Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
“King Cheral’s wife. She insisted that he was madly in love with Gracen and that I bring him to her.” I’m glad I listened. Guilt would’ve clawed at me otherwise.
“I can’t see Atticus professing that to the wife of his enemy. I wonder what the story is there.”
“She couldn’t keep her eyes off him, so it’s probably a story I don’t want to hear.”
Zander sighs heavily. “Whatever. Let them be happy. Let them all be happy for one last night. Abarrane will surely land in Kienen’s tent again.”
I smile. “Solange was eyeing Jarek. I will bet you one giant gemstone from my vault that they hook up tonight.”
“‘Hook up’? Is that Romy Watts lingo?” he teases. “And from which vault? You have two.”
“Aww.” I mock sulk as I roll onto my stomach, my chin resting against his chest. “Are you still bitter about that?”
He chuckles, splashing a few drops of water in my face. “I hope Solange knows that Lucretia will be in the corner, watching.”
I burst out laughing, but it morphs into a groan. “My god, the poor guy can’t catch a break.”
“I think Jarek is doing just fine.” Zander studies my face. “What are we going to do when this is all over?”
“What, the war?” I pause. “I’ve never given it any thought.”
“Never?”
“I mean … no. Everything we talk about, everything we do, it’s all led up to tomorrow.”
“What about after tomorrow?” he whispers.
“What if there is no ‘after tomorrow’?” Fear bleeds into my voice. I have never been so powerful in my life as I am now, and also I’ve never been so scared. It’s the first time I feel like I have so much to lose.
That bronze horn sits in my satchel, waiting for me to end this war with a single blow. Am I a coward for not using it already? Maybe, but I have no clue how it will end the war, and I can’t take Aminadav’s words at face value. That much, I am sure of.
I’m not willing to give up just yet.
I’m not ready to die.
“What about after tomorrow?” Zander repeats, trailing fingers down my spine.
I falter. “You tell me.”
His throat bobs with a hard swallow. “I will reclaim Islor’s throne.” Back and forth, his fingers slide, reaching all the way down to the small of my back and beyond, teasing the crack of my ass. “We will root out every lord and lady who is determined to maintain the old ways of Islor and give their lands to the mortals, allow them the chance to rule. The keeper system will be abolished, and mortals will be free to live and work where they wish. Mortal villages will exist, and not ones that must hide in Venhorn to escape the king’s rule.”
As he speaks, my heart swells. It’s everything he has ever wished for, everything we’ve talked about. I push aside my dread and let myself imagine. “The bridge between Ybaris and Islor will be open for travel, and I will figure out how to convince the nymphs to heal the lands without claiming lives. Not just Ybaris but also Kier.”
“Until you do, the Plains of Aminadav will help provide for the people in all the realms,” he says, bending his neck forward to kiss my nose.
“And I will empty Ulysede’s coffers to trade with Seacadore. And Udrel, if we must,” I promise. How long would it take to sail there? Could Caindra fly that far?
“Fine, but leave my gold pillars alone.” A smirk curls his lips. It drifts with a pensive look. “We will have that wedding we keep planning.”
I inhale sharply at the thought of marrying Zander. For real, this time.
Easing my body up to straddle his hips, I lay kisses along his throat, his jawline, his lips. Between my legs, his cock is hard and waiting. “And we’ll take the stone on Hudem.” Can a Ybarisan and an Islorian have children together? And is there any point to the ritual, now that the nymphs are here and the blood curse is gone?
He chuckles, his hands seizing my hips, positioning himself at my entrance. “With an audience.”
My laughter dies as he slides into me.
“We’ll divide our time amongst kingdoms.” His hand slides between us, his thumb rubbing over my clit as he thrusts slowly, our mouths working together in a tantalizing dance of tongues.
“In Cirilea when the roses are in bloom.” I sit up, his lip leaving mine to trail down to my breasts, collecting a nipple between his teeth. “And the dragons will fly us everywhere.” I seize the sides of the tub for purchase, my breathing growing ragged as his teeth scrape across my flesh with a delicious bite just short of pain.
Words fade, giving way to moans and cries and the casual splash of water as our bodies rock against each other in an intimate dance, chasing a euphoria I once believed only existed in fiction. But all I had to do was fall in love with a king.