“Let’s go get those clothes,” Tabitha said briskly.
She placed the palm of her hand gently against the back of his arm.
Twin sensations rocked him to the core.
The first was horror that she had touched him. One didn’t touch a king without an invitation.
The second was slower to land on him but stronger, oh so much stronger.
Pleasure bloomed in him like an entire field of poppies blossoming at once, intoxicating him with their scent and color.
And something unlocked in his chest, making him feel dizzy and desperate, like an inexperienced princeling.
It couldn’t be.
After all he’d chided his brother, he refused to allow it.
He would not accept a mortal as his queen.
3
Tabitha
Tabitha glanced over at Tristan as they walked together through the mall.
On Dorian’s advice, they had visited The Gap and sure enough, a teenager named Marcus very enthusiastically helped the King of Light find some clothing that suited him surprisingly well.
Tristan was now clad in a white Oxford shirt with an off-white denim jacket and a pair of dark jeans he had deemed acceptable.
She hated to admit it, but he looked incredible. Possibly even hotter than before.
They had decided to walk around in the mall while they waited to hear from Sara about what was going on with the house.
It had sounded like a good plan, to walk and get to know each other a little. But it wasn’t working out that way. She wasn’t getting to know him at all.
She had resigned herself to the fact that he’d be making snarky remarks about everything they saw and smirking at her, like he had back at the mansion.
Instead, the King of Light was silent as a tomb.
And he hadn’t met her eyes once.
Despite that, she was still having a good time. Everyone they passed seemed to brighten as soon as they got within a dozen feet of him.
And Tabitha was getting her share of very jealous looks from the women they saw.
It was going as well as could have been expected. But she hoped Sara would call soon. This wasn’t exactly the adventure she’d thought she was in for.
Suddenly, Tristan left her side and veered into the center of the mall.
She watched in shock as he sat on the edge of the fountain and dipped a big hand in to get a drink.
“Stop,” she yelled, flinging herself at him.
He managed to catch her before she could launch them both into the water.
“What in God’s name, mortal?” he spluttered, trapping her in his strong arms.
And then his eyes met hers again.
Tabitha felt something like agony as his gaze locked on her.
A rush of memories flooded her mind, as if he had grabbed her hand and dragged her along through her every moment of happiness and sorrow.
There was the nest she’d made under the dining room table as a child for reading her beloved illustrated fairy tale books. There was her father shaking his head when she’d tried to sneak in after curfew, breaking her heart with his quiet disapproval. There was Sara, sitting with her after a bad breakup and making her laugh so hard that a perfectly good chardonnay almost exploded out of her nose.
She had heard of people having their lives flash before them, but never thought it was something that could actually happen.
Was this what dying was like? Was she dying?
Tristan’s expression had softened, his dark eyes hazy now.
“Woman,” he murmured, leaning closer to her.
Tabitha suddenly recovered her senses and scrambled out of his arms, stumbling across the marble floor of the mall.
“Why did you stop me?” he demanded.
Because I don’t want you to kiss me, you don’t even like me…
“That water isn’t for drinking,” she said, pretending to misunderstand.
She smoothed down her skirt, sure that if she looked at him again she would lose her resolve. Her heart was still beating so fast she was afraid she was about to take flight.
“Let’s get you a real drink,” she suggested, heading for the pretzel shop that was within view without waiting for him to respond.
She sensed him following, as if there were an invisible leash between them.
“How may I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked Tabitha, while looking hungrily at Tristan.
Tabitha resisted the urge to collar her. “Just a Coke, please.”
The woman poured out the drink, staring at Tristan the whole time.
Tabitha tapped her phone to the keypad to pay, and then turned to hand him the beverage.
“What is this?” he asked disdainfully.
“It’s a soda,” she told him. “A sweet beverage.”
He frowned and observed the straw.
“Put it in your mouth and suck,” she advised.
He smirked and she felt blood rush to her cheeks.
But then he did as she instructed.
His eyebrows went straight up.
He took another long swallow.
“Good, right?” she couldn’t help asking.
Tabitha tried to eat healthy, but she found the occasional soda irresistible. She was glad to know that appreciation for it wasn’t reserved for her own… species? Race?
She knew that even though he might look like a human, Tristan was something altogether different. She wondered just how different.
“How is this nectar made?” Tristan asked. “Will she give me the recipe for my cook?”
Tabitha glanced back at the girl in the pretzel shop, trying to imagine what would happen if he went back and asked.
The girl was leaning on her elbows, chin in her hands watching Tristan. She brightened when she saw him turn back.
“She doesn’t know the recipe,” Tabitha said quickly.
“She doesn’t?” Tristan asked. “Well, the chef then, I’d be glad to compensate him for his trouble.”
Tabitha wondered vaguely for a moment about what the recipe for Coca-Cola might be worth.
“This beverage is made by a giant corporation far away from here,” she said. “The recipe is a trade secret, but the drink itself can be bought in any shop.”
The king frowned, but he continued to walk with her instead of running back to the pretzel lady - a small victory.
Tabitha walked along with him, trying to see the world through his eyes. She couldn’t really do it justice because she didn’t know what his world was like. But she was pretty sure it wasn’t full of electric lights and TV screens, or piped-in mall music.
All things considered, he was doing well, except for the fountain incident.
And the fact that when he looked in her eyes, he made her feel like her soul was turning inside out.
4
Tabitha
Tabitha tried to keep her eyes on the road.
She and Tristan were headed back to Rosethorn Valley to meet Sara and Dorian for dinner, and to discuss all Sara had learned.
Tristan sat beside Tabitha on the passenger side, quiet as ever, fiddling with the electronic window controls.
He pushed the button to make it go down, then up again, and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Tabitha asked.
“This mortal attempt at magic is charming,” he observed. “Abracadabra.”