Page 17 of How To Please A Princely Fae (Wild Oak Woods #3)

WILLOW

“ T hank the goddess this is a small town,” I murmur, walking as quickly as I dare on the already slick cobblestones. Sleet began falling as soon as we left Ruby’s bookstore, and it didn’t take long for the fits and starts and icy drizzle to give way to frigid rain in earnest.

“I could walk you home and shop for you if you make me a list, my love,” Kieran says, managing to keep me upright as I lose my footing on an especially icy patch.

His wings vibrate dully, shedding a fresh layer of ice.

Despite the temperature drop, his words warm me from the inside out.

His love.

“Do you mean that?” I ask, pausing under the awning at my favorite green grocer’s stand.

“Of course, I would be happy to take care of you in every way.” He lifts one eyebrow, a slow smirk raising the corners of his mouth.

I laugh in spite of myself and all my misgivings at his blatant innuendo, but it quickly dies on my lips.

“That’s not what you were asking, was it?” He pulls me in close and I let myself lean against him, soaking up both his warmth and his touch.

I nod when the silence grows longer between us.

“I called you that because it’s true. I’m sorry if it upset you or caught you off guard?—”

Pulling back, I press my finger to his lips. “I just wanted to know if you meant it.”

He grins at me, then kisses the pad of my index finger. “I meant it, Willow.”

The centaur, Marie, coughs delicately to get our attention, and we turn to her together, fresh heat rising on my cheeks.

“What can I do for you, Willow? I’m packing up and heading out, trying to get home before this weather turns any worse.” Marie’s hooves clop on the cobbles as she adjusts the apron string around her neck.

“Kale, potatoes, any fresh vegetables you have left,” I tell her.

“Mushrooms,” Kieran adds.

“Mushrooms,” I agree.

I mostly grow my own berries and some produce for myself, but with Kieran living with me, I’ll need a few extra things.

Living with me. My breath catches in my chest as the centaur packs up a wooden crate for me and Kieran leans down, pressing his lips against the skin on my neck.

His love. His mate.

It still seems too good to be true, and I can’t shake the niggling feeling that something is very, very wrong, that he’s going to remember why he didn’t like me in the first place.

It will shatter me when he leaves.

But… at least, maybe, for now, I can just live in this moment.

“I wouldn’t mind trading you for some of your raspberries and other summer produce, you know. My offer stands.”

“I know, and I wish I had a big enough space to grow enough for you. Most of my energy goes towards the medicinal and?—”

“And craft herbs, I know,” the centaur finishes for me, smiling down at me. “I put some edible flowers in there; they’ll make a nice salad. We had extra arugula as well, so that’s in there for you too.”

It takes only a moment longer to pay, and we thank her before continuing on.

“What else do you need?”

I pause at the window of the Elven Wish Boutique, a bespoke atelier that I’m not quite sure how it manages to stay in business in our small town. Perhaps, like Wren, the owner has a lot of merchandise she ships out.

For whatever reason, she made Wild Oak Woods her home, too. I’ve hardly seen her, both of us too busy at our respective stores, but her shiny platinum hair isn’t what’s caught my eye in the window now.

No, it’s the lovely teal silk dress that has me stopped and staring in the persistent sleet. Teal-green silk skims the figure of a mannequin, hugging tight around the waist before falling away at the hips. A slit climbs from the bottom of the skirt to a truly high place at the thigh. Off-the-shoulder diaphanous sleeves billow around the cleverly sculpted arms.

“Do you like that?” Kieran asks. “I would enjoy peeling that off your perfect body.” His fingers grip my hip, and I force out an embarrassed laugh.

“Come on,” I tell him, forcing my feet to walk again. “I want some of Lila’s tea, and her shop is quite a bit further, plus we still need some meat from the butcher. And cheese, if they’re not out.”

Despite the awful weather, the downtown area is still clogged with people and creatures, all doing the same thing we are—stocking up before the storm.

Although, perhaps, we’re all a little late, because it’s clear the storm is very much upon us now.

Wind whips my red curls around my face, the cold air stinging my skin and eyes as we do our best to finish the errands we need to run before the storm hits. By the time we make it to Lila’s Long Leaf Brews, the tip of my nose feels frozen and my breath crystalizes in front of my face.

I adjust the packages in my arms, attempting to reach for the door handle when it opens from within.

“Hello, Willow, Kieran. You’ve barely made it in time; we were just about to close up shop and hunker down.” Druze, Lila’s husband and new business partner, ushers us inside with a broad smile.

He’s the only male dryad I’ve ever seen, and even though he’s lived here for months now, his greenish tinted skin and huge frame still take me a moment to adjust to. There’s something different and otherworldly about him compared to Ga’Rek, too, who I’ve been around a lot more and have grown completely accustomed to. I scooch inside past him, nearly fumbling the wax paper and twine wrapped meat, but Kieran manages to catch me and our groceries up in his arms before I ruin them.

“Thank you,” I say on an exhale.

“Don’t thank me,” he says, a bit curtly, and I blink in surprise before he smiles down at me again, chasing some of the worry away. “You deserve someone who will always catch you.”

“Willow!” Lila calls from the back storeroom, appearing in the doorway. “And Kieran. What a nice surprise.”

I inhale deeply, savoring the incredible herbal aroma of her shop. I am fully capable of making my own tea, as is every witch, but Lila’s elven knack for herbs and flavors will always put my sad attempts to shame. Her tea is worth every single cent.

“I love this place,” I tell her honestly, my eyes devouring the interior as if they’ve been starved for stimulation. There are several dozen tables, all done with different creatures’ and species’ preferences in mind. Two rooms branch off the main one, and those are decorated thematically, too.

The whole space is magical, and a good reminder that not all magic comes from witchery—some people are simply gifted.

“And I love that you love it. Having Wild Oak Woods’ best apothecary and green witch love my work is about as big a compliment as I could ever imagine.” Lila takes the packages from my hands, setting them down on an empty table before drawing me into her arms for a hug. “It’s been a while.”

“You’re mated,” Druze says, the shock in his voice startling me out of Lila’s arms.

Is he upset? Does he think we’re a bad match? He must know how much Kieran despised me, or that he has amnesia?—

“I’m so happy for you, Kieran,” Druze explodes, beaming as he drags my prince into a hug of his own, thumping him heartily on the back.

Lila crows, hugging me again as she hops from foot to foot. She claps her hands in glee as she pulls away to study us both.

“We have to celebrate,” she says, her joy shining on her face.

“We, uh, ah, we have to get home before the storm?—”

“Not right now, you goose, but soon. Oh, we can have a party here, don’t you think, Druze?” She spreads her hands wide, encompassing the whole space. “Candlelit, dinner in six courses, tea paired with each, don’t you think?”

“Lila, you don’t have to do that?—”

“I want to,” she enthuses, taking my hands in hers. “It’s what you deserve.” She reaches for Kieran, tucking him into her side, where he towers over her slender frame. “Both of you. Oh, I’m just so happy right now.”

“If it helps, she’s been wanting to throw more parties here. Extend the business,” Druze explains, his green eyes twinkling in the tea shop’s low light. “You’ll give her an excuse and an example to expand.”

“Oh.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, or we could do something just a little small, you know, elegant and simple.” Lila wrings her hands, eyes searching mine.

“Willow is still adjusting to our new status,” Kieran tells her, not unkindly, but it makes me feel uncomfortable and ungrateful all at once.

“I just need to think about it. It’s not a no.” My voice sounds small to my own ears.

“Of course, of course, I’m sorry, I should have waited, that was insensitive of me to pounce all over you.” Lila’s clearly crestfallen, and Druze wedges between her and Kieran to wrap a muscled arm around her shoulders.

“No, not at all. It’s kind and generous of you. I just need to, ah, think about it?”

Wind whips around the tea shop, howling as it tears down the street, and we all fall silent as it screams.

“We should get the tea we need and get home,” Kieran says and I nod, suddenly trepidatious about braving the outdoors and that wind again.

“Tell me what you want and Druze can take the cart and horse to your house, Willow. It’s too far to walk in this.”

With the storm ratcheting up outside, we don’t waste any time. Chirp flies off ahead of us, and I watch him disappear with a bit of worry.

I don’t want my owl hurt in this storm.

Before long, though, Druze has all our packages neatly tucked in the cart, along with several tins of Lila’s amazing tea. She tucks two thick wool blankets around our shoulders and legs before hopping off the cart.

“Be safe, stay warm!” she shouts over the storm, and Druze urges the horse forward at a quick trot.

It’s too loud and uncomfortable to make conversation, so I huddle into Kieran’s heat, his strong hand rubbing over the arm of my coat as the cart jostles along the cobblestones. The rest of the people we saw earlier are gone now, and the streets of Wild Oak Woods are all but empty as an even darker blanket of clouds bears down on the town.

Lightning forks across the sky, illuminating the multicolored roofs. Most awnings and signage has been taken down by savvy shopkeeps, but the few left outside flap and creak in the onslaught.

“It doesn’t feel natural,” I mutter, eyeing the bank of clouds. The skin on the back of my neck prickles, and Druze shoots me a look of agreement before returning his attention to the draft horse.

Maybe I should look into getting a cart and horse. I wonder if Rosalina could help me source one. It would certainly make getting around town easier. Maybe with Kieran’s help, we could set up a small stand on the other side of town, or do deliveries when our customers are ill.

I cut the line of thought off, shaking my head.

I won’t include Kieran in any plans for the future.

My stomach turns leaden.

Not until he regains his memories and decides what it is he truly wants, mated or not.

I swallow around the thickness in my throat, the cold air like knives as I breathe.

The wind catches my scarf, blowing it from around my neck, and I yelp in surprise. Kieran, however, simply reaches over and rewinds it around my neck, his fingers making quick work of a sturdier knot and tucking it neatly within the collar of my coat.

I smile up at him, grateful, and while he returns it, he looks away quicker than I would like.

My heart drops.

Druze tugs gently on the lines and the huge horse comes to a slow stop at my front door. I take a beat, trying to collect my thoughts as Kieran easily swings down and collects the myriad of packages. I glance up at the clouds overhead, the sleet that’s been icing the streets and roofs turning slowly to soft, down-feather snow.

Thunder rolls overhead, and Druze shoots me a concerned look. “You all right? It’s early for a winter storm like this.”

“I’m fine. Just… tired.” It’s a lackluster explanation, but it’s not untrue. Not really. “Worried about this storm, too.” I fold up the wool blanket over my legs next to him, and he nods, eyes still narrowed as he inspects me.

“If you need help, send that owl of yours, you hear? The cold doesn’t bother me as much as some species. I need more sleep in the winter, but I can make it out here to help if need be.”

Chirp hoots softly from my shoulder before gliding through the front door behind Kieran.

“Thank you, Druze,” I tell him with a smile. “We’ll be okay.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Druze replies, his expression utterly serious.

I inhale sharply, forcing the smile onto my face. “I’m fine. Kieran and I… it’s new, but it’s good.”

I think. I’m pretty sure.

Still, misgivings and doubt crowd my thoughts as the sound of hooves and cart fade away.

“It’s early still,” Kieran calls from the kitchen. “I can start a stew for dinner, I think I saw a recipe for one earlier. How about a simple lunch? Cheese, some fruit? Bread?”

“You don’t have to put everything away, I can do that.” My cold fingers struggle with the fastenings on my coat for a long moment, and I’m on the cusp of cursing them open when warm hands find the clasps and do it for me.

“I know you can do it, but that’s not the point, Willow.” Kieran’s voice is pitched low, gentle as a caress. “The point is I want to do it for you. I want to help you; I want to be a part of your life.”

“You’re here, doesn’t that mean you’re a part of my life?” I ask, hating how petulant the question seems, wishing I hadn’t asked it… and now hanging on tenterhooks waiting for his reply.

He laughs, helping me shrug out of the coat before fixing me with a serious expression. “I want to do things for you—make your life easier. Make it a life that I’m a part of—be the mate you deserve.”

I drop my gaze and take the coat from his hands, hanging it in the small closet by the door.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his hands running over my shoulders.

“I’m just tired,” I make myself say.

“All the more reason to let me help you,” he says, and this time, my smile is real.

“A simple lunch sounds delicious.” I fix him with a stern look. “But I can help you make dinner. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

“As if I could resist having you next to me this afternoon,” he says, eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Then I need to do some work in the greenhouse and make some more elixirs.”

“Good, that fits with my plans nicely,” Kieran agrees, wrapping an arm around my waist as we walk to the kitchen.

“Oh, does it, now?” I ask, amused and in a better mood already. “How’s that?”

“If you’re tired from work tonight, you’ll be much more amenable to me helping you unwind.”

I make a strangled noise of surprise and pleasure. “Oh?”

“Mmhmm. I have just the thing in mind.”

He pauses, a predatory grin on his face.

My core heats, and I can’t help the surge of pure desire. I need him. I need him to want me like this, I need him to want me at my absolute worst.

I need him to want me no matter what.

I need him to never look at me again with that cold indifference now that I’ve known the heat of his heart, of his body.

“A massage, a hot bath, and warm sheets on the bed.”

I laugh in spite of myself as he preens. “Oh, is that right?”

“Why, whatever in the world did you have in mind?” He smirks down at me, and another laugh trickles out of me as I shake my head, miming zipping my lips.