Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 51

C h apte r 51

You’ll See

“Y ou don’t believe that I love you?” A sh asked.

She could hear the heartbreak in his words. The handsome rock star was finally vulnerable, the rising sun highlighting the riot of colors in his dark hair—brown, black, red—he looked like he h ad a halo.

More like the devil , she thought. A charm ing devil.

“I believe that you love me in your own way,” she told him finally, knowing it was true, “but I also think that you would have been perfectly content not saying a word, just letting me love you.” She paused, thinking of all the time she had spent watching him, wanting him. “Did you think I would always be there—waiting for you?”

Ash looked uncomfortable, squirming a bit as he wiped his face again. “Go, you know why I couldn’t tell yo u before—”

“Oh, I know,” she assured him. “Believe me, I get it. I’ve seen enough of fae society to understand why you wouldn’t want to upset your situation.” Ash cocked his head, opening his mouth to ask what she had seen, but she cut him off. “Look, if you care about me at all, just let me go.” She didn’t mean to say it, but the words fe lt right.

“Let you go?” Ash echoed. “What the hell does that mean?” His face was tense, bordering on angry.

“I have to figure all this out—without you,” she told him. When he didn’t seem to get it, she added, “Since you won’t Claim me, I need to figure out another way to get thro ugh this.”

“Go,” he began, “ you know—”

“I know,” she repeated, thinking of Tobin and how he had shared himself with her despite the obstacles, had trusted her with his secrets and respected her as an individual. “I’ll be fine,” she said, seeing his expression and hating herself for ca using it.

“You’re Unclaimed,” he reminded her. “I can help keep you safe.”

“Tobin can help keep me safe,” Mar got said.

“Tobin?” he asked. “My brother is stil l around?”

“He’s asleep,” Margot said. Ash winced, and while she didn’t want to relish the pain on his face, her heart recognized the jolt and was glad to know he shared her he artbreak.

“Oh,” he said quietly. “So it’s h im, then?”

“I like him,” she said.

“He has just as many restrictions,” Ash warned her. “Remember his Lord will want you for himself.”

“I know,” she told him, thinking of Lord Rebinus in her bus the night before. “But he wants to be with me.”

“I want to be with you!” Ash said, voic e heated.

“Oh, Ash,” she said, reaching out to touch his face. “Eventually you’ll figure out what you do want—and I know it won ’t be me.”

“So that’s it?” he asked, more tears streaming down his face. “You’re just … le aving me.”

“We were never together, Ash,” she reminded him. “It was one night, and it was amazing, but you were never truly with me. If you were, things would have changed when you went back to work.” She gave him a hard look, and he squirmed a little.

“I panicked,” he defended. “You left me alone in my bunk!”

“After you almost died because you didn’t use your powers!” she whisper-shouted, very aware of Tobin below her. Their conversation had been subdued, but the rage inside would not allow her to remain calm. “You chose your secrecy over my life!”

“That sounds like Tobin talking,” Ash replied. “What I mean is, it sounds like Rebinus talking. Tobin is his Lord’s creature, Margot. Never for get that.”

“I won’t,” she said, “but it doesn’t change the truth.” She gave him a hard look. “You would have let us both die for your preci ous oath.”

He had the grace to look ashamed. “Go,” he tried once more, “you don’t understand. You don’t know how fae society—”

“Oh, believe me,” she snapped. “I’m learning.” Part of her hated this, hated to have such venom between them, missing the ease with which they had always interacted before their night together—before he insisted on giving her whiplash. “Look,” she said finally, “I am sorry. I didn’t want it to be this way. But this is how it is. You made it this way. We both have to live with it.”

“I was wrong,” he said softly. “I did everythi ng wrong.”

“You did,” Margot agreed. “But it’s done. And honestly, Ash, it’s probably better. How long would we hav e lasted?”

“I wanted to try,” he said.

“Seriously? You think you would be happy giving up this life?” She gestured at the RV alongside her bus. “No more groupies? No more random threesomes?” He gave her a wide-eyed look at that one. “Oh,” she said. “You thought Tobin and I were groupies when we brought you home th at night.”

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled.

She shook her head, though part of her still yearned to reach for him, to soothe the ache in his eyes, to meet him where he was and do anything so long as she could still be in his life, in his orbit, in his world. “I can’t,” she managed to say. “I just … can’t … do this anymore.”

“Margot,” he whispered, and it took everything in her not to fall under the spell of his voice, “don’t leave me.”

“I’m not leaving you,” she promised, hating the concession as she said it. “I’m still here. But I can’t do this with you anym ore, Ash.”

“We’re good together, Go,” he insisted, Margot tried not to think of his lips against her, their bodies moving together. “Let me make it up to you. I screwed up. I know that. Please let me make it right.”

Margot bit her lip. Tobin’s face flashed in her mind, but more than that, she recalled her relationship with Ash over the years—her always watching him, him always with someone else, giving her just enough attention to string her along, to get her hopes up, only to dash them immediately when he moved on to some one else.

“I have loved you since I first saw you, Ashton Stonewall, that night in Maddie’s bar when I was fifteen years old. Since then, I’ve been here, Ash, for eight years. Eight years. The whole time, I’ve been here.” She shook her head. “Then we finally get together, spend a great night together, you confess that you love me—and the next day, Ash, the very next day, you shove your tongue down a groupie’s throat and treat me like the hired help!” She glared at him. “I will always love you, Ash, but I’m done with this. I’m done being your Baby Go.”

His face had grown more and more pale as her words hit home, but when she finished, he only nodded. “Okay, Margot,” he said softly, “but know this: I will wait for you.”

“Don’t wait for me,” she told him . “Don’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do,” he snapped. “I failed you. I know that. But I’m here, whatever you need, and I won’t fail y ou again.”

“Don’t make promises like that,” she told him. “Just l et me go.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t let me go,” he reminded her. “Not for eight long years. Now it’s my turn.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“You’ll see,” he said, standing up and heading to the back of the bus. “I’m here, Margot, whatever you need.”

“I don’t need—” she began, but instead of climbing down the ladder, Ash simply leapt off the bus, flipping in the air and landing solidly on the ground below. Margot gasped, leaning over to see him, upsetting the remains of her coffee in the process. “Ash!” sh e yelled.

“You need me,” he declared, giving her a smile that nearly succeeded in melting h er heart.

“I don’t,” she insisted. “Go be a r ock star.”

“I will,” he assured her. “Your rock star.” Without another word, he walked back to his RV, leaving her on the roof to stare after him, heart poundin g wildly.