“Nope—not him, either. If Robin wants you, he needs to get you to see him as the best man. Actions speak loudly. Lord Alfred uses Robin’s chastity as a bargaining chip and/or a guilt trip. Take your pick. Either way, it’s a form of manipulation. The biggest thing I think Robin has going for him is that he’s never told Lord Alfred the truth. Men like to brag about the women they’ve bedded. Women tend to keep the truth to themselves out of fear of being judged.”

Peace nodded vigorously. “That is so very true.”

“I know. My sister told me that her husband was the only man for her. She said that was her choice, but that I had to make the right choice for me. I’m not the kind of person who commits fast... or ever. I said yes to Ethan for all the wrong reasons. I’m being much more cautious with Farley. He’s an easier man to like, even if he is a bear sometimes.”

When that got a chuckle out of her, I lifted a hand and waved it all away. “I don’t know how things work for fairy kind, but historically, the mortal world would see Robin’s chastity as him having a physical problem. Males are encouraged to sexually sample all the females they can. They’re expected to be the more sexually experienced ones in a relationship. Women are trained to abstain and save themselves for the right person. Less sexual experience is a preference. Yet neither has anything to do with sexual value or any other kind of value for males or females. It’s like what you like on a pizza. The only way you learn is to try various pizzas.”

Peace chewed her lip. “Who is the pizza?”

Laughing, I thought it through. “You and Robin are both pizzas. He’s cheese only, and you’re the one with everything.”

She hid her giggle behind her hand. “He’s not that boring.”

I chuckled. “Maybe not, but it makes my analogy funnier. What does he normally look like?”

“He looks a lot like his centaur self, but with legs.”

“I can tell you like him, Peace. He can tell too. You’re doing your relationship an injustice by worrying about whether or not you’re worthy enough. Everyone deserves to be loved for who they really are. That’s a really, really hard thing to find in this world we live in. I would think two people who are three centuries old would have realized that by now. I’m only thirty-ish and I know that.”

“What is thirty-ish?”

“It means that I don’t like talking about my age.”

“Ah... discreet deception,” Peace said with a smile.

“I prefer prevarication. It sounds nicer.” I stood and waved my wand at the chair, returning it to storage. “I need to go start dinner. When you're settled, come take tea to the spy. Tell her as little as you can. What you do is none of her business. Don’t forget that.”

Peace clapped her hands and giggled. “What happens at the inn, stays at the inn! I have found your mantra.”

“Yes. That’s right,” I said with a chuckle, heading out of her room.

“Prince Robin seemed to prefer vegetables just like Alfred. I noticed he ordered a veggie burger and ate it, including the bread. It was nice to go to lunch with herbivores. Usually, I feel like the odd person out ordering the veggie burger.”

“Don’t bears eat ants?” I asked.

“Yes. Bears are omnivores. I prefer to limit my consumption of insects to when I need extra protein. You can get a lot of protein just from plants. But I love it when you cook for me. Your honey lemon salmon is the best.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Would that be good for dinner tonight? I think I have some in the freezer and I have another guest. The fairy queen’s spy arrived a couple of hours ago. She calls herself Gertruda.”

“And what do you call her?” Farley asked with a grin.

“I’ve decided that Gertruda the Barracuda has a nice ring.”

“Do you truly enjoy being rude?”

Laughter burst out before I could stop it. “Normally, my answer would be yes, but in this case, I’m irritated because she’s here to spy on Peace. No wonder the fairy can’t make up her mind about her life. Her mother interferes in everything she does, and it’s undermining her confidence.”

“Is Peace upset?”

I thought about it but had to be honest with myself. No harm had been done so far. “No, Peace seemed to take Gertruda’s presence in stride.”

Farley smiled at me. “After I saw Peace riding on his back, I lost my urge to kill him.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

“Robin talked about Peace all during lunch. Paul mentioned Peace liked to dance with him and his mates. Robin smiled and said her fun-loving nature was one of the things he liked best about her. Do you think she likes him back? Because he seems devoted to her.”

I shrugged while I lined up vegetables on platters. Just because the prince was stuck in centaur form didn’t mean she couldn’t serve him on a nice plate. “Peace likes Robin a lot, but I’m not sure she loves him. Between Lord Alfred cock-blocking Robin’s urges, and the fairy queen pussy-blocking Peace’s ability to feel sexy, the two of them don’t stand a chance of getting together. I gave Peace a pep talk, but there’s not much else I can do.”