“I was at Adam’s because I wanted my face back. That’s the only reason why.”
She was definitely mad at him. Was that a good sign or a bad one?
“What happened to you, anyway?” She waved a hand at him.
He looked down at his body. “This is my true form. Does it offend you?”
“It’s nothing to do with me, is it?”
He sighed. Perhaps it was better to give her an open target for her pent-up rage. “It’s going to be like this, then? You having a major hissy fit over nothing?”
“Nothing?” She stalked over to him and stuck her finger in his face. “Don’t you dare fuck with me, Morosov! You waltzed off to Otherworld, telling me to stay put like a good little girl and insisting you didn’t need me anymore. Why should I care what becomes of you?”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“As I said, and as I’ve already told your family more than once, I came to get my face back, not to babysit you.”
Diverted from his true purpose, just as she had probably intended, he couldn’t help asking, “You’ve met my family?”
She counted on her fingers. “Your grandmother stuck me in a dungeon to keep me out of the way, your father wanted to blackmail me into taking you back to San Francisco and your mother practically cried all over me to save you.”
He focused on the most dangerous part. “You saw my father? What else did he say to you?”
She finally looked at him. “You don’t want to know.”
“He said I’m a monster, didn’t he?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Then I understand why you aren’t pleased to see me.” He had to look away. “I can’t defend my past.”
She didn’t even attempt to contradict him. An iron band closed around his heart. “What do you want from me, Ella?”
“To help me get my face back and bring Adam down.”
“That’s all?”
“I haven’t decided about the rest, yet.”
“But we’re mated.”
Her unfamiliar blue eyes shot sparks. “And you walked out on me!”
He grabbed her hand and held fast. “You know why I left.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I had to try and protect you. You’re not dumb, I’m sure you worked that out for yourself.”
“That you’re such a hero?”
“No, that despite everything, you mean more to me than anything else in my life.” Something hot fell on his skin and he realized she was crying. “Ella—”
“I don’t need this right now, Morosov, all right? I just want to get my face back. If you can’t help me with that, go away.”
He released her hand and stared down at the trampled grass. Perhaps he had misjudged her. Her fear of rejection and abandonment ran so deep... Perhaps his father’s words had made her hate him beyond reason, and even beyond their mated state. He wasn’t surprised. Who would want to be mated to an executioner? There was still one thing he could do for her...
“There is a way for you to regain your face.”
She looked back at him, her eyes still full of tears. “There is?”
He slowly stood up and bowed. “I would be more than willing to help you achieve your aim.”
Hope blossomed in her eyes. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Perhaps after you’ve rested for a while, we can discuss how we mean to go on.”
She woke up feeling warm, for once, and slowly opened her eyes to discover she was in a sleeping bag with a proper pillow under her head. Trust Vadim to have all the right camping gear. Despite the fact that she was out in the middle of nowhere with a no-good shape-shifting Fae prince, she felt remarkably safe. The clearing was in darkness, only the light from a small fire breaking the gloom. She sat up and scanned the area. The high peaks of mountains and pine trees surrounded them, and the air had an icy freshness to it that literally caught at her breath.
Behind her, in the forest, she could pick up the presence of smaller woodland Fae and other species. Nothing approached the fire or the solitary male who sat facing it. She’d never thought of herself as a coward, but part of her wanted to turn over, go back to sleep and pretend none of this had really happened. Something about the rigid set of his shoulders made her get up and walk toward him.
He spoke before she reached him.
“There’s coffee keeping warm by the fire.”
“Cool.” She went forward and poured herself a cup of the fragrant brew. “Thanks.” She stood and looked out over the clearing. “You should’ve woken me earlier.”
“There was no need. It is too late to start back for the palace. Adam will not find us here.”
“Did you ward the clearing?”
“It is always like this. Only those of the Royal blood can get through the shields. It’s a place of refuge.”
She got the sense that he’d been there a lot. She looked down at her boot and kicked a stone. “Thanks for the sleeping bag. That’s the first decent nap I’ve had since I got here.”
“You are welcome.”
She kicked another stone, which thunked against the log he was sitting on. God, this was awkward. Why the hell was she feeling sorry for him?
“Did you think I’d come to save you?”
She caught a hint of a smile. “No one needs to save me, Ms. Walsh. I’m Death Bringer.”
“So your father said.”
His expression went blank. “Do you want something to eat?”
So he didn’t want to talk about that. What a surprise. “Of course I do.” She held up her hand. “But I know how to do that stuff myself now.” She concentrated on the image of a triple cheeseburger and fries, but nothing happened. “Damn, I had it the other day.”
“It’s not your fault. The wards around this space are extremely powerful.”
“Can’t you get through them, either?”
“Not unless I want to bring my entire family down on us, but I have something better.” He held up her backpack.
“Where did you get that?”
“Adam gave it to me.”
“Why?” She took it from his outstretched hand.
“To mess with my head?”
She sat down beside him and rummaged in the backpack. “I have a couple of juice boxes if you want one, and some protein bars.”
“That would be wonderful.”
He was being terribly polite, which meant that underneath he was as pissed off as she was. When she handed over his share, she risked a joke. “How the mighty have fallen.”
“Needs must, Ms. Walsh.”
“Why are you calling me that?”
He ripped open his protein bar using his teeth. “I thought you’d prefer it.”
“Would you like me to start calling you Death?”
“Not really.”
“Then Ella will do nicely.” She struggled to open the foil packaging of her bar. Vadim reached across and slashed through the foil with one long claw. “Thanks. Since when did swans have talons?”
“In Otherworld I can become anything I choose.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“Most of them unpleasant, as you’ve no doubt discovered.” He finished his bar and started on his juice. “I noticed you were limping earlier. Is there something wrong with your ankle?”
“I was bitten by a dragon.”
His head snapped round. “What kind?”
“Does it really matter? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?” He continued to stare at her, and she sighed. “Fine. It was small and black, with red eyes and sharp teeth. Does that help?”
“You got as far as the trophy room?”
“I got as far as reaching for my face, and then that damned dragon closed his jaws around my ankle, and I lost it.”
“May I see your ankle?”
She stuck out her booted foot. “Someone bandaged it up for me while I was out of it. I was going to try that cleanup spell you gave me on it, but I didn’t get a chance.”