“Brahm,” I whisper. “Lord Ambrose. Marquis of Rose Briar Woods. Fae prince of West Faerie. My friend, and the man who has stolen my heart—just as he warned he would when we first met.”
I hold my breath as he loops a thumb under the edge of the mask and pulls it from his face, stripping himself bare.
Brahm stares back at me with his familiar, dark brown eyes, the two most important men in my life merging into one.
“Your ears.” Choked up, I reach for them and run my fingers over the subtle points. “And the wound on your neck. How?”
“Magic.”
I kiss him even as I cry, so grateful he decided to share his secret with me. He holds me close, pulling me into an embrace and smoothing his hands over my hair.
“Why did you create the Highwayman?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his middle.
Brahm returns my embrace like he’s afraid someone will steal me away. “Behind the mask, I can do things I otherwise cannot. Protect those I cannot protect.”
“But why? Why do you care about humans?”
Except for the rapid beating of his heart, he’s perfectly still. He adjusts his hold on me, clutching me even closer. “Because a young human girl came into my family many years ago.”
“The girl you mentioned before?” I whisper.
Slowly, he pulls away, shaking his head when I try to tug him back.
Brushing his knuckle over my cheek, he says quietly, “I need to tell you about her. We called her Alice, but you knew her as Eleanor.”