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Davron let out a booming laugh. “Knowing sirens, you would probably unlock additional powers from the stone.”

“Good to know,” said Amelie with a cheeky smile. “In case I ever need to make a life on my own.”

She’d been joking, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She’d implied that she would leave him. Or, far worse, that Davron would die.

“I mean, that was—” she rushed to explain.

“Amelie—” he said. “Everything I have is yours. Everything I am. And if the day comes when I can’t watch over you, I hope you become the best bandit you can be.”

Her face relaxed into a smile. “Alright. But so you know, I have no intention of going anywhere.”

He pulled her onto his lap, cupping her face with his hand. “And I have no intention of letting you.”

He kissed her on the lips. Amelie threw her arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss. When she tried to probe his mouth with her tongue, he pulled back.

“Davron,” she implored, looking deeply into his eyes. “If all you say is true, why can’t we make love? What are we waiting for?”

A ripple of confusion passed over his features. There was something else, too, that Amelie could not read. What on earth was he thinking?

“Make love?” he repeated carefully, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.

“Yes,” she said, blushing. “You know. Have sex.”

“Right.” He nodded, a muscle working in his jaw. “Sex.”

“Do you not want to?”

“Come on, now.” He gave her a knowing look. “Every second I am with you, my main preoccupation is how to stop myself from removing your dress and ruining you utterly. Having tasted you, I am addicted to you for the remainder of my natural life, and possibly beyond it.”

He squeezed her thigh, which sent a thrill of pleasure up her spine.

“Then, why not?” she asked, squirming at the memory of being at the mercy of his mouth and tongue. Never had she known such heaven.

“Because we have all the time in the world. I want to marry you, Amelie.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

“Is that not what you want?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“No, it’s just— I mean, yes. I believe so.” She cast around, taking in the lush gardens and the sweet scent of the roses and the dappled sunshine on red petals, knowing a curse lay over it all. A dark sorceress sought their deaths. “Do we have all the time in the world? Because I fear we do not.”

“That’s still no reason to rush. Before we have sex, I want you to be sure.”

“I am sure. I am more than sure. I want to have sex with you very much.”

He gave a strangely sad smile and hugged her close. She leaned into his chest, baffled. It was almost like she’d hurt his feelings by saying she wanted to have sex with him. But how could that be the case?

“I want to be close to you, Davron,” she said, feeling his heart thud against her cheek. “As close as it’s possible to be. I want that more than anything.”

“I want that, too,” he said, cradling her head. “More than you know.”

“Then what’s stopping us?”

He moved his hand down to the base of her skull, using his thumb to tilt her chin upward, looking directly into her eyes.

“You know why. I am afraid of hurting you,” he said.

“Oh, is that what you’re worried about? You are in control of yourself and I trust you will not brutalize me. If your size hurts me, we can simply stop. Alright?”