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I scrunched my nose up, leaning on my tiptoes to lay a kiss on his cheek. His beard had grown out, the coarse hairs tickling the soft of my lips. Duncan knew how much I enjoyed that very tickle – especially in-between my thighs – so it became his personal mission to continue growing it out.

“No,” Duncan replied. “Sometimes the things going in my mouth are just as naughty.”

My cheeks flushed with heat, staining them a deeper scarlet. The crowd around us erupted in cheers once again, distracting me from the budding heat in my groin. “Best we save this conversation for later I think.”

“I bloody hope so,” Duncan replied out the corner of his mouth as he began to clap his hands, joining in with the crowd around us. “It will certainly get me through the next couple of hours.”

Across the distance between us, I locked eyes with Erix for a fleeting moment. Elation and pride swelled in my chest. Seeing him finally accept his own truth made me breathless, just as he had the first day I laid eyes on him. Garbed in silver-plated armour, he glowed beneath the sun, his skin dusted in gold leaf that Althea Cedarfall had supplied.

Erix ignored the Elmdew dignitary he was speaking with, focusing only on me.

“Hello, little bird,” he mouthed.

I fought the awkward urge to raise a hand and wave at him. Instead, I mouthed back. “My king.”

My eyes fell to the silver band on Erix’s ring finger, matching the one Duncan wore and the same I also had on mine. It was an engagement – a promise to one another. Although marriage was never something I imagined possible for me, nor coveted, seeing the band on his hand made me buzz from the inside out.

It had been close to two weeks since I’d last seen Erix, and my body was practically trembling from the need to touch him. He’d been kept busy in Oakstorm, gathering his support, solidifying a new council whilst I was doing the same on Icethorn lands.

Keeping myself distracted from our separation, I’d thrown myself into helping the many humans who took up residence in my court, alongside aiding the fey who had chosen to move into Durmain. There’d been so much paperwork I was surprised my fingers hadn’t fallen off. Bless Eroan, he’d done anything he could to make my life easier. Even learning to forge my signature, which was something Duncan wasn’t too pleased about.

I had to force myself to look away from Erix before a fire started in my groin. Two weeks without him – his touch, his kiss, his taste – had turned me into something feral. This must’ve been how Althea and Gyah felt the night before their wedding ceremony a month back. I had put down Althea’s constant downing of sparkling wine to nerves, but now I know it was because she was simply filling the void of the woman she loved with alcohol.

Altar, hand me a glass orfour. I would drink the barrel dry just to stop myself from imagining how I would be celebrating our reunion tonight.

“Regardless of his hunched shoulders, Erix looks perfect, don’t you think?” I asked.

“He does indeed,” Duncan said as Erix continued the procession down the jetty toward us. He had to stop at every court member– the names of whom I’d still not memorised. “Erix was born for this, and it suits him well. Just perfect.”

That it did.

I was jealous of every moment he gave to another person. By the time he was halfway down the line, I was practically trembling with the need to stand inches before him.

“Ethereal,” I replied. “Perfect seems like not enough of a word to describe him.”

“Not long left, darling.” Duncan leaned in, lips brushing my ear. It was his turn to kiss my cheek, his tempered breath tickling over my skin. “We will be reunited soon enough. I don’t know about you, but I certainly have some interesting suggestions of what we can do when the sun sets, and we are all alone together.”

“Careful, Duncan.” I winked. “Keep those ideas you have as a surprise.”

“You always did like a surprise,” Duncan growled, his eyes burning with pent-up lust.

With so many eyes on me, it would’ve been improper to grab the – no doubt hardening – bulge in Duncan’s trousers, especially during the coronation of a king.

“I’m seconds from burning up.”

“Are you, darling?” Duncan’s eyes drank me in from head to toe. “I can practically see the thoughts swimming behind those eyes of yours. Say therightthing and I might just take you here and now.”

“As much as I would like that,” I replied, rubbing my now sweating palms down my silken trousers. “I can cope for another hour or so.”

“I’m rather enjoying the direction this conversation is going,” Duncan encouraged.

“I can tell. Perhaps we can talk about something else?” I pleaded, wiggling to get comfortable in my almost-too-tight trousers. “Something that’s going tocalmme down?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Duncan settled his eyes back on Erix, copying me as we waited for him to make his way down the line. “How about the topic of the impending potato harvesting and how we are still going to be short to feed a court full of people. If anything can make me limp, it’s the discussion of vegetables.”

I choked on a laugh, catching myself with fingers placed over my lips. “And then I will remind you, for the umpteenth time, that trade routes have opened between Durmain and Wychwood. We no longer need to rely on our own supplies, or those of our neighbouring courts, to help us. And who are you kidding, Duncan? Remember what you wanted to do with the carrot–”

“Okay, okay,” Duncan hushed, turning his back to the crowd so he peered down at me, eyes alight with equal excitement. “Who would’ve thought a discussion of food supplies was going to go inthatdirection?”