Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 20

C h apte r 20

Love and Seduction

W hen it seemed like he actually wouldn’t answer, eyes wide as some deep-seated secret inside struggled to remain hidden, a surge of guilt rushed over Margot. Here she was forcing him to tell her things he clearly didn’t want shared. She was fine with using the wine to loosen his words about things she needed to know—the Claiming, her abilities, his fae world—but his secrets weren’t hers to pillage. His lips moved, but she slammed her hand over his mouth, blocking him from speaking.

“I don’t want to know things you don’t want to tell me,” she insisted. “Tell me what you can’t tell me without magic wine, and the rest is yours. You have the right to your secrets.”

“I’ve never told anyone,” he whispered when she removed her hand. “Even Timothy does n’t know.”

“Tell me about Timothy, then,” she encouraged, shifting the conversation to safer ground. “He’s some kind of b odyguard?”

“He’s mine,” Ash sa id simply.

“Yours? What does t hat mean?”

“I Claimed him when we were children. He’s always been with m y family.”

“Wait.” Margot held up her hands. “You already Claimed someone?”

“Years ago, yes. Before I was in hiding. Before the oath. Before Rebinus took Tobin and everything changed.” Margot nodded, but her face still showed her confusion. “Go,” Ash said, raising an elegant eyebrow, “you didn’t think we could only Claim one person, did you?”

Margot paused, realizing that she had thought exactly that. The math of it all made her brain fizzle under the effect of the wine. “Shh,” she told him, embarrassed. “I realize what you’re saying. Of course you would all Claim more than one person, especially those Lords you talked about. They must be at the top of the food chain. Pyramid.” She paused, images of the food pyramid in a textbook her mom had used to teach her suddenly filling her mind. “Pyramid scheme,” she muttered, the wine starting to kick, and she shook her head, willing the effects of the liquor away as her mind skipped ahead to another topic. “Has your father Claimed man y people?”

“The household, mostly, are under his protection, and a few lesser fae here a nd there.”

“But no one Claims him, your father , I mean?”

“He’s a Lord,” Ash explained. “To be a Lord, you remain U nclaimed.”

“How many Lords a re there?”

“Right now?” Ash thought about it. “When I left, there were five.” He held up his first finger. “My father, Lord Novus.” Another two fingers—ring finger and pinky. “Lord Alick and Lord Kristoff. They give us the most trouble.” Another finger—the thumb this time. “Lord Tennere. He’s not as involved, or he wasn’t a few years ago. Generally kept to himself.” A final finger—the middle one now. “And Lord Rebinus. He’s trouble. He keeps building his power, Claiming new talents. He would have tried to Claim me, were it not too risky as a direct act against my father. He may have subdued a ten-year-old Tobin, but he would find me a bit more challenging. Especi ally now.”

Margot nodded. “I want to ask you about that, but I won’t. I will accept that you are strong and have secrets of your own. That’s your business. My business is what I’m supposed to do now that I’ve Manifested or whatever.” She paused, staring into space, seeing Tobin’s worried face from last night. “I think that’s what Tobin is afraid of—that Rebinus will Claim me.” She frowned. “Is he really that bad?”

Ash clearly wanted to say yes, but he held back. She could see the effect of the wine in his expression, the loose grin on his lips, the way his eyes occasionally slid from her face to her body. “Lord Rebinus Claimed Tobin—and Tobin’s sti ll alive.”

“How encouraging,” Margot c ommented.

Ash reached out to touch her hand, pulling it close to his body. “It is encouraging. He may not be the boy I knew, but Tobin is powerful now. Respected. Safe. He would do what he could for you.”

“While his weird power-hungry Lord rapes me,” Margot said sadly, the enormity of the Claiming si nking in.

“It wouldn’t be … rape,” Ash argued. “You… you would n’t mind.”

“I wouldn’t?” she echoed. A hot flare of anger spiked in her chest. “You presume to tell me what I want?”

“It’s magic, Go,” he defended. “It’s not like some stranger grabbing you in an alley.” He frowned, looking down at her hand in his. She could feel the calluses on his fingertips against her palm. “He will seduce you. That’s how he works.” He sighed, stroking her hand. “He’s quite go od at it.”

“Maybe I won’t be seduced,” she insisted. “Maybe I don’t want some stranger.”

“You want Tobin,” he said bluntly, eyes lifting from her hand to her face. “He’s a stranger.”

“Is he, though?” She pursed her lips. Tobin was Claimed by Lord Rebinus, so anything he did or said would be in the Lord’s best interest. She knew it probably meant he was helping her to gain favor for his master, but she didn’t care. Tobin sparked something deep inside, something she wasn’t willing to dismiss easily—even if he did have shady motives. “He seems so familiar to me, Ash. Does that mean so mething?”

“Could mean a lot of things,” Ash admitted, voice deepening. “We have many magical possibilities: a spell, a kinship, a Connection. Perhaps he’s your soulmate.”

She smacked him with her other hand, and he caught that hand too, adding it to his lap as he tugged her closer. “Why does it have to be magic?” she asked. “Maybe I just like him because I like him.”

“That’s also possible,” Ash admitted, giving her hands another soft tug, and she leaned into him, her feet nearly kicking over the mugs and bottle as she climbed onto his lap. “I like tha t option.”

“That I just like Tobin without magic?” she echoed. “Why do you like that one?”

“Because it means I have a chance, Go,” he said, wrapping her in his arms. She settled her legs around his hips, hooking her feet behind his back to secure herself atop him.

“A chance for what?” she pressed, looking directly into his eyes. Ash wasn’t much taller but sitting like this on his lap gave her enough height to see ey e-to-eye.

“To change your mind,” he said, hand abandoning her back to slide along h er cheek.

“Change my mind to what?” she asked, a little breathless, the wine making her body warm, and his touch making her hot.

“To me,” he said and leaned down to kiss her. Margot stopped him, putting her hand between th eir lips.

“Don’t you dare, Ashton Stonewall,” she hissed, leaning back and regaining he r senses.

“Dare to kiss you?” he asked. “I’ve been longing to do this for years, Go.” He leaned in again, confident her obvious attraction would overwhelm her refusal.

“No,” she said, and he stopped at the word. “Don’t you dare pretend you don’t know how I feel a bout you.”

“How do you feel about me?” he asked.

Margot felt the wine surge in her, but she didn’t need the magical aid to confess. “I love you,” she admitted. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you—and you know it, so don’t pretend you’re some lovesick boy now. I kno w better.”

Ash narrowed his eyes, then he grabbed both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head, trapping her on his lap. She started to move, to unwrap herself from him, but his other hand was touching her face again, cupping her cheek. “But I am a lovesick boy,” he insisted. “I’ve wanted you for a long time.” He leaned forward, resting his face against her neck, moving her shirt aside to leave a gentle kiss on her co llarbone.

“Liar,” she moaned. “I bet you say that to all t he girls.”

He jerked her hands up, and she opened her eyes to look at him. His stare was intense. “I never lie about love,” he said fiercely. “And I never lie to you , Margot.”

“So what then? You saying you love me?” she ch allenged.

“Of course I love you,” he replied. “I just can’t have you.”