Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 45

C h apte r 45

Digging for the Truth

N ik’s eyes widened, and both he and Margot turned to stare at Tobin. The fae said nothing, simply watching until finally Nik exploded , “Well?!”

“Well what?” Tobin replied, face perfect ly blank.

“Is it true?” Margot pressed. “Is Ash … a dragon?” She recalled Ash standing next to her, a small flame flickering on his palm, his cryptic words about transforming. She had asked him directly, but he had used the moment to distract her. When Tobin didn’t reply, she continued, “All the things you both said—about his mom.” Nik gave her a confused look but said nothing, watching their exchange with great interest.

“I was annoyed,” Tobin said dismissively. “I don’t believe any of that.”

“About Ash’s father?” Margot asked, knowing Tobin was trying to change the subject. “You think Lord Novus is his father. But hi s mother…”

“Lady Abigail is more than I can comment on,” Tobin said diplomatically. “I didn’t know her v ery well.”

“You were ten years old,” Margot insisted, determined not to let the topic go this time. “Ash would have been eight. You spent eight years living with her as you r mother—”

“She is not my mother,” Tobin interrupted, vo ice cold.

“No,” Margot agreed, realizing she was pushing a tender point. “But you were young. You must have spent some time with her.” She waited. “She was a dragon, wasn’t she? Is a dragon?” she corrected, recalling that Ash’s mother wasn’t dead—just gone—maybe b ack home.

Tobin looked away, uncomfortable. Nik looked between them both, unsure if he wanted to jump in. Nik seemed about to speak, probably to ask if they wanted him to leave, but then Tobin broke the awkward silence. “And why is this relevant?” Tobin asked finally, voice still cool with distance. “You planning on learning more about the dragons, Margot? Joining them on thei r island?”

“No,” she said, “but this is about Ash. You said I needed to know what you could do. Shouldn’t I also know what h e can do?”

“Perhaps you should ask him,” Tobin quipped. Nik pursed his lips, looking over at Ma rgot now.

Margot narrowed her eyes. She glanced over at Nik, who was watching both of them like a tennis match. “Hey cousin, can we have a minute?”

Nik nodded, taking the hint. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just … take a walk.” Instead of heading to the swing where he could probably hear them, Nik headed the other direction toward the shop where they could hear the faint sounds of the mechanic working on her bus. He had removed the old doors easily enough, but making the new ones line up with her old bus was more challenging. She heard some metallic banging, then a grunt of effort followed by a short shriek of metal on metal. Nik disappeared beyond the fenced area into the mechan ic’s yard.

“Something on your mind, Tobin?” Margot said bluntly, turning to face him.

He flashed her a disarming smile. “Whatever do you mean, darling?”

“Don’t darling me,” she told him. “You’ve been touchy since the topic came up. Wh at gives?”

“Perhaps I don’t enjoy constantly talking about my brother,” he admitted with a sigh. He seemed surprised to say it, but he didn’t contradict h is words.

“Jealous?” she prompted, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” he grumbled, hands sliding along his jeans, flattening invisible wrinkles.

Margot sighed, reaching for his hand. “Don’t do that,” she told him, feeling the Connection between them. “Don’t shu t me out.”

“What do you want me to say?” he asked, running his free hand through his hair as he looked at the sky. The temperature had dropped again, and Margot squeezed his hand.

“Is that you?” she asked. “Changing the weather?”

Tobin looked around, as if realizing that it had grown colder. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and Margot felt the breeze lose its chill. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I am no t myself.”

“You want to talk about it?” Margot prompted. When he said nothing, she added, “Seriously, Tobin. I’m here for you. I know it’s been all about me for days, but if something is bothering you, you can talk to me. That’s what fr iends do.”

He leaned closer, looking at her. “Are we friends , Margot?”

She felt her cheeks heat, recalling the taste of him on her lips, the feel of his body against hers. “More than friends,” she said, smiling up at him as she felt the familiar heat between them. “We’re C onnected.”

“But you remain Unclaimed,” he said quietly. He looked away, shaking his head. “I cannot believe he spent the night with you and didn’t Claim you. My brother is either the strongest person I know … or the biggest idiot in t he world.”

“You wanted him to Claim me,” Margot said, realizing how much Tobin had pushed for it. “Why?”

“He could protect you,” Tobin insisted, eyes trying to tell her something she couldn’t see. “He’s strong enough.” Margot remembered Tobin’s strength, the easy way he moved her around, the way he had held the faeng out with only one hand.

“Protect me from what, Tobin?” she pressed. Tobin’s mouth opened, but he didn’t speak. “From your Lord Rebinald?”

“Rebinus,” Tobin replied automatically, frowning.

“And you can’t protect me from him, can you? Is that what this is about?” She watched him bite his lip, clearly conflicted. “You swore to serve me, whatever that means, but when it comes down to it, you have to obey your Lord. You think that Ash is safer because he isn’t Claimed.”

“He is strong,” Tobin admitted. “Foolish, but stron g enough.”

“Because he’s a dragon,” she c ontinued.

“He’s not a dragon!” Tobin blurted. “I mean—”

Margot cut him off, a finger across his lips. As whatever he was about to say faded away, she watched his eyes grow wide, then he closed them, wincing as if something hurt. Margot felt something ethereal happen to the Connection she shared with Tobin, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “He’s my brother,” Tobin continued after a moment, face back to normal, as if she had imagined the magical interruption. “He’s strong, and if he would just Claim you, then all of this would be over!”

“All of what , Tobin?”

He gave her a desperate look, words failing him for once. “I didn’t know,” he said finally, shaking his head. “I didn’t know it would be l ike this.”

“That what would be like this?” she pushed. She didn’t want to use her ability to force it out of him, but this was closer than he’d been to telling her whatever secret he had buried. Even those powerful moments in his bed hadn’t brought him this close to her. “Tobin, what have you done?”

“Oh, Margot,” he said, face strained, “I want to tell you everything. Ev erything.”

“But?” she asked, sensing a huge reluctance. She wondered if she needed more of Maddie’s magic wine to break the sec ret loose.

Tobin didn’t answer, head jerking to look across the small playground. Margot followed his gaze to see Nik hurrying back from the direction of the mechanic.

“Margot!” Nik said breathlessly, eyes cutting to Tobin as he scanned the opposite direction, beyond the swing. “You sense it to o, right?”