Page 49

She flicked on the light switch and had to stifle a gasp.

This wasn’t a bedroom. It was an entire living area.

A massive four-poster bed leaned against the left wall covered in delicate silk sheets with far too many pillows propped against the carved headboard. Heavy midnight curtains hung around the frame, held back with golden ropes. A chest stood against the foot of the bed with several more blankets neatly folded on top.

A gaping fireplace covered half of the back wall and a pair of cushioned chairs were positioned before it. A mirror hung over the mantel, covering the rest of the wall.

The room was already decorated in colorful floral arrangements, candlesticks, and a multitude of other items.

A mahogany vanity to her right. Plush rugs at their feet. Three chandeliers overhead.

Finery. Extravagance.

Two doors lined the far wall on either side of the fireplace. She crossed the room and pushed open the left one revealing another massive room covered in gray and white marbled tile. A double sink on the left. A hexagonal shower toward the back and a tub large enough for five to the right. Fluffy bath towels were neatly stacked on shelves and two robes hung from golden hooks on the side wall.

She backed away and proceeded toward the second door. Rion was quiet the entire time as she explored their new living space.

She gaped at the closet that rivaled the size of her old room. It was already packed with so many clothes that she didn’t possess the energy to take them all in. Accessories, hats, canes, jewelry, and shoes, shoes, shoes. Heels, flats, boots.

Her stomach churned.

“What’s wrong?” Rion’s soothing voice cut through her anxiety and his tender caress up her arm calmed her throbbing pulse. She leaned into him, burying her face in his tunic. Arianna idly traced a silver button and briefly wondered where Ellie had gotten the outfit.

“It’s all—” Gods, how could she explain? She should be grateful for everything. Others would kill to be where she was now, but—

Rion pulled her close and rested his head atop hers. “Tell me,” he whispered. Words she’d once spoken to him. A gentle pull.

“How am I supposed to live up to this? What if I mess everything up?"

“You have centuries and Ellie,” he joked. Rion lowered his head and Arianna tilted hers back, allowing him access to her throat. His lips grazed the sensitive area beneath her ear and pleasant shivers ran down her spine. “And if you ever decide you want to leave,” he said, voice husky, “I’ll gladly take you away.”

She laughed and he met her gaze again. “That’d give them something to talk about. The new queen kidnapped by The Demon and whisked away from her throne.”

He smirked. “Only if the queen wishes it.”

Arianna studied the seriousness in his gaze. “It’s tempting,” she admitted. “I rather liked that little cabin.”

He leaned close and his heated gaze promised everything she’d been imagining for days. “Just say the word.”

His teeth grazed her throat and Arianna tightened her grip on his shirt, ready to tear the fabric in half. His lips trailed kisses to the base of her jaw and Rion pulled her flush against his body.

Arianna’s knees threatened to buckle, but he slid strong fingers up her back until they threaded through her hair.

Gods she needed him, ached for his touch.

Rion removed the clips from her hair one at a time and she swore he was moving slow on purpose. A quick glance at his wicked grin confirmed her theory.

But she was done waiting.

Arianna’s mouth crashed into his and guided him to the nearest wall where they became a flurry of movement. Their hands desperately pulled at buttons and tucked clothes until it all lay in piles at their feet.

Rion pulled her closer, his tongue diving deep, and she savored the feel of it and the way his hands gripped her body like he couldn’t get enough.

He pulled away to whisper in her ear again. “What do you want?”

She thought that was obvious from the way she gripped his shoulders, but he always gave her a choice. Every single time. Arianna smiled and said, “A bath.” Rion paused. “And you in it.”

Chapter Nineteen