Page 145 of The Chains You Defy

A quaint stream led away from the lagoon and disappeared a few paces away into the underground.

“This is—magical.” For the first time in forever, I didn’t mind how breathless I sounded.

“It is. I found this spot many winters ago, and as I’m an egoistic bastard, I made sure no one else would ever come here.”

“Who knows of this place?”

“Me. And now you. This is my sanctuary.”

“And you let me in?”

“Of course, Nayana. Ultimately, I want to share everything with you.”

My throat dried up, and I steered the conversation in another direction. “What is the Third Act of Courtship, exactly?”

“It’s all about sharing an important piece of oneself.”

There had to be more. Sometimes, he forgot I could read him well enough to understand when he was intentionally vague. But he’d sounded so vulnerable, I simply didn’t want to pry deeper. “Thank you. Sharing your refuge with me—that’s special.”

“Would you grant me the honor and spend a while here with me?”

“At times, your formality surprises me—or that you can indeed ask politely.” Vulnerability or not, I couldn’t stop teasing the male, who was still holding me hostage in his embrace.

“That’s not an answer, Nayana.”

“Impatient fae.” My eyes latched onto the blanket resting on a patch of grass and on all kinds of delicacies spread on top of the cloth. This was nothing the prince had decided on a whim, on the contrary. And from the rumble vibrating against my back, I concluded that his patience to wait for a serious answer was wearing thin. So, I granted him mercy. “Yes, Dion. I’ll gladly stay with you at your sanctum for a while.”

I wasn’t ready for his reaction and gasped when he suddenly shifted into motion, lifting me with one arm under my knees, the other behind my back.

“Then let me spoil you.”

Gods, I was in deep shit, wasn’t I?

Waiting for Nayana to wake up this morning had been torture, but I swore that the minutes until she’d agreed that my attempt at courting was at least worth giving a chance had been much worse.

The Third Act of Courtship was the one most fae, who tried to woo someone, had nightmares of—either because they still needed to get through the thing or because they remembered their own ordeal.

Especially the story of one of the lords living in Dail—Miamharach had been his name—stoked the anxieties of suitors like me. His female had flat-out refused twenty-seven attempts after taking a single glanceat her male’s preparations, and she’d declared another thirty-four tries as not sufficient after they’d concluded.

The whole endeavor hadn’t even reached a happy ending.

While preparing courtship attempt number sixty-two, Miamharach had been surprised by a pack of Wailos, had gotten stung, and perished.

Everyone who’d assumed that the female had simply enjoyed being courted had been proven wrong, as she’d followed her suitor to Udiona not long after—so his acts of courtship must have sucked, but not so much that she would have ended things altogether. Fae and love—my human surely still didn’t understand to what lengths my species went for their chosen object of affection.

Luckily, Nayana hadn’t rejected my efforts outright.

Sure, I’d conveniently forgotten to mention that her disapproval was an option and wouldn’t be seen as an insult. Oh well, water under the bridge.

As we reached the blanket—I’d picked the softest one I could find—I carefully placed her back on her feet, relishing in her relaxed and amused expression.

But before I’d feed her, there was something else. As much as I loved her wearing my cloak, I was dying to learn if she was donning the rest of her courtship gift. Electric charge surged through my veins, and my fingers twitched to pull open the black ribbons holding the garment closed.

Instead of an instant attack, I unwrapped the one I wore and put the cloth down next to the basket—which had assaulted me earlier again, by the way—before canting my head, observing her expectantly.

Her fingers toyed with the closing as she noticed my silent request, and her cheeks reddened. So adorable.

“Do you need help?”