Mia closed her eyes, savoring his touch. “I don’t hate you,” she whispered without opening her eyes. His fingers traced her jaw line and then up against her forehead, brushing strands of her hair out of her face leaving trails of warmth and tingles in their wake. “You were a jerk at first but… I don’t think you are now. I…” Mia bit her lip. She opened her eyes, startled at the desperation and hope in his gaze as if he thought she would tell him she never wanted to see him again. “I know you better now and I like you… a lot.”
One would have thought Mia was telling him he’d just won the lottery. His eyes sparked, and a massive, goofy grin lit up his face. It was the best look on him thus far. Rhett propped himself up on an elbow the rocks seemingly not bothering him as he continued to play with strands of hair falling over her forehead. “You like me?” he asked, teasing in his eyes.
Mia grinned and ducked her head, blushing. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Never,” he murmured. “But… Apparently I’m not doing a good enough job. I was hoping for you to say something more.”
Mia’s eyes widened, and she glanced up at him and saw through the teasing a complete seriousness. Something more? As in… love? Mia wasn’t sure she was quite ready for that. She knew deep down there was something more inside her for him, but she wasn’t ready to admit it. To even think about that.
Mia shrugged, smirking. “Guess you’ll just have to try harder.”
His grin widened, and he leaned forward. Mia’s breath caught in her throat as his lips brushed her jaw and then touched her ear as he whispered, “I accept the challenge.”
A shiver ran down Mia’s spine. Her whole body melted at those words as he slowly moved away, but not before pressing the gentlest kiss against her temple. They stayed like that for a few seconds, just gazing into each other’s eyes, neither one of them wanting to be the first to break away. But then Rhett jumped to his feet inhumanly fast, startling Mia from the trance he’d put her under.
He grinned impishly and held a hand out to her. “Come here,” he said.
Mia took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. With a tug he pulled her in close to him and he wrapped his arms around her. “I promise you, Mia, that the next time we kiss, you’ll say what I want you to say,” he declared.
Mia pressed her lips together. “Well,” she said, at last finding the right words. “You might be waiting a while.”
He winked and let go of her but continued to hold her hand. “I’m a very patient person Mia. I have all the time in the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
After the Falls, everything was different. Mia felt like she was on top of the world. The dynamic between Rhett and her changed, and Mia let it. She didn’t want to fight the fact that she’d felt deeply for him from the get-go anymore, and it seemed he didn’t want to fight his feelings anymore either.
He picked her up every other morning to take her to school. The mornings when he didn’t, Angie took Mia. Not because Rhett didn’t want to or because he was busy, but Mia refused to be that girl who shunned all her friends just because she had a boyfriend. Thinking of Rhett as her boyfriend sent happy thrills through her every single time.
Mia knew Angie was less than happy about this development. She often complained about how she should have taken off the dance committee that evening to hang out with Mia, but she also didn’t try to stop Mia or stop being friends with her. Neither did Kai, though he didn’t seem to mind Rhett as much as Angie did.
Though to be fair, Angie was pretty busy the next few weeks. As the dance drew closer and closer the busier Angie got. Mia started spending more time with Kai or Rhett while Angie spent lunches with the dance committee and after school with friends from the cheer team getting everything squared away. Kai despaired more than a few times that Angie would never say yes to him every time Mia tried to convince him to ask her. After a while, Mia realized she would have an easier time getting through to Angie. If Kai wouldn’t ask her then Mia would have to convince Angie to ask him.
And then there was Rhett… He held up his promise. Not a single kiss, at least not a real one between them in all the weeks leading up to the dance. He kissed her hand or her forehead or her temple but never one on the lips. Even when Mia tried to tease him into it. He always pulled away and gave her a knowing grin. If his plan was to tantalize and taunt Mia until she fell in love with him… it was working.
Though Mia wouldn’t mind a kiss here or there, Mia liked that they had more time to talk. Rhett would sneak into her room and hang out with her, and they would talk late into the night about everything. Hopes and dreams and fears. Rhett feared he would never be as good of a king as his father was. Right now, no one considered him king – or even the prince – but he knew there would come a time when they would all look to him. It was just a matter of time until they did. He hoped his parents were still alive in Faerie. He dreamed he would get to see them again.
When he asked about Mia’s hopes and dreams, hers were of a much… simpler kind. Mia was nestled into the nook of his shoulder, both of them lounging on the couch. Her mom had left hours ago to the bookstore. She was so close to having it all set up, giving them total privacy when Rhett had asked her what she wanted. What she wanted to do with her life.
“You are a Junior after all,” he said with a sarcastic twist to his lips. “Shouldn’t you have a plan?”
Mia made a face, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, probably. Mom’s already started hounding me about colleges and stuff… I just… I don’t know what I want to do.”
Rhett gave her shoulders a squeeze. “That is entirely untrue.”
Mia shot him a playful glare. “And how would you know that?”
“Because I know you. You’re too ambitious and driven to not want something. So, what is it?’
Mia sighed and slumped against him. “Fine. I have an idea of what I want to do.”
“And it’s…?” he coaxed.
“It’s probably just a pipe dream but… I’ve always loved running and I don’t know. I think it would be cool to become a professional runner one day. A professional athlete.”
Rhett’s eyes widened. “You know, I can actually see that.”
Mia grinned up at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well it’ll probably never pan out and if it doesn’t then I think I’d like to go into some kind of medicine. But not like being a nurse or a doctor. I’d love to learn herbal stuff and all that.”
“Ahh, never tell Angie that. She would freak out,” Rhett said, grinning. “She’s big into the herbal remedies and all that.”
“I figured her being a nymph and all. But yeah… I’d like to do something along those lines.”
Rhett pressed a kiss to her temple. “I think you’d be excellent at both of those things.”
“What about you?” Mia asked, glancing up at him. “I know you want to be a good leader and all that, but if you weren’t a prince, what would you want to do?”
A thoughtful expression crossed his face and Rhett frowned. “I never actually thought about it but… I guess if I wasn’t a prince, I’d like to be a knight.” He suddenly grinned and glanced down at her. “You’d make a good knight.”
Mia perked up at the thought. She could be a knight. That would be kind of cool. “Really?”
“Mmhmm.”
Mia mused. “Too bad I was born a mere mortal.”
Rhett let out a laugh that didn’t quite match the odd look in his eyes. “Too bad.”
Mia had never had so much fun talking to someone before. She wanted to know everything about Rhett. Childhood memories, favorite foods, favorite color, favorite everything. What he loved and what he hated.
She could spend every day with him and be happy, but a week before the dance Mia realized she’d been neglecting Angie a bit. Even though Angie had been busy, that didn’t mean Mia couldn’t go out of her way to spend time with her. So, Friday before the dance Mia as
ked Angie if she wanted to go dress shopping. She’d been gifted with a huge beaming smile and a resounding yes.
That Saturday Mia thought they would head to the mall, but instead Angie stopped in town and chose the most extravagant expensive store there. It was obviously run by a Fae, a nymph by the looks of her dark bark colored skin and light green eyes and brown curls. She hugged Angie like they were old friends and told them to feel free to look around and if they needed any help to let her know.
All the dresses felt like too much to Mia, but she didn’t object when Angie threw a whole bunch into her arms and insisted she try them on. While they were in dressing rooms right next to each other, Mia tried to convince Angie to ask Kai out.
“So, do you have a date yet?” Mia asked, finishing pulling on a gauzy blue gown that cinched at the waste and cascaded down in way too much tulle to her knees.
“No, I don’t think I’ll have anyone to go to this year,” Angie called back, her voice full of melodrama.
Mia grinned. She shouldn’t be so happy at her friend’s despair. “Kai’s still available.”
Angie let out a sigh. “Really? Kai again?”
“Come on. Give him a chance. Please? For me?” Mia checked herself in the mirror and made a face at herself. Yeah no, this was not going to work. She pulled it off and tried a slimmer fitting one that went down to her ankles.
Angie didn’t say anything for several minutes as Mia finished putting on this one that started out black at the top and slowly faded into a rainbow of colors at the bottom. She opened the door and stepped out the same time Angie did. Her friend looked all too stunning in a sleeveless sweet heart neckline gauzy green dress with layers of tulle decorated with fabric butterflies across the skirt and up the bodice of the dress. The green and pastel colors of the butterflies complimented Angie’s tan skin and gold hair. When she gave a little spin, the tulle dress spun out around her legs.
“What do you think?” she asked, spreading her arms out wide.
Mia smiled, nodding. “You found the one.”
Angie let out a squeal. “I know right? It’s gorgeous and perfect! And fine, I will ask Kai to the dance but it’s your fault if I get ambushed by a bunch of angry and jealous goblins.”
Mia laughed and held up her hands. “I’ll take full responsibility. As for dresses… I don’t think I’m going to find anything here.”
Angie stepped back, surveying Mia in her dress and sighed. “I think it looks good, but it’s not… perfect. We can try a different store.”
Mia nodded. “Sounds good.” While Mia changed, Angie paid for the dress along with a few accessories.
Mia left the dressing room and went to wait by the door for her friend who was chatting with the store owner about gardening tips and how the weather’s been nice for the plants lately. While Mia stared off into space, a flicker of someone caught her attention. She turned and drew in a sharp breath when she saw a man she’d almost forgotten about across the street. It was her stalker, looking as handsome and dangerous as ever. He stared right back at her, a sharp grin on his lips and a promise in his eyes.
Mia stumbled back a step, nearly hitting a rack of dresses as several cars flew past, obscuring her view. When she blinked, and the cars were gone, he had disappeared too. It had happened so quickly Mia thought she imagined it. Maybe she did… There hadn’t been any more deaths in town as far as she knew, and she hadn’t seen that stalker since the first few weeks of her living there. He had to be gone.
“Hey,” Angie said, touching her shoulder and startling her from her thoughts. Angie’s delicate eyebrows drew together in concern when she saw Mia’s face. “You OK? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Mia almost opened her mouth and told her friend who she’d seen, but then she saw the glimmer of happiness and excitement in Angie’s eyes and didn’t want to bother her. If it really had been a figment of her imagination, she would be ruining Angie’s dress shopping for nothing. So, instead, she plastered a smile on her face and nodded. “All good. Let’s go find my perfect dress.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
They did not find Mia’s perfect dress. Actually, Mia didn’t find her perfect dress until two days before the dance. Angie had asked Kai to go to the dance with her Tuesday the following week. He had practically glowed the whole day and hugged the life out of Mia when he saw her, saying he owed her big. It made her beyond happy to see both her friends excited and happy. But since Kai had half thought he wouldn’t go to the dance or would just be going with his cousins, he had to scramble to find suitable clothes. And by suitable, Mia meant Angie-approved.
So, on Wednesday that was how Mia found herself heading into Cillian’s Strange and Unusual shop with a vial of Kai’s blood. While he was busy finding clothes for the dance, he’d asked Mia if she would do the exchange and pick up a few things for him. At first Mia had wanted to decline. She hadn’t seen Cillian since the day she’d woken up and hit him with a lamp shade. Not to mention made him cancel his plans with her mom. But Kai had looked desperate and Mia had a hard time saying no, so there she was walking into the store.
Cillian sat behind his desk with several potion bottles in front of him and writing stuff down. He glanced up when the bells rang over his door. Cillian grinned when he saw her. “Uh-oh,” he glanced around animatedly. “Better make sure there aren’t any lamps around.”
Mia’s face heated up and she cleared her throat as she approached his desk. Since the silven had faded, Mia could choose to see through the veil or not. With Rhett and the others, she didn’t mind seeing their Fae side, but shifters with their animalistic traits made her uneasy, so with Cillian, she chose to see his human glamour. “Right… I’m really sorry about that,” she said. “I was just freaked out a little.”
“I can understand,” Cillian said, setting his pen down and lacing his fingers together on his desk. “I can be pretty scary.”
“No, no not at all,” Mia hurried to say. “I just…”
Cillian chuckled, giving her a Cheshire smile. “I’m teasing you, Mia. I really do understand. No hard feelings.”
Mia rubbed the back of her neck. “Well Ok then… Um, and I’m sorry for ruining your date with my mom. She says you’ve called, but she’s been pretty evasive.”
At that, a troubled look crossed over Cillian’s face. He nodded as he got to his feet, palms on the desk. “Yes, she has. But don’t worry,” he winked reminding her of Rhett, “I love a challenge.”
“Riiight. Just promise me you won’t get my mom involved in all this?”
At that he became very serious and nodded. “Of course, Mia. Now, is there a reason you came in or did you just want to apologize for leaving a nasty bruise on my forehead?”
Mia flinched and nodded, pulling out the vial of Kai’s green tinged blood from her pocket. “Yeah. I’m here to pick up Kai’s order.”
Cillian’s eyes momentarily flashed to green cat eyes as he plucked the vial from her. He grinned. “Ah Kai. My best customer. Of course, come with me. And I might just have something extra for you,” he said, leaving his desk and heading toward the back of the store.
Mia hurried to catch up. “I don’t have anything to pay with.”
Cillian waved her comment away. “No payment necessary. Let’s just say you owe me a favor.”
Rhett’s and Angie’s warnings about making a deal with Cillian crossed her mind, but Mia couldn’t understand how owing him a small favor could be a bad thing. So, she pushed their warnings away and shrugged. “Sure.”
“Excellent. I’ll be right back with Kai’s things and your little present,” Cillian said, entering the storage room Mia had woken up in.
She wanted to tell him that a present meant no strings attached but bit back her reply. Mia had a feeling that Cillian’s definition of a present and hers were very different. A minute later Cillian returned with a small cardboard box and a beautiful blue one on top tied with a ribbon. He gestured for her to follow him back to the front of th
e store where he set down both boxes on his desk.
“Here’s Kai’s things,” he said, gesturing at the cardboard box. He then picked up the pretty ribbon-tied one and held it out to her, grinning. “And this is yours my dear.”
Mia took it and gently undid the bow and lifted the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen in her life. It had a Grecian neckline and started out a dark purple and became lighter as the dress went on, made out of chiffon with silver stars making the fabric glitter and look enchanted. Her gaze flickered up from the fabric to Cillian where he had a pleased smile on his lips. “Like it?”
“Like it? I love it! It’s gorgeous. I can’t accept this,” Mia insisted, starting to put it back in the box.
Cillian’s hand whipped out and stopped her. “It’s yours. We already made a deal and you must keep the deal,” he said. “You get the dress and owe me a favor. Besides, you deserve to look beautiful at the dance on Friday.”
“Are you sure?” Mia asked, setting the dress back down in the box. She couldn’t believe Cillian had given her such a gorgeous dress. It must have cost a fortune.
Cillian nodded, waving her question away as he sat down. “Of course, I’m sure. Now get out of here. Go try it on and enjoy yourself at the dance.”
“Um, wow… well thank you so much,” she said, setting the lid back on the box and grabbing Kai’s too.
Cillian merely smiled as Mia left his store. She seemed to always enter his store empty handed and come out with some kind of treasure. But now she owed him a favor. Mia knew if Rhett found out he would freak, so she decided to keep that little nugget of information to herself. At least until after the dance. Cillian was right. She deserved to have fun at the dance and so did Rhett.
***
Thursday went by in a blink of an eye. Mia barely saw Angie at all and on Friday? She wasn’t even sure she saw Angie at all that day, though Kai said he had, and she was just busy with last minute finishing touches for the dance.
Wayward: St. Croix Falls Book 1 Page 18
