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am not his. I will never be his. But I still want to be yours.
“Any idiot should know that if you wish to protect a secret, you should speak it to no one, no matter which moon you’re under. But you mortals give such power to fairy tales. You believe fate is determined by old gods and superstitions. That every misfortune can be blamed on the moonlight, the stars, whatever ludicrous thing suits you in the moment. But there is no fate, no fortune. There are only the secrets we share and those we conceal. Our own choices, or the fear of making a choice.”
“We do not need fairy tales to distort our romance. Perchta and I … our love was destined from the beginning. I am incomplete without her by my side.”
He could claim her hand in marriage, but her heart would always be her own.
you go along.” He held her gaze as he went on, “I vow to cherish you, body and soul. That my adoration and desire for you shall continue to grow with every passing moon.” A chill swept over Serilda. The king sounded almost … sincere.
“I vow that every moment of your company shall be held as dear to me as god-spun gold, as precious as fleeting mortal lives. I vow that even with an eternity to have you by my side, I shall never tire of seeing your eyes cast in moonlight and your lips kissed by the sun. With you at my side, I can never feel lost, never feel loneliness, never feel the endless agony of a life without purpose. With you at my side, I am complete, and I dedicate all my life to loving and completing you.”
“Are you so eager to be rid of me?” “Yes,” she said, without hesitation. “Always.”
“You seem to like me anyway.”
“I don’t like unnecessary killing,” she finally said. “No?” The Erlking grunted in surprise. “It is one of my favorite pastimes.”
The king chuckled. “Believe what you will. But I do know what it is to love, and what it feels like once that love is lost.”
“Perhaps you do not believe that love between demons can be real.”
“My Perchta,” he drawled. “Jealous. Of you?” Serilda had never been more offended by so few words. She straightened her spine. “I am your wife, am I not?”
“Now it is you who cannot possibly understand,”
“Nonsense. All children deserve to be loved. All children deserve a mother or a father who will care for them and protect them, unconditionally. Not someone to dote on them for a time, only to lose interest when parenthood no longer suits them. Those are not the actions of someone who wishes to be a mother. That is the opposite of a mother. That is someone who cares only for themselves.”
“I want us to understand each other. I understand why you lied to me. Just as I understand you are more than your lies.”
“Only a mortal,” she said, “would ask such a stupid question.”
“Always so stubborn, miller’s daughter.”
“All magic comes with a price,”
