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"Fine," I said, trying to sound bored, nothing like how I actually felt. My heart was racing, and I was practically drunk off his nearness. I longed for more.

He wasn’t having it. He gave a wicked grin, pulling me tight against his chest. Wings sprouted from his back, and he lifted me just a touch into the air, spinning us both.

My breath came in a gasp at his neck.

"What about now?" he whispered.

"Cheater," I murmured.

"Liar," he whispered against the curve of my ear.

A shiver trickled down my spine.

"Would you like to go higher?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered madly. Yes, I wanted to fly higher. I wanted to go places I had never gone before. I wanted to dream of things I had never dared. Right now, I wanted to soar through the air in the strong embrace of the Fae King. I wanted to leave the ground and all the limitations I had set for myself far behind. I wasn’t just Princess Georgia anymore. I was Georgia—a woman who could fly. The only limits were the ones I set for myself.

He unfurled his beautiful wings. With his arms wrapped tightly around me, we soared upward. I could smell the salty ocean air and feel it against my cheeks.

I cried out in delight.

Soon, we were high enough that I could see the tops of the trees and the dancing lights of the wisps within. Then the marshes and ocean beyond. Moonlight reflected off of the water.

Wrapped securely in his embrace, I nestled my head against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. An earthy scent of pine clung to his skin and mingled with an aroma of mist and sea. The pull to him was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was primal and powerful.

He slowly brought us back down in front of the greenhouse, and my feet brushed the ground once more. We didn’t separate right away. Instead, I stared up at him in wonder, adrenaline pumping through my veins. For a moment, I forgot I was human, and he was fae. I forgot he was supposed to be my enemy. I stood on tiptoes and brought my lips to his.

He responded immediately, wrapping his arms tighter around me and returning my impulsive kiss with his own slow, exploratory one. When he parted my lips with his tongue, I let out a small moan of pleasure.

Then the kiss grew wild, hot, and wet. He pressed me against the greenhouse, caging me with his hands. Soon, I forgot everything but him and me. I felt alive, so very alive. It was like that moment right before a storm when electricity sparks the air and raises the little hairs on your arms.

I knew if I didn’t slow this down, I would be lying in his sheets come morning. Slowly, regretfully, I pulled back.

“Well," he said carefully. "This seems as good a time as any. I have something for you." He pulled a small box out of his trouser pocket, carved from wood. He popped it open and displayed a stunning ring, adorned with two glinting pieces of sea glass on each side and a large pearl in the center. I recognized the sea glass that he had given me as an engagement stone.

"How did you get this from my room?"

He smiled. "Rosie and Helena, of course."

"Of course," I echoed, staring at it. For the first time, I felt like the Fae King really wanted to marry me.

"May I?" he asked.

Adrenaline still pumping through my veins, I nodded. "Yes."

He slipped the ring on my finger.

"Now I look like a proper human bride," I said, studying it.

"And a proper fae bride as well," he said, taking in my still panting breath and stroking my flushed cheeks.

CHAPTER 26

The Fae King

"She asked for something," announced Rosie.

I grinned a wicked grin. At last. A tip of the hand. She must want something. No one was so selfless. Since I had gone to collect her, she had only asked for things for others—protection for her family and a way to communicate with her younger sister.