I was fading in and out of sleep when I heard the front door open. I got up, not caring that I was wearing just a towel.

“You’re not Levi.” My heart sunk. I needed him.

“No, sorry to disappoint you, Princess.”

“Where is he, Jared?” I pulled the towel tighter around me.

“With his dad. Where else would he be?” Jared tried to avert his eyes. I’m sure I was making him uncomfortable.

“Did he send you?”

“Yeah. He got a message out to me.”

“Oh.” I sat down on the landing with my feet on the next step. “Will he be out soon?”

“You guys have eight o’clock reservations at Brennan’s.”

“We’re going out?”

Jared studied some spot on the wall several feet above me. “Yeah…I think he wanted to surprise you.”

“Oh…”

“Why don’t you go get dressed?” Jared nodded toward the upstairs.

“Oh, yeah. Are you going to wait here?”

“I don’t think Levi would appreciate if I offered to help.”

“Very funny. I just meant, you’ll wait at the house?”

“Of course. Where else would I go for ten minutes?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Ten minutes? Yeah, dream on.” I ran back up the last flight of stairs. I stood in front of my closet trying to pick out a dress, but I couldn’t. The last thing I wanted to do was dress up and go out. I wanted to sit around and wallow in self-pity.

I settled on a pair of yoga pants and a Tulane sweatshirt. I brushed out my hair but left it down to dry. It wasn’t worth the effort of blow-drying it.

“You ready?” Jared turned in his seat at the island when I walked into the kitchen. “Wow, not what I would wear to Brennan’s, but to each their own.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay…you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m not going to dinner.”

“Any particular reason why?” He tapped a foot on the leg of his stool.

“I can’t do this anymore.” I slumped down on a stool next to him.

“Do what exactly?” He swiveled to look at me.

“This. Be part of this. I’m not strong enough.”

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

“No. And since when do you question your strength? You’re Miss ‘I can do it all.’”

“I can’t do it all. I suck.” I buried my face in my arms.

“Okay, this isn’t funny anymore.” He tentatively put a hand on my back. “Do you want me to try to break him out of his meeting?”

I shook my head.

“Are you crying?”

“No.” Of course, there were tears streaming down my face.

“What’s going on? Wait…are you…Are you pregnant?”

“No!”

“Are you sure? You’re acting overly emotional. This can’t just be PMS.”

“Every time a girl is emotional it’s hormones?”

“Not every time…”

“I want to throw something at you.”

“Okay…so you are still in there.”

“What’s wrong with me? I need him. I’ve never needed anyone before.”

“Need him? Like you’re so in love with him…”

“Maybe. This is almost physical though. I just need him, and now I know that he doesn’t even really love me.”

“What? Now you’re just talking crazy.” He put a hand on the counter next to me. “You can’t be comfortable, let’s go sit in the living room.”

I nodded and followed him. I pulled a pillow onto my lap as I settled onto the couch.

“Okay. Let’s start with the most obvious. Levi loves you. Why are you suddenly questioning that?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t tell you… I can’t tell anyone. I think he knows. I think his dad is telling him now. It’s going to make him hate me.” I started sobbing.

“Damn it, Allie. Don’t do this to me.” He awkwardly put an arm around me. I leaned into his side. “Levi isn’t going to hate you. He couldn’t hate you.”

“What if he found out his feelings for me weren’t his own choice? What if he found out it was all fake?”

“Please just tell me what you’re talking about.”

“Can I trust you?” I wiped tears off my cheek.

“Of course.” His face was serious.

“I mean really trust you.”

“Like not to tell Levi something?”

“No. I’m sure he already knows…”

“Then what are you asking?” He searched my face for an answer.

“You’re really loyal, right?” I hated even saying the words, but I needed to.

“Okay, now you’re seriously freaking me out. I’m f**king loyal to the Laurents, Allie.”

“I know. I just had to ask…” I took a deep breath. “Do you know what an enchantress is?”

“Aren’t they a spell caster?”

“Yes, but in terms of Pterons.”

“There are Pteron spell casters?”

I groaned. “No. Forget the spell casting part. I don’t want to explain it all. Suffice it to say there are women who can choose the next Pteron king.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It is.”

He shook his head. “It’s not.”

“Fine. Whatever. I don’t know why I even tried.”

“Okay, let’s just say for a minute that I believe it. What does that have to do with you? Do you think you’re one of these women?”

“Yes, Georgina was pretty positive too. I’m kind of like a Pteron heir magnet. They all want me to choose them, take their ring and sleep with them—make them king.”

“You already have Levi’s ring.”

“Something’s wrong. Toby still thinks he can get me to choose him…”

“Because he’s delusional.”

“I don’t think he is.”

“So what does this have to do with Levi hating you?” Jared actually looked concerned. I wasn’t used to seeing that expression on his face.

“You don’t get it? He doesn’t love me for me, it’s all this enchantress stuff.” I covered my head with my hands.