The Witch's Halloween Hero by Kristen Painter

Author:Kristen Painter [Painter, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Holidays, Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Werewolves & Shifters, 90 Minutes (44-64 Pages), Witches & Wizards
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

Stanhill smiled as Corette joined him. “Hello, love.”

She smiled back with more certainty than he’d seen in her all evening. “Hello.”

“Everything all right with the flowers?”

She nodded. “Marigold’s got things well under control.”

“That’s quite the talented trio of girls you’ve got there. Just as smart and beautiful as their mother.”

Her dark eyes held his gaze. “Have you always been such a charmer?”

He took her hand and ran his thumb over her delicate knuckles. There was no teasing in her words, just genuine interest. He took that as a positive sign. “You know that I—” He stopped and laughed at the bittersweet moment. “I guess you don’t know. Not anymore.”

Her smile was kind. “Tell me.”

“Do you remember that I’m a rook?”

“No, but that would mean you’re practically a vampire.”

He nodded. “Correct. And as such, I am very old. Nearly four hundred years.” He continued. “My entire life, both as human and rook, has been spent in service. I was Hugh’s valet before he turned me.”

“Being a rook is still a form of service.”

“It is. But with many more freedoms and benefits.”

Her mouth turned into a coy smile. “I assume he dresses himself now too.”

“Yes, thank the bloody stars.”

She laughed, the most beautiful sound. “Still, service is service.”

“It is indeed. And because of that, I learned early on to watch my words. To temper my moods, to be careful in my speech. It shaped me. Hugh was never an exceedingly hard lord to serve, but we were from two different worlds. He was a peer. I was a commoner. Now that gulf between us is gone, but I cannot change the man I am.”

Her smile thinned. “So you’re saying that you’ve just been telling me what I want to hear?”

“No. I’m trying—and failing—to tell you that what you see with me is what you get. And I am my truest self around you, my darling Corette. I always have been. I always will be. You have the unique ability to boil people down to their essence. I don’t know if it’s witchcraft or the makeup of your character, but you don’t suffer fools lightly, and it’s one of things I adore about you the most.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say.”

He took her hand again, allowing himself the indulgence of caressing her soft skin. Touching her felt like a delicious, guilty pleasure. He kept his focus on her hand, afraid he would be overcome if he said what he needed to say while looking into her eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to become of us after tonight, but if our time together ends this evening, I will still consider myself the luckiest man alive to have had you in my life for this long.”

He started to let go of her hand, but she held on, causing him to lift his face to hers.

Her eyes were liquid with emotion. “I don’t know what will become of us either, Stanhill, but I’m starting to feel very much that I hope tonight is not the end of our time together.

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