful sleep, I’d rolled off of the sofa in our parlor and stumbled for the door, making my way through the empty courtyard toward the gates. Once Tearmann’s ever-warm air had kissed my cheeks, I’d evanesced back to watch the city of Gaul awaken alongside the seagulls and fishermen.
The clock in the city square struck nine, its deep gongs echoing off the three and four-story buildings on either side of the cobbled street. Without consciously thinking of where I was headed, I found myself in front of the courthouse attached to the city jail. Inside, a line of humans waited to speak to a woman sitting at an imposing mahogany desk.
“Excuse me.” I tapped the man’s shoulder in front of me. When he turned, his smile faltered. “Is this where you go to speak with a magistrate?”
“Y-yes. It is,” he stuttered, stepping away.
I smiled and thanked him. He threw a few suspicious glances over his shoulder as we waited but seemed to relax when I didn’t attack him.The line moved slowly, but eventually I reached the front. “I would like an audience with the resident magistrate, please,” I said with an encouraging smile.
The woman’s eyes narrowed, even as the invisible thread gave a tug. “I’m afraid he only hears complaints from your sort on the third Tuesday of the month. You will have to wait until then.”
My sort. That’s the way we were going to play this, then?
“That doesn’t work for me. I need to speak with him today.”
Her eyes flashed to two guards standing on either side of the main double doors. “I’m afraid you will have to wait.”
I wasn’t in the mood for this shite. “Does this gentleman have to wait to speak with him?” I asked, pointing to the human behind me.
“No, he does not.”
“And why is that?”
“As I have already said, Sir Martin only meets with your kind once a month. He is quite busy.”
Boots clicked across the tiles, growing louder as the guards approached. With a flick of my wrist, their bodies slumped to the ground. Not dead, but they’d wake with a helluva headache. Humans gasped and started running for the exit, scurrying away like mice.
“It appears as though Sir Martin’s day has just opened up,” I said slowly, tapping my nail against the edge of her desk. “Where’s his office?”
Stumbling from her chair, the woman pointed to a large wooden door at the end of the hallway.
The magistrate balked at first, but he thankfully ended up being more cooperative than his secretary. It helped that he was a greedy bastard and I had offered him more money than he made in a year. By the time I left his office, the annulment was little more than a formality. Turns out a handfasting wasn’t as binding as I’d originally thought. With one signature, Keelynn could be rid of me forever.
By chance, I found Keelynn sipping tea at a quaint blue tea house by the water in a form-fitting black mourning gown. The sun broke through the clouds, and she lifted her face toward its rays, a serene smile playing on her lips. I wanted to remember her this way. Smiling and happy.
“I see someone’s away with the faeries,” I said, dropping into the only open chair at her table. Probably reserved forRobert. The half-eaten cherry tart waiting on the plate in front of her looked as delectable as she did. “Where’s Prince Charming?”
Her feckin’ hero. Saving her from monsters like me.
Offering me the rest of her dessert, she saidRobertshould be arriving shortly.
Brilliant. I couldn’t feckin’ wait.
“Then I suppose I’ll make this brief.” I didn’t have it in me to deal withRoberttoday. “We have a meeting with a magistrate on Friday at four.”
She sipped her tea thoughtfully, lips slightly pursed. “I cannot believe you actually organized it.” The teacup clicked when she sat it on the saucer.
As good as the tart tasted, it left my mouth frightfully dry. I snagged her teacup and took a sip. The cold, bitter drink could do with more sugar. A lot more sugar. “Evenhandsome distractionssuch as myself have been known to keep the odd promise.”