Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 33

C h apte r 33

Coffee and Perfectly Normal Co nversation

H alf an hour later, she was still drinking coffee with Tobin and chatting as if she had known him for years. Sitting in her bed, the space was high enough for her head to just brush the ceiling, and Tobin was laying on his back at the foot of the bed, her pillow bunched behind him, his glorious bare chest a distracting sight as he rested the coffee mug on the muscled planes of his abs. She had dressed in her working clothes—jeans, tank top, and staff shirt—her hoodie hanging ready by the bus door.

Tobin had helped her to find Haberson’s Auto Body in Sivas, and she had an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. For only a moderate extra fee, the owner had agreed to open on a Sunday, and he had a new side door and panel held for her. He could even match the cr eam color.

The band manager Cayla had texted that morning to make sure everything was set for the show that night, and while Margot hadn’t actually gone to check on Ash, she’d heard from Timothy that they were all fine. The on-call doctor had been by to see the lead singer, and he was much recovered; they could count on the doc’s discretion, and the show should go on without any problems.

Margot had asked if they needed her for anything, and Timothy insisted she take the day for herself—showing up at 3 pm to make sure everything was set up properly. Tobin agreed to hang out with her until then, and she was grateful for the company, not sure what a day spent alone would have done for her ment al state.

“Tell me more about this ‘job’ you have for Lord WhatsHisName,” Margot said, using a ir quotes.

“Rebinus,” Tobin corrected, seeming to never tire of her butchering his boss’s name. “It’s nothing, really . Boring.”

“That’s not an answer,” she reminded him. “What are you doing in Ardon?”

“Checking in on a few people, making sure businesses are running smoothly—that kind of thing,” he said vaguely.

“Breaking some kneecaps along the way?” she prompted, thinking of him shaking t he faeng.

“It’s not like that, Margot,” he defended, taking a sip of hi s coffee.

“Then what is it like?” she pushed. “Hell, this is more frustrating than talking to Ash. Do you need magic wine too?”

Tobin raised an eyebrow. “So that’s how you got him to crack,” he said contemplatively. “I wondered how yo u did it.”

“You say that like I drugged him.” Margot didn’t like the feeling in her gut.

“Didn’t you?” Tobin raised an eyebrow, then reached out to touch her foot. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, Margot. Fae spells are powerful. Sometimes you need a little something extra to break through.”

“You knew he was under a spell?”

Tobin cocked his head. “I assumed it was something. It was more than just dumb luck and cleverness that kept him hidden from the other Lords all this time.” He gave her a pointed look. “I mean, you’ve seen how well h e fights.”

“He couldn’t use his abilities,” she defended.

“He’s an idiot. There are ways to use his powers without attracting attention. He’s so hung up on playing human that he’s forgotten himself.” He gave her a pointed look. “That’s why he’s so angry with me for Awakening you, you know. You make him face his fae self—and Ash is very good at runn ing away.”

“Tell me about it,” Margot said and instantly felt guilty for judging him. “I didn’t mean that. If I had a good life and just had to follow a few rules, I don’t think I’d jeopardize it lightly.”

“You nearly died, Margot,” Tobin said, his voice dark and full of anger.

“I was fine,” she insisted, trying not to recall the faeng’s face in the last moment before it would have climbed inside and cut her apart. “You saved me.”

“I shouldn’t have had to save you,” he insisted. “Not with Ash right there. He chose his secrecy over your life. You do realize tha t, right?”

Margot hated how much his words hit home—only reinforcing the knowledge that Ash was not meant for her. “But those faeng were so strong,” she tried. “You said it yourself. What could Ash do against them, even if he used hi s powers?”

Tobin gave her an odd look, then sat up, setting the mug against the wall. “Did he not tell you , Margot?”

“He told me a lot of things,” she said defensively, not liking the way Tobin had grown serious.

“Did he tell you what he can do?” Tobin pressed.

Margot considered. Ash had shared a lot of things during their night together—his oath, the rules that bound him, his feelings for her, the reasons they could never truly be together—but no, she realized, he had never told her about his fae a bilities.

“I asked him…” She remembered asking him what he could transform into, and then he had tugged her on the bed and yanked off her pants, completely distracting her. “But then I got di stracted.”

“Hmph,” Tobin said. “Margot, you’re a smart woman, but when it comes to my brother, you can be a pri ze idiot.”

“I know,” she said, putting a hand over her face. Tobin reached out and tugged it down.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he told her. “Ash is very convincing when he wants to be. No doubt you were in no position to truly ques tion him.”

“But you know,” she said, leaning forward and keeping his hand in hers. She put her mug aside and placed her other hand atop his, holding him near. “You know what he can do, d on’t you?”

Tobin looked away, clearly not liking the direction of her questions. “He’s my brother, Margot,” he said finally. “We grew up together. Of cou rse I do.”

“Tell me,” she insisted.

“It’s not my place to tell you,” h e argued.

“Please,” she dismissed, “you can’t wait to tell me everything he’s done wrong. You want me to see him the way you do. You’re dying to tell me what h e can do.”

Something in Tobin’s face twitched, a flash of deep recognition, and he tried to pull his hand out of hers. “Margot.”

“Tell me,” she insisted, pressing harder on his hand, not knowing why, but the feeling flooding her body felt suddenly so … delicious. She liked the uncertainty on his face, the way she could feel him about to open his mouth and share something he really didn’t want to tell her—it was like breaking him open to see what lay hidden beyond his ma ny walls.

“Ash can…” With a monstrous effort, Tobin reached out his free hand and pressed it to her cheek, leaning up and very close to her. “How do you feel right now?” he hissed, staring at her e arnestly.

Margot held onto his hand, that feeling ebbing just a little, and she pressed tighter. “So good,” she moaned. “Tell me, Tobin. You want to tell me.”

“Do you really want me to tell you,” he asked, “knowing I don’t want to? Would you pry the answer out of me like a reluctant fingernail? Do you want to break my will , Margot?”

His words broke through the fog surrounding her, and the good feeling evaporated, leaving behind something uncomfortable. Margot released his hand abruptly, looking down at her hands in surprise. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized what she had somehow been doing to Tobin—forcing her will onto him. “What hav e I done?”

“Nothing,” he assured her. “I’m fine, darling. You just have a new ability, and you definitely need to learn how to control it.” He wiped her cheek where a tear had escaped.

“That’s what they could do,” she whispered, remembering the corrupted face of the faeng leering over her. “It… It felt so good.”

“Of course it feels good,” Tobin said, wiping another tear from her cheek. “Anything bad always feels good. That’s what makes it so d angerous.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching out to gently touch his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” he assured her. “But it looks like influencing people is one of your abilities. You have to be aware of how much you want a thing, Margot. I can resist you for a time. A human would have replied immediately, no matter what they want ed to do.”

Margot looked at her hands again. “This is an awful power. Am I already corrupted?” She ran her tongue along her teeth, searching f or fangs.

Tobin smiled. “You’re fine, Margot. Just don’t get in the habit of doing it too often, and you’ll be fine. It takes years of abuse for the darkness to manifes t in fae.”

“Can you do that?” she asked, voice small and trembling. “You don’t have to answer me,” she added quickly.

“I know,” he said, then gestured for her to come closer where she collapsed into his arms, another terrible discovery adding to the stress of her new life. “And I’m going to tell you something now—and not because you are making me.” He leaned down, peeking at her face. “You hear me?”

Margo t nodded.

“Good because I don’t tell many people this.” He paused, thinking. “Correction: I haven’t told anyone any of this. I’m telling you now because I think you need to know. Because now that we’re in Genc, more fae will sense your power, and there will be more encounters with creatures like the faeng—but also with minor lords and ladies—and you need to be p repared.”

“What am I going to do?” Margot asked, her voice tiny against his bare chest, soaking in the heat of him as he soothed her whirling thoughts.

“You’re going to listen to me,” Tobin told her, and Margo t obeyed.