“Syn, even if you weren’t the Light Heir, which you are, Ristan has seen the future,” Ryder said softly as his hand that had been beneath the table caressed my leg, sending heat scorching to my core. “You two will work together, and Ristan has seen the proof of it. You begin the healing of the world of Faery. We can’t ignore that.”
Well, there went that hope, right down the drain. I lowered my eyes so no one could see the pain that his words caused. His hand played softly on my thigh, teasingly. I turned to look at him, and couldn’t manage a smile when he gave me reassurance. He’d made love to me, and it had broken my heart, because I wanted that softness from him. Between that, and learning that I had been right this whole time—that I wasn’t supposed to be alive—I was two problems shy of a full-blown mental breakdown.
“He could have been shocked to see you alive simply due to the fact that he had you pegged for dead already. Someone did just blow up your house, with you inside of it,” Adrian said, lowering his eyes to me from where he stood behind Vlad. I hadn’t even noticed when they had arrived earlier to catch the tail end of the contract being negotiated.
“Hate to agree with him, but you were supposed to die in the house, Synthia,” Ryder mumbled as his hand slid between my thighs.
I barely suppressed a moan as he applied pressure. His eyes held a playful sparkle in their depths. He rubbed his fingers over the soft skirt I’d glamoured on this morning. His hand lifted it until his fingers touched my tender flesh. I had to control my breathing as everyone chatted around us, and to us.
“So, we need a firm yes or no from you, Synthia,” Kier said, causing Ryder to stop his movement abruptly.
“You want me to marry Adam. I get that. What else? I know it’s not as simple as just marrying him, Kier.”
“You marry him, produce an heir, and you will be groomed to become Queen of the Dark Fae. You will sign a contract agreeing to it, and agreeing to be everything Adam needs.”
“I can’t do that,” I replied honestly, which seemed to make every conversation in the room stop. “I can’t honestly sign anything that agrees for me to become everything he needs, Kier. I love Adam, but I’ll never be in love with him. I’ll be faithful, and I’ll try to be a mother to his children. I had no mother, so I have no idea what one does for her child, but I can try. I don’t want to be a queen of anything. Period. Again, I can try. That is all I can sign my name to. Anything more would be a blatant lie.”
Adam let out a heavy sigh and left the table in long angry strides that took him swiftly to the doors. I watched him go in silence.
“Love will come with time,” Kier said, loud enough for it to carry to Adam, but he ignored it and left the club.
“No, it won’t. Not that kind of love.” Because I’m already in love…I shut down my mind from thinking and looked carefully at Kier. “Do you love your wife?”
“With all my heart,” he replied without hesitation.
“And you would so easily deprive Adam from having what you share with her?”
“Syn,” Ryder said.
“No, I’d like you to answer me, Kier. Because I was raised with Adam, and, yes, I love him, with all of my heart and every fiber of my being. I’d jump in front of him and take a bullet without thinking twice about it, but I’ll never be in love with him. I’ll never play with words to make him feel otherwise, either. It will be a loveless marriage, and, as his friend, I wish for more for him.”
“Synthia, I love her with all of my heart now. When I met and married her, I can’t say I did. Love is a difficult concept for Fae, and it rarely happens to us. When it does, most of us don’t recognize it as such. I appreciate your hopes for my son. You really are a beautiful soul, Synthia. You will make a fierce queen and a strong woman for my son and your children,” he replied, bowing his head.
I closed my eyes and shook my head as nausea rolled in my stomach. “I need something before I agree to anything, Kier. It’s not something you give me, or anything that will cost you.”
He narrowed his eyes and nodded for me to continue.
“I have something I need to settle before I can agree to become his wife,” I choked out the word wife but managed it nonetheless.
“Name it,” he replied, watching me carefully.
“I want one shot at drawing out the Fae that killed my parents and blew up my house. He is one and the same. I want a chance to stop him from ever harming me or mine again. One shot, and, even if I fail to kill him, I will go willingly with you and marry your son. I have to at least try to end this before I can agree to anything.”