I'm No Cinderella

Chapter 25

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For The Better

"Don't be terribly offended if they don't take to you right away," I warned Gianluca as the carriage lurched down the path.

"After you, I wouldn't expect them to," he replied smoothly, not seeming bothered by the prospect in the slightest. It may have had something to do with the tiny, absentminded circles he had been tracing on my knee through the material of my dress the entire ride. 

And the fact that I hadn't pulled away from the contact.

Matteo, who had been silent since entering the transport, snorted at his comment, eyes never leaving the window. I wasn't sure if he was really enjoying the scenery that much, or if he thought by not looking at our subtle flirting, that it would somehow cease to be.

I couldn't bring myself to care either way.

I knew I should be pulling away. There were so many humans suffering under his rule, yet there I was allowing him to caress me so intimately. It was a betrayal of the worst kind, but the mate bond was stronger than I was. And every instinct in my body begged me to trust him.

That's what had caused me to invite him in the first place. Because I knew I could trust him with my family, and because a small part of me was hoping that my year in the castle might still influence him for the better.

If only I could show him the good that humanity had to offer, that we had a right to live in peace and safety as much as any other.

I glanced out the window to a very familiar forest, and suddenly the apprehension hit me in full force. It wasn't whether or not he would be kind to my family that I should be worried about.

After everything we had been through, they had every right to shun him.

Yet, I couldn't help but hope that things would play out differently.

"Today is a holiday for many humans, is it not?" He mused, breaking me from my thoughts. "Should we have brought gifts?"

"No," I shrugged, not meeting his eyes, "my family hasn't exchanged gifts for any occasion in nearly a decade."

He hummed, and opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance.

The carriage pulled up to my house, and for a moment none of us moved. Then the prince cleared his throat and pushed open the door. I felt cold in the absence of his hand from my knee, but colder still when my gaze traveled up the little pathway.

I swallowed hard. No turning back now.

Matteo remained by the transport, leaning casually against the side with his arms crossed. I could feel his eyes on our retreating forms, likely finding great amusement in the palpable tension in the air.

When Reed opened the door for us, what little hope I had for the day was squashed. The excitement that had filled his eyes upon seeing me was wiped completely away the moment they fell on the man standing behind me.

"Merry Christmas," I offered, voice a little too cheery for the tense atmosphere. "May we come in?"

For a moment, I actually thought he might refuse us entry, but then he stepped aside. "Mom," he called loudly into the house, an edge only those closest to him would be able to hear straining his voice, "Rose is here!"

My mother's appearance around the corner from the kitchen was almost immediate, but her steps faltered as she looked at us. Behind her, Lily and Daisy did the same.