Page 43 of The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

SABINE

“You’ve been quiet all evening,” I say to Alex when we arrive at my room. One minute the man kisses me, and the next, he’s brooding again.

Is it because this is our last evening together? The auditions are complete; most of the roles have been cast. Alex is free for a week, and it’s time I return home.

Home.

It’s a word people say fondly, as if there is nowhere else they’d rather be. But for me, it’s a prison. A cold place without love or heart, where everyone expects something from me and has nothing to give.

Alex leans against the doorframe, watching me without stepping into my room. “Have I?”

I flash him a look as I pull off a glove and set it on the entry table. “Is it because of the kiss? If I remember correctly, you were the one who instigated it.”

I can feel Alex studying me, and my mouth goes dry.

“I hardly think I should take all the blame,” he finally says. “A little advice, princess: don’t look at a man like you want him to kiss you if that’s not what you want.”

I tug off the other glove and place it on top of the first, looking at him from the corner of my eye. “Who said I didn’t want it?”

Alex’s eyebrow twitches, and his eyes shutter as if shielding his response.

I look back at my gloves, taking far too much time to fold them. “I wanted you to kiss me then, I wanted you to kiss me on my birthday, and I want you to kiss me now. I don’t think I’ve been coy about it.”

Silence stretches between us, and my breath hitches when Alex pushes away from the doorframe and enters the room. Slowly, he shuts the door. It closes with a soft thud, the sound muffled by the expensive rug that adorns the entry. I swallow as he steps up behind me, closing my eyes even though he hasn’t touched me yet.

“Are you always this bold, princess?” he asks me quietly.

“Only with you.” I’m glad I’m not facing him. It makes it easier to hide my nerves. “It’s my last night in Davon, and we spent half of it avoiding each other. Forgive my frustration.”

Alex brushes my hair aside and drops his nose to the crook of my neck. “You smell like spring.”

I don’t know how to answer, and I’m not sure I could speak coherently even if I did.

“I’ve been at war with myself since you showed up in my theater.” He runs his finger along my bare shoulder. “You consume my thoughts, but you’re forbidden.”

“Why am I forbidden?” I breathe.

Slowly, he replaces his finger with his lips. “You’re a princess of Faerie.”

“What…” I pause, distracted by each whisper-soft kiss along my shoulder. “What difference does it make?”

Alex chuckles against my skin, sending shivers racing down my arms. It’s a dark sound, laced with angst. “Sometimes I think you truly don’t know.”

“Know what?” I ask, suddenly frustrated. I turn to face him, needing answers. “Why are you like this—tell me. Half the time, I wonder if my mind has deceived me because all I have is good memories of you, and yet I sometimes catch you looking at me with so much loathing, it steals my breath.”

Alex studies me, his lips slightly parted. “Why are you here, Sabine?”

“What do you mean? I’m here because your hotel was across from the theater, and it was the most convenient location to book a room.”

“But why are you in Davon?”

“Because I wanted to find you!”

There. I’ve said it—the full truth. I came to Davon because of Alex, because he was the leading character in my happiest memory. Everything else—the cafés, the performances, everything were simply bonuses.

“Is that true?” he asks.

“If it wasn’t, I couldn’t have said it.”