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Rook lifted his arm, showing me the slave tattoo on his forearm. “This is how I know.” He tucked a hand behind his head and stared at the canopy above the bed. “That mark has magic woven into it. And that magic holds true while Theron is King. I cannot fly, I cannot use my powers, and, amongst other things, I cannot breed.”

I bristled at the word breed, and climbed higher onto Rook’s chest to look into his eyes. “You can’t have children?”

“Not while that mark is there, and the magic is active.” He raised his hand to my cheek, stroking it gently. “So, you can rest assured that you will not have to bear my child.”

I lay my head on his chest. “I’m so sorry, Rook.”

“I am too.” He shrugged when I looked back up at him. “For you, to be bonded to someone like me.”

“Say that again and I’ll slap you,” I said, throwing myself on him and kissing him hungrily. “I don’t care.”

“You don’t care that we’ll never be able to have a child?”

“No,” I said, kissing him again, and again, wishing they would leave behind a lasting mark to remind him how much I loved him.

Rook sighed. “I do love you, Elara.”

“The only relief I have is when I’m in your arms,” I said.

“It’s the same for me, my love,” he said as I lay my head back on his chest. “You are the only thing that has made sense in my life, for a very long time.”

“Are you ever going to tell me about your… your life in Isambard?” I didn’t want to say the word wife. I didn’t want the moment to be painful for him, and maybe, just maybe I didn’t want to admit that I was jealous. I hated myself for it.

Rook’s fingers traced small patterns over my bare shoulder. “I will, princess. One day. Not today though. You have enough on your mind.”

“Yes, I certainly do,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” He asked, his fingers picking up a strand of my hair and twirling it between them.

“Anxious. I don’t know what to expect.” I looked up at him, at his beautiful blue eyes glowing in the dim light. “Theron said if I married him it would all be over.”

Rook made a sound low in his throat, a threatening snarl. “Did he now? And what did you tell him?”

“I told him to announce the next trial and that I wasn’t afraid of him.”

Rook laughed, seizing me in his arms and rolling me onto my back. “My fierce little Fae, you’re fucking extraordinary, you know that?”

His mouth moved along my jawline, down my neck, and I closed my eyes, surrendering to the feeling of his mouth exploring my body, as I had dreamed so many times.

“Please,” I murmured, “I need you again.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He pushed his cock inside me, finding me still slick from his climax and all my own. But this time, he was gentle and slow, holding me tightly in his arms as he rocked his hips against me.

His mouth was tender, kissing me softly, and I whimpered as I felt my climax rising. He held me as my body quivered, as I moaned into the crook of his neck. He held me as he shuddered, murmuring my name as he came inside me.

Then we lay together, holding each other for a long time, until our eyes became heavy.

“I need to go before I fall asleep,” he whispered, kissing me. “Mokosh knows I’d love to stay here with you.”

“One day,” I replied, stroking his cheek. “One day we will sleep in the same bed every night and wake up together every morning.”

He smiled at me, tracing a finger along the scars on my jaw. “That is a lovely future to dream of, my love.”

Chapter26

Elara

Drusilla had picked out a flowing lilac gown, and it felt strange to be wearing such a fine dress when I was going to the Pit. I sat down at the dressing table and saw with alarm the mark on my neck. Shit. My kisses may not have marked Rook but his had certainly marked me.