Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 54

C h apte r 54

The Per son Within

Morning, Saturday, Marc h 14 th in Margot’s Bus at the Willis Center at Beau Lake in Ta flah, Genc

T he next two weeks flew by as Margot tried to fall back into her routine. The tour was still running smoothly, Devil’s Play meshing much more with Stone Dragons, and while Ash had continued his reformed rock star pursuit of her, Margot had been spending most of her time away from the band.

Tobin explained more about fae society, filling in the gaps that Ash would never have shared, and Margot realized that he had as much disdain for his people as she did. She learned that her father, according to the rumors he had dug up, had been forced to let her mother go since she was not powerful enough to be his Lady. Margot thought of her mother, always so carefree, so hellbent on not putting down roots, on being able to leave at a moment’s notice, and saw how much that attitude was a lso hers.

Margot had worked in a few subtle questions about Claiming, learning that Lord Kristoff probably didn’t know that Margot had stolen his servant, not if Larry had obeyed her and left. Claims were strong enough to see into a person but only if they were physically present. They faded with distance. Margot wondered if that was how Tobin managed to plot against Rebinus, by keeping away so his Lord wouldn’t be able to see his thoughts. The only other way would have been spontaneous, and Margot didn’t think Tobin did much of anything without fore thought.

Except maybe his oath to her. So far, that hadn’t conflicted with any of Rebinus’s needs that sh e knew of.

As they arrived in Taflah for the three nights at the Willis Center on Beau Lake, Margot tried to prepare herself for the Fan Gala and VIP performance on Sunday night. The fae were waiting, Tobin explained, to see how she would conduct herself among them. The odds of her remaining Unclaimed through the weekend were fairly low, according to the latest estimates. Margot thought they might be underestimating her, especially since she had two new abilities manifest: creating illusions and altering light, though Margot thought they might be two applications of the same thing. She could control the ability enough to make something invisible from a certain angle, and Tobin was convinced that with time, she would be able to make herself i nvisible.

“You really think I’ll be able to disappear?” she asked in her bus Saturday morning, lounging with Tobin in her bunk. She held her hand up, playing with the light around it, seeing her fingers and then somehow thro ugh them.

“Of course,” Tobin assured her, moving so he could look at her. “You thinking of hiding out tomorrow night, darling?”

“The thought crossed my mind,” she admitted. “But I have to go. Cayla is here.” While she had been texting the band manager the entire tour, Cayla only came to what she considered the important shows. The Fan Gala tomorrow was one of them, but Cayla was here for the show tonight as well. Margot flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling of her bus. “I need to be there—to put on a good show.” She twisted to stare at Tobin. “You’re invited to the gala, of course, but I’ll have to spend most of the night with the guys. I have a pass for you.”

Tobin smirked. “Margot, while I appreciate your efforts to get me in, I won’t be going to th e party.”

Margot sat up, turning to look at him. “You won’t? Why not?” she demanded, trying to ignore the jolt of fear at facing all those people without Tobi n nearby.

“Vassals do not attend galas, darling.”

“You’re my date,” Margot insisted. “I don’t care what the fae say.”

“Oh Margot,” Tobin said, leaning over to kiss her gently, “words like that start rev olutions.”

Margot stared hard at him, her dislike of fae society increasing with every new detail she learned. “Maybe some things need a revolution,” she told him. “Maybe some things can’t be fixed by going along with things as they are.”

Tobin chuckled. “Oh, my fiery darling, I adore you,” he drawled, kissing her properly. “I can’t wait to see y ou there.”

“But you said you weren ’t going?”

“Tobin Fetch isn’t going,” he explained, winkin g at her.

“Oh,” Margot said, feeling stupid for not catching on sooner. “But Lord Rebinuts—”

“Rebinus.”

“Yeah. He’ll be there, making an appearance to evaluate the new Unclaimed fae for himself.” Margot pursed her lips. “Are you going to b e a jerk?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. It depends on what the situation calls for. Sometimes, Lord Rebinus can very charming.” At this, he moved, flipping her so she lay beneath him. Margot giggled, a hand against h is chest.

“Tobin Fetch is quite charming,” she insisted.

“Truth,” Tobin agreed, kissing her gently, claiming her in all the human ways he knew she valued. “But,” he told her, “you will officially meet Lord Rebinus.” He gave her a wicked look. “I expect you to be properly impressed , Margot.”

“What?” she asked lightly. “You think now that I’ve seen you naked, I won’t be cowed by the glory that is Lord Rebinuls?”

“Reb—Margot, why do you never say his name p roperly?”

She snorted, running a finger down his cheek. “Because of that look right there,” she admitted. “You correct me every single time, but you never seem to mind. At first I did it because I was actually afraid of this mysterious powerful Lord that Ash seemed so certain would Claim me against my will—you should probably work on that part of your reputation, just saying—but after a while, it became a habit.”

“Lord Rebinus would never take someone against their will. His reputation is fine,” Tobin defended.

“He Claimed you,” Margot poi nted out.

“Oh, he would Claim someone, especially a useful someone, but he—I—would never abuse someone that way.” Tobin’s face was searching, honest, needing her to bel ieve him.

“Ash said that when it came down to it, I wouldn’t mind because the Claiming would have taken my will to resist.” She hesitated, then forged forward, needing to know. “Have you used that willingness when it presented itself, knowing it wasn’t ther e before?”

Tobin narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you asking me if I’ve ever abused my power and position as Lord Rebinus? I assure you, the answer is yes.” Margot swallowed hard. “Now, if you are asking me if I bedded someone who didn’t want me before I Claimed them, the answer is no. I cannot say the same for the oth er Lords.”

“I’m not asking about the other Lords, Tobin. I’m asking about you. You … as him.”

“Tobin the vassal does all right for himself, darling,” he assured her, face dipping to kiss the line of her neck. “I don’t need to bed unwilling partners. As for Lord Rebinus, he too finds plenty of ever-willing company.”

“But it sounded like everyone is afrai d of him.”

“They are,” he assured her with a rakish grin. “You would be amazed what an aphrodisiac fear can be. They can’t help th emselves!”

“I don’t want to hear about your exploits,” Margot said, ardo r fading.

“Sometimes you are so prim, darling! I love it.” Tobin laughed, leaning down to kiss her nose.

Margot frowned at him. “Don’t patr onize me.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I truly find it adorable how shy you are. Positively puritanical! I can only imagine your reaction to a fa e party.”

“Just because I don’t go around fucking anything with a pulse doesn’t make me a prude,” Margot grumbled, ann oyed now.

“I don’t go around fucking just anything, darling,” Tobin assured her, body solid around her as he refused to let her up. “I told you I have high s tandards.”

“And particular tastes,” she gritted, pushing against his chest, though she knew it was pointless. Tobin was still stronger than her. “Is bullying one of your kinks? Prepping for t he party?”

Tobin’s face grew serious, and he grabbed her hands, holding them both in one hand just above her head, the other sliding down her body. “Oh, darling,” he crooned, and Margot tried to ignore the fire he ignited with his voice, his touch, “don’t pretend you don’t like my past.” His fingers ran over her thigh, slipping between her legs and touching her the way she liked. “You love that I know how to touch you,” he w hispered.

Margot bit her lip, trying not to groan.

Tobin stopped his movement, watching her face as she opened her eyes to meet his. “You don’t like me talking about it because it reminds yo u of Ash.”

“This isn’t about Ash,” she said, moving her legs, trying to coax his h and back.

“Honesty, Margot,” Tobin demanded. “Everything with you is about Ash. That hasn’t changed, despite what you tell yourself.”

“I want you!” she e xclaimed.

“Of course you do,” he said smugly, running a line of kisses along her neck. “But part of you will always wish for him. Don’t ignore that part. Don’t le t it die.”

“What are you saying? You want me to love Ash?”

“I want you to be yourself, whatever that is,” Tobin said, fingers drifting lower. “That means admitting what you want when you’re with me. Just let go, Margot. I want you. Just you. All you.”

“Tobin,” she moaned, his words sinking into her, releasing the part of herself she kept hidden. She opened her eyes, not aware she had closed them, and watched him closely, a glint in her eye. “My Lord,” she w hispered.

Tobin chuckled, then bent down to suck hard on her collarbone, marking her. “Not yet, darling. Not yet.”