Page 24 of Wooing the Wiccan (Elf Magic #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Jared

I stare, somewhat distrustfully, at the door Eoin disappeared behind. The last couple of weeks might have helped me accept that he was only doing his job, but I still don’t like him that much. Or at all. I haven’t decided yet.

“Is that a broom closet or something?” I ask Raeulfr, only half joking.

He looks blank for a second, then chuckles. “Oh—no. It’s a studio for a housekeeper. It has its own kitchenette and bathroom. My bodyguards use it while they’re on overnight shifts, to give us all a bit more privacy.” He grimaces. “I’m probably not selling this whole situation very well.”

With a start, I realize he’s nervous. Worried, even. Does he think…?

“Raeulfr, I didn’t come here to yell at you or anything.”

He licks his bottom lip, and I try not to watch the movement of his tongue. We need to talk before I can jump him.

“You didn’t?”

I shake my head. “No. I think we have a lot to talk about still, but I’m… I’m not angry. I understand why you had to keep the secrets you kept.”

He takes a shaky breath. “So you’re not planning to end things?”

My mouth drops open. “No!” Is that what he thought?

“I swear I’m not. If I’d wanted to end things, I wouldn’t have waited this long.

I—” Suddenly, I feel like a monster for not reaching out sooner.

There was a lot for me to think about and learn, and I genuinely needed to work out how I could fit into the life of a man who leads a government.

I thought it was better if we both had space while I did that, but maybe I was just being cruel.

“I’m sorry. You said you’d wait, and I figured you knew that by agreeing to that, I was just taking the time I needed. ”

The grin that takes over his face is wide and gorgeous. He closes the distance between us in three fast steps, reaching for me—then lets his arms drop uncertainly, as though he’s not sure if a hug would be welcome.

Screw that bullshit.

I yank him into a hug, burying my face in the side of his neck, and his arms come around me so tight that my breathing is restricted.

Doesn’t matter. I’ve got enough air to be able to take in the scent of him, and something inside me unknots.

I didn’t know exactly how much I missed him until this moment, having him in my arms again.

“You’re here,” he murmurs, and I nod against his skin.

“I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.” I pull back slightly, ignoring his wordless protest. I need to see his face right now. “If that’s okay with you?”

“If you want to be here, I’m never letting you go,” he promises, and the last of my stress drops away.

“Okay. Good. Is… um, is there somewhere we can sit? I want… Well, I want a lot of things, but I think we need to talk first.”

The wicked smile that curves his mouth sends tingles through my whole body. “We could go up to the den. It opens into my garden.” He leans in to brush a soft kiss on my lips, and whispers, “And my bedroom is right next door.”

Heat flashes through me. “Perfect,” I croak. I still can’t believe how easy it is for him to turn me on. I’ve always had a healthy sex drive, but this is kind of ridiculous. Amazing, but ridiculous.

I hope it never changes.

Raeulfr leads me across the room and up the stairs, and I take advantage of the moments to look around his condo. Maybe later I’ll ask for a proper tour. It’s nice, but somehow it doesn’t scream “Raeulfr” to me.

At the top of the stairs, we turn left to go through a doorway. He flips a light switch, and as lamps go on around the room and warm floodlights flick to life outside, I see where he actually lives.

“This is lovely.” I mean it. The walls and ceiling are painted a deep, inviting green, and there are plush chairs and a sofa pointed toward a cozy gas fireplace.

It doesn’t rival the big wood-burning one downstairs, but somehow, this is nicer.

The rug underfoot is soft, and the walls and furniture are crowded with paintings, photos, and assorted bric-a-brac that should make the room feel cluttered, but don’t.

Maybe because none of it is there “to decorate.” It all looks like stuff Raeulfr genuinely wants in his personal space.

“This is home now.” There’s an edge of sadness to the words, reminding me that he was forced to leave his homeworld and can never go back.

Through the french doors, the garden beckons, but I resist. It’s a chilly night, and we have too much ground to cover already. Exploring outside can wait for another time.

“Can I get you a drink?” Raeulfr offers. “Or a snack?”

I shake my head and turn away from the window, going to sit on the sofa. “No, thanks. Sit with me.”

He’s beside me almost before I’ve finished getting the sentence out, and my confidence plumps up. I’m sorry to have made him unhappy, but it’s nice knowing I’ve been missed. At one point in the mess of trying to untangle my feelings, I wondered if he’d even noticed my absence.

“I’ve learned a lot lately,” I begin carefully, “and there’s still so much more I don’t know.”

Raeulfr nods. “That’s true, and I’m not trying to detract from this specific situation, but one thing you grow to accept over time is that it’s impossible to know everything. I’ve been alive a long time, and there are things I’ll never know.”

“Yes.” I seize on the opening. “I’ve always been willing to accept that, but I’d like to understand as much as possible about the community I’m living in.

Especially if I’m going to be a bigger part of that community going forward…

” I let the words hang between us, wondering if he’ll understand what I’m implying.

His face doesn’t change. It’s attentive and eager, but nothing else. I’m going to have to be more explicit.

“Last time we spoke, I was angry,” I start, choosing my words carefully, and he jumps in.

“You were entitled to be. You had a lot of shocks, and you found out I’d been lying… I would have been surprised if you weren’t angry.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. I want to be clear, though, that I’m not angry anymore, and I don’t hold a grudge about the lies.

You were protecting a whole society, and there wasn’t any other choice.

I… I don’t love that we started out with so many secrets and mistruths, but I understand why it had to be that way.

” I’ll always be unhappy about what went down.

There’s no way to change the feeling that I was duped.

But Raeulfr wouldn’t be the man he is if he was capable of betraying his people’s safety for his own best interests.

He wouldn’t be the man I fell for. So I’m going to have to move on from that and embrace the truth I’m now a part of.

The anguish on his face goes a long way toward reassuring me of his good intentions. “If I could have told you?—”

“I know. Now that I’ve had time to think things through, I know you would have told me if you could have. I respect that you didn’t. You’ve seen your people through horrors I can’t even imagine, and I respect the way you continue to protect them.”

He swallows hard, his eyes momentarily glassy. “Thank you. But I want to be clear that I was ready to tell you as soon as the law allowed. We might not have known each other that long, but I knew… Well, I knew how I felt. Feel. And I was certain I could trust you not to betray us.”

Warmth slithers through me, and unable to resist, I lean forward and gently kiss him, pulling back before either of us can get carried away.

His chest rises as he inhales deeply. “Don’t do that again until you’re ready for more,” he warns, and I chuckle.

“Noted. Um… is it okay… Would you…”

He meets my gaze solidly. “You can ask me anything, Jared.”

“Can I see you without the glamor?” I blurt.

“Only, I’ve been told most people don’t use it when they’re home, and I…

I don’t want you to be uncomfortable… around…

me.” Even as I speak, his true features are revealed—along with the same momentary golden glow I saw last time.

“Oh, wow,” I whisper, then wince. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound…

It’s just, last time I was still overwhelmed by everything, and I saw , but I didn’t…

” I trail off. None of my words are helping this situation.

“It might be best for us both if we agree to only be honest with each other from now on,” he says solemnly. “Would you like me to use the glamor? I won’t be offended.”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant. You’re attractive with or without it.

I…” I bite my lip. “I don’t know how to say this without it seeming xenophobic, but I agree that we should be honest. I guess I was just surprised by how attractive I find you without the glamor.

” I brace for his reaction and hope I haven’t hurt him.

To my surprise—and I think his—he laughs. “That’s not what I expected you to say. I’m glad you’re still attracted to me.”

Whew. “So… I haven’t offended you?”

Raeulfr shakes his head. “No. I’ve never been in this position before, but you never thought there would be a reality where you dated someone nonhuman. It’s normal for you to need to adjust your thinking.”

I slide my hands under my thighs to keep myself from lunging for him.

How did I get lucky enough to meet a man who checks so many of the boxes on my list?

Kind, responsible, handsome, intelligent, understanding…

So far, the only one he doesn’t check is “human,” and honestly, that was never on the list.

“This is good,” I say instead of crawling into his lap and exploring every curve and angle of his face with my mouth.

“We both understand where the other is coming from, we agree to be honest, and we’re still hot for each other.

” Heat explodes in my cheeks. “Uh. I was going to phrase that differently.”

“It’s accurate.” He shrugs. “You probably have more questions.”

“A lot,” I agree. “But most of them I can get the answers to as life goes along.” Like what that golden glow was. His magic? But why have I never seen it before? “The, uh, the most important one is where we see us going from here.”

A concerned frown tugs at his mouth. “What do you mean? You said you didn’t want to break up. And I definitely don’t want to.”

“I’m glad to hear that. But what does us being together look like? You’re the species leader for I don’t even know how many people. You have a security team and responsibilities. I’m guessing that impulsive long weekends at the beach are probably not something you can do.”

He winces. “It’s not out of the question… if I don’t already have commitments, and if we let the team know ahead of time. Which makes it not impulsive.”

I nod. “Right. That’s okay, by the way. I get that there are people counting on you.

The magic, or the life force, or whatever you want to call it picked you for a reason, and since it hasn’t picked anyone else yet, that means you’re still what your people need.

I’m just not sure how I fit in with that.

” I wince. My intention wasn’t to sound as pathetic as that.

Raeulfr is silent for a long moment. “I hadn’t thought about it,” he admits finally.

“Not specific to you, anyway. I was just so excited to be with you, to spend every second I could get free in your presence, that I didn’t think about what our relationship would be like when we could be open about it.

” He gets up, startling me, and crosses to a sideboard and opens one of the drawers.

When he comes back, he’s holding a notepad and pen, and he sits closer to me than before, his leg pressed all up against the side of mine.

“Let’s do this the sensible way. No more secrets; only honesty. You tell me what you want, and I’ll do the same, and we’ll work out what’s going to be best for us both.”