“That’s a lot of horny, unmated men.”
“We’ve tried to be fair. We allow Day Realm men to move here if they’re willing to go through a process to prove their loyalty. Many have done it, because their chance of meeting someone here is better. But some of them don’t want to do things our way—they want a female on their terms.”
“I’ve always wondered why you fight. With the treaty in place, I didn’t understand why there were battles. But now…”
“Yes. Now you understand.” He caresses my cheek. “We’ve fought for the Night Realm females who were taken. If someone went missing, we made it our mission to get them back. Physical force was often necessary.”
I don’t like the idea of Kirian fighting. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine sitting around the castle, knowing he’s out there potentially getting hurt.
“Will it ever end?” I ask, worried.
“My cousin Zander is next in line. He’s not like his father. He’s good and fair. I hope his day comes soon, because I have faith he’ll do the right thing.” Kirian pauses. “There’s something else you should know about King Zarid. Desperate to produce an heir, he took a mate. When I say took, I mean an unwilling woman.”
Why am I not surprised? “It’d be hard to enforce a law when you don’t lead by example.”
“Exactly. But that’s not all. I know it’s possible for a human who isn’t a fated match to get pregnant because Queen Rowan is from your world.”
Shocked, I sit up. “You mean to tell me the queen of the Day Realm is human?”
“Not anymore. Her body has acclimated. She’s fae now, but once upon a time, yes, she was like you.”
“That’s why your mom seemed to disapprove of me at first,” I conclude. “Not simply because I’m human, but because she thought our situation was like her brother’s. She thought you went off the deep end and kidnapped me.”
“Yes.”
Scooting closer, I place my head on his chest. “You’re wrong, Kirian. Queen Rowan’s not like me. I’m not unwilling. Yeah, I was pissed when you first took me here without my permission, but I’m not mad anymore. Regardless of how I ended up here, I’m happy I’m with you.”
Tears prick my eyes when I think about the possibility that he’ll find his true mate someday. Would it change everything? Would years of friendship, trust, and love be overshadowed by a mystical bond?
“And—” Sniffle. “—And I don’t want you to be with anyone else. Ever. Be with me. Only me.” God, I sound so pathetic. I’m begging, but I can’t help it.
Kirian gives me a squeeze. “Love, look at me.”
I lift my gaze to his face, knowing the unfocused lavender eyes I love so much will never see my face. They’ll never see our children, if we have any.
Selfishly, I’m okay with that if it means he’s mine.
My mindset has changed since yesterday. Falling through the portal and flying with Kirian feels like it was ages ago. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours.
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” he says, certain. “I promise.”
“I promise you back.” The magic of this world must recognize our words as an oath, because I get the telltale flutter in my chest.
I rise up and kiss Kirian’s lips, just because I can.
Moving down on the bed, he aligns our faces, making it easier for our mouths to caress. Lazily. Softly.
I lightly touch his face. He absentmindedly runs his fingers through my hair.
Silence falls between us as we continue to get to know each other in a new way. It’s familiar and natural, yet different at the same time. It’s like all those afternoons we spent in my field and treehouse. We don’t have to fill the space with conversation. It’s easy to just be together. Only now, I can touch him the way I want to.
Of course, it’s hard not to let my mind wander to sex. Sex makes me think of babies. When I think of babies, I remember Brittney’s belly and everything Kirian just told me. From the sounds of it, humans have a better chance at getting pregnant than faeries.
That’s the best news, and I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
“When I’m queen, I’m going to do something about the women in the Day Realm,” I tell Kirian, pulling back.
His hand comes to a halt in my hair. “When you’re queen? You want that? To rule at my side?” He sucks in a breath. “To marry me?”
“Well, yeah.” Propping my head on my hand, I smirk at him. “That’s the plan, isn’t it?”
Kirian grins, and in all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him smile like this. His happiness is breathtaking.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Quinn
“Not much farther,” Kirian tells me. “We’ll reach the Shadowlands by tomorrow.”
I’m a little surprised to feel a stab of disappointment.
I’ve enjoyed our road trip, and I don’t want it to end. Honestly, it’s been the most fun I’ve ever had.
Over the last several days, we’ve traveled across the Night Realm. We’ve spent hours on our horses before passing through quaint villages and small towns. I’ve come across three more gnome neighborhoods, all of which included a lot of hugs and ended with a thumbs-up salute.
I think I started a trend. Thumbs up is totally a thing now in Valora.
Kirian was sure to pick up something special for me from each place. Pants and a shirt, given to us from one of the innkeepers—which I’ve refused to take off, except to wash and dry them. Men’s underwear, a gift from a clothing maker, which thankfully are more like shorts instead of a freaking fishing net. A necklace with river rocks chiseled into stars, bought from a peddler on the street.
In the last village, he got me a brown suede jacket because it’s starting to get chilly as we go farther north.
The lights up ahead guide us to the biggest city yet. Kirian says our bedroom accommodations should be much nicer, but I didn’t mind the taverns and inns where we’ve stayed so far.
It’s hard to be displeased with a room when I have Kirian naked in the bed.
For the past four nights, Kirian and I have learned so much about each other. Physically, that is. Not a lot of talking has been done. There’s not much to say, especially when we already know each other so well and we could be doing other activities to occupy our mouths.
I discovered Kirian has a ticklish spot behind his knees, kissing him is enough to give him an erection, and if I tug on his ball sac while I’m sucking him off, he’ll come in less than a minute. He knows I love it when he kisses my neck, my nipples are automatic turn-on buttons, and the other night we discovered my g-spot.
We’ve done everything but sex.
But tonight, that’ll change.
Tonight’s the night.
I’m ready. Like, now.
Just thinking about all the ways Kirian’s touched me makes me wet.
Squirming on my saddle, I slide a glance his way. A knowing smirk tilts up on his face.
When I remember the noises he makes, it gets worse. Kirian might be a stoic leader on the outside, but behind closed doors, he’s wild. All the grunts, groans, and growls.
“Do you hear that?” Damon asks me.
“What?” I jump like a kid who just got caught stealing from the cookie jar. “Nothing. I didn’t say anything.” Did I?
“They’re expecting us.” He nods to the looming city ahead. “Aelustria awaits.”
In the distance, a Night Realm flag waves in the breeze, flapping from the top of a tall pole. I see cottage-like houses, some taller four-story buildings, and one bell tower.
But I don’t hear anything, except for the occasional chirp of an insect and the trickling water of the creek to our right.
When we get closer to the city, I catch a faint melody, and by the time we’re riding past the welcome banner someone strung above the road, I realize there’s a full-on party in the streets. A celebration for our arrival.
Colorful tents ar
e set up, with vendors displaying their goods like a bazaar.
Fae and gnomes alike are belting out a song I don’t know. The lyrics aren’t in any language I recognize, but the words remind me of a really thick Irish accent.
“Old Fae language,” Kirian explains. “It was the kingdom anthem before English became popular.”
As we go down the street, more people gather on the sidewalks. We enter what looks like a business district, with shops and restaurants. But the part I love the most? How bright it is.
“Aelustria is so beautiful,” I breathe out. “All the lights…”
“Tell me what you see,” Kirian requests, like he’s done so many times before.
“The road is paved with white bricks. There’re lampposts about every fifteen feet on both sides of the street, and strings of lights connect each one.” I look behind us. “It seems like they’ve got an endless supply of them.”
He nods. “They were a gift to the city during one of the annual festivals long ago. They line this entire street all the way through. What else?”
“The storefront windows are lit up, and there’s a toy store on our right and a bakery to the left.”
He hums. “I can smell the pastries and cakes.”
Now that he mentions it, so can I. The sweet smell of bread and sugar lingers in the air. “And now there’s a clothing store with three dresses on display. They’re not on mannequins, but just hung up by hangers.”
“Mannequins?”
“Yeah, you know, like fake headless bodies people use to show what it would look like on?”
“A fake headless body,” he deadpans. “Is that a human thing? It seems so morbid.”
I laugh. It’s not often a new topic of conversation gets brought up between us, but then again, we’ve never been shopping together.
“I guess it would be a little off-putting in a world where people get beheaded as punishment,” I surmise.
“We haven’t beheaded anyone on purpose in hundreds of years.” He sounds offended, and I just shake my head.
On purpose, he said. As if it’s a regular occurrence for people to get their heads chopped off on accident.
“Ooh, there’s a Maypole up ahead in the center of town,” I add, trying to look around Torius. “The road splits into a big circle, like a town square. I see a gazebo.”
“There’s a park there. For the children. That was also a gift during one of the festivals.”
In awe of the man beside me, I study his handsome profile. “I love how much you care about your people.”
“Our people,” he corrects, and it’s still hard for me to believe that I get to be a part of this world.
I look out at all the faces on either side of the street. Everyone’s packed so closely together they fight for space, nudging and pushing each other in their quest to see me. “They’re waving at me. Am I supposed to wave back?”
“Only if you feel like it.”
Being the center of attention is completely out of my comfort zone, but it’s something I’ll need to get used to. Deciding to play nice, I smile as I raise a hand in greeting. I try to make eye contact with as many people as I can, but we’re moving at a brisk pace.
“Be alert.” Kirian squares his shoulders as he addresses my entourage. “The large crowds make me nervous.”
Just as he mutters the words, I see someone toss something out of the corner of my eye. A blur of blue comes flying at my head. I don’t even have time to react.
Kirian reaches out, intercepting it mid-air, just a few inches from my face.
Yanking the reins, he pulls his ride to a halt, and all the other horses stop, too. It’s so sudden, I get a bit dizzy. Ready to take on the threat, Torius and Kai both draw their swords with a metallic clink.
“Who dares to throw objects at the future queen?” Kirian roars, silencing the onlookers.
All the smiles around us drop immediately.
A male troll steps forward. His nose is long and his ears are large, and if I had to guess his height, I’d say he’s about four and a half feet tall.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.” He drops to his knees and puts his face to the ground, causing his brown hat to fall off his balding head. His next words come out muffled. “It’s a scarf made from my silk spiders. It would be such an honor to have it worn by royalty.”
Crushing the fabric in his fist, Kirian feels the length of it, inspecting it as though it might turn into a snake and bite me.
And shit, I dunno. Maybe that’s totally possible.
But it just looks like an ordinary scarf to me, and it’s beautiful. The blue is a lighter shade than the kingdom color, and there are gold stars spun throughout the fibers.
“Please,” the man begs, trembling. “I meant no harm. I became too ambitious, my lord. I wanted to be able to brag about the queen wearing my scarf.”
A shiver races up my spine, and I don’t know how, but I can feel the truth of what he says. He’s not lying.
I reach over and pat the uptight fae king’s muscular arm.
“Kirian, it’s just a present. And to be honest, I really want it.” I project my volume a little, hoping the poor guy hears I’m happy with the gift.
Relinquishing his strangling hold on the silk, Kirian passes it to me. It’s softer than I thought it would be. I rub it against my cheek before wrapping it around my neck.
“Thank you,” I say down to the still-kneeling troll. His face is pressed so hard against the ground, he’s probably eating dirt.
“Stand up,” Kirian orders, and the troll scrambles to his feet. “What’s your name?”
“Fallon, Your Majesty.” Wringing his hat in his hands, he won’t even look at us.
Kirian’s temper isn’t usually this short, but I can sense his tension as if it’s mine. We’ve always been able to read each other. Our friendship has been easy because it seems like we’re on the same page most of the time.
When Kirian’s mood is darker, so is mine. When he’s happy, so am I. That’s only become more apparent since I’ve been here. We’re closer than we’ve ever been.
“If my mate is pleased, then I am as well,” Kirian says, his voice losing the off-with-his-head tone. “We’re grateful for your generosity.”
“Yeah,” I add. “This is beautiful, Fallon. I’ll wear it every chance I get.”
Fallon finally raises his head, and when he grins, I see several missing teeth. “You’ve made me a very happy troll today, milady.”
I give him a genuine smile, and Kirian clicks his tongue, indicating we should get moving. The horses obey the signal and start walking again.
Crisis averted. Now that the drama has passed, people chatter and cheer—a little more subdued than before.
I glance at Kirian. “What’s wrong?”
“Too many people here.” His jaw clenches. “It’s making me nervous.”
I frown. “Just try to relax.”
“I’ll relax when I know who’s trying to kill you.”
There it is. The unpleasant reminder. Since the explosion, there haven’t been anymore murder attempts.
It’s been easy to get caught up in the fun.
He’s right, though. We need answers. I don’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder. Living in fear. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Everything will be okay.” I inject as much optimism into my voice as I can. “We’ll be seeing the witch by tomorrow night. I think we’re in the clear.”
Quinn
I spoke too soon. I really did.
Tears run down my face as I heave, emptying the contents of my stomach for the fifth time.
I’ve never been a quiet puker. It sucks, but I’m too sick to be mortified. The humiliation of sounding like a dying donkey in front of Kirian will come back to haunt me later, I’m sure.
But right now, I’m just grateful he’s with me. Holding my hair back. Rubbing my shoulder. Murmuring concerned words.
“I jinxed myself,” I gripe. As Ki
rian helps me stand, I hold a hand to my roiling stomach. “Of course I’d get the stomach flu at a time like this.”
After the scarf incident, Kirian seemed to be in a hurry to find our hotel for the night. He chose the biggest one, and they were already prepared for our arrival. It’s a gorgeous three-story building, with a white stucco front and tan shutters framing each window. Like all the other places we’ve stayed, there’s a restaurant and bar downstairs.
Soup was on the menu. That’s it. Same meal for everyone. I ate it, even though it had a bitter taste to it. Who was I to judge? Maybe they have some funky-flavored vegetables in Aelustria. Or maybe I was already coming down with the virus, in which case, nothing would’ve tasted great anyway.
“Quinn, we don’t get the stomach flu in Valora.” Eyebrows furrowed, Kirian hands me some toilet paper to wipe my mouth.
I shrug. “Maybe I was exposed to the virus before I came here.”
“It wouldn’t matter.” His frown deepens. “You shouldn’t be getting sick. Not in this world.”
“Let’s just go up to our room.” Saliva floods my mouth, and I can tell the worst of it isn’t over. “I want to lie down.”
“I need to tell Torius to stand guard in the hall, then we can head up.” He hooks an arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him.
“You haven’t made him do that all the other nights. Is that because you didn’t want him to hear us?” I try to inject sexiness into my voice, but it gets ruined when the last word is interrupted by a juicy burp. “I guess it’s not like we’ll be doing anything tonight.”
Such a shame. I had plans, damn it.
“I’m pretty sure half of Valora has heard us, Quinn,” Kirian says wryly, leading me down a brightly lit hallway. “But before, we weren’t in a big city like this. Security is necessary now. Plus…”
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