Chapter Twenty-six

Try as I might to put on a brave face, I cannot fully suppress my fear and apprehension. The prince's words seem mild, and the question wasn't asked in anger, but there has to be a catch, something underneath all his courtly manners, just waiting to attack.

"Don’t look at me like that," he says, and for the life of me, I swear he sounds…sad. Disappointed. "I brought you home with me because you were hurt. Banished. We both know you would not have survived on your own."

"You don't know that," I say, chafing at the insult.

He laughs freely, but not meanly. "Aurora, what do you think would have happened to you if I had not arrived at the guard house to take you away?"

I have no answer for that because we both know that answer.

"As I was saying," he goes on good-naturedly. I realize that he's teasing me. It's sweet in an odd sort of way. "I took you home because you needed my aid."

His face goes softer – and a little sadder. "And of course, because you're my mate, I want to bond with yo