TAELYN

As I’d suspected, nothing has been put in place for a service for the king and queen. I’d asked Ruarok to take charge of it, but instead he’d followed me out into the wildlands. Irritation at his lack of cooperation rises inside me. Must I do everything myself?

But then I remember I’m not the only one who has been going through a hard time. Ruarok has spent the past ten years locked inside a cage, only to be released to this madness. It can’t be easy for him either.

A knock comes at the office door, and it opens.

My stepbrother enters, and I draw a breath at the sight of him.

I hadn’t realized quite how desperate I’d been to see him.

His presence is commanding. His height, combined with that shock of dark hair and his almost black eyes, make him stand out among the generally fair and petite Fae.

I know he would prefer to look more like his father had, but I think he’s beautiful.

“Ruarok,” I say. “I wondered where you’d gotten to. ”

“There’s been work that needed to be done,” he says. “Our city is not in a good place.”

I experience a pang of guilt. So, Ruarok has been doing my job while I’ve been lying around in bed feeling sorry for myself. I’d been mentally berating him for not doing as I’d asked, but the people of Askos have had far bigger things to worry about than a service for those already dead.

“Did you hear we lost another part of the city to the rot?” he continues. “Fifty people or more are dead. Where is it going to end? With the loss of the whole kingdom?”

I remember my homeland, the utter devastation the rot caused. Toward the end, there was no safe place, and we’d had no choice but to leave. I understand that Ruarok doesn’t have any love for his father, but, without the king, my mother and I would have been left without a home.

My voice is barely a whisper. “Honestly, I don’t know. I wish the Mage had given me something more substantial to go on.”

He glances away. “About that. I need to speak to you about something. It’s important.”

A chill condenses in my veins. “Oh?”

“It’s been brought to my attention that people are concerned you’re not the right person to take the throne.”

His words hit me right in the heart. “Who has been saying such things?”

“Just little birds.”

Isn’t it exactly what I’ve been thinking myself? It’s as though all my worries have just been voiced back at me.

I force myself to keep my chin up and shoulders back. “And what do you think about that, Prince Ruarok?”

“It’s not really my place to say what I think. ”

His dark eyes glitter. I don’t believe him.

“What if I command you, as your future queen?”

He twists his lips. “We are equals. Until the coronation happens, you can’t command me to do anything.”

“Very well. What if I ask as your stepsister?”

“Do you really want to know?”

I bristle. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

He takes a breath. “Truthfully, I do not believe you are the rightful heir to the throne. That person is me.”

I grit my teeth and try to remain calm. “But you’d been banished.”

“I’m here now.”

I shouldn’t have released him from the cage.

Guilt spears me at the selfishness of my thought. If I hadn’t freed him, he’d have spent even longer inside that godforsaken cage. How much longer? Years? Centuries? Did I really have it in me to leave someone to that much suffering, no matter what they might have done?

“Are you saying you plan to take the throne from me?”

One corner of his lips turns in a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I can’t take something that was never truly yours, Princess.”

I can’t look at him. I turn from him and go to the window, to gaze down at the ruined city. “At the end of the day, it’ll be the people of Askos who crown their ruler. They will decide who they want.”

Before now, I had no doubt that it would be me.

I’ve been here for the last ten years, walking among the people, have sat at the king’s and queen’s side as they’ve sat on their thrones.

The citizens of Askos have watched me become a woman, and I’ve never done anything wrong in their eyes. Until now, that is .

Ruarok, however, has spent the past ten years locked away by his own father. He already had a terrible reputation, and everyone knew the king hated him. What reason would the people of Askos have for wanting Ruarok as their king? Surely, that would only happen if he were the only option available.

I realize what this means. If he were to be rid of me, then there would be no one standing in the way of him taking the throne.

Am I being na?ve? Too trusting?

I spin back to face him. “Do you want rid of me, Ruarok? Would you do what the king accused you of all those years ago?”

He stares at me. “Rid of you? No, quite the opposite.” He moves closer. “I thought I’d made my feelings clear on that matter. Just because I want to sit on the throne doesn’t mean I can’t also want you.”

A part of me wants to give in. I can let him take the throne, and I will retire to my books.

He reaches out and runs the back of his finger down my jaw. “This isn’t personal, Princess. You need to know that. I think very highly of you. Very highly indeed.”

“I honestly have no idea what you think of me.”

It’s the truth. Being around him is like having the rug constantly pulled out from under my feet. One moment, I think he’s on my side and wants only what’s best for me and the kingdom, and the next I get a flash of the Ruarok I suspect existed when his father had him locked away for ten years.

His touch lingers. My body reacts to him, my nipples crinkling and tightening, the heat condensing between my thighs .

He stares into my eyes as he speaks. “I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I think you’re fearless and loving, and that the kingdom would be lucky to have you at its helm. But that still doesn’t mean you are the rightful heir.”

With every word, he leans in closer. He studies my face, searching for the effect his speech has on me.

I want more of what we did in the tent. He was wrong about me being fearless. I’m weak and frightened, and right now it’s easier to give in to him than keep fighting. I want the distraction from the internal torment I’ve been going through ever since the King’s Tower fell.

“You’re the one who survived with your sanity still intact after spending ten years in that cage,” I say. “I don’t know how you did it. How you didn’t completely lose your mind.”

“I felt as though I had, on occasion,” he admits.

“But I thought of you, Taelyn. You were there with me, even if you didn’t realize it.

This connection we have, it isn’t just physical.

I believe our souls spoke to one another.

That’s why I dreamed so vividly about us being together before we’d even met.

Some things are meant to be. You and me, together, we’re destined. ”

“Destined?” I echo.

His lips part, and my gaze darts down to his teeth and tongue. He’s going to kiss me, and I’m powerless to resist.

“I’ll take care of you, Taelyn. I’ll look after you. Isn’t that what you want? To have someone to support you?”

His lips press to mine, and I moan into his mouth.

My resolve vanishes, and I fold against him, my arms wrapping around his neck as our kiss intensifies.

He jams himself against me, making his hardness known.

He does want me. Isn’t being desired better than being loathed?

I need that right now. I need someone on my side.

Our tongues tangle. We’re like two teenagers, stealing forbidden kisses and touches. Our breathing grows harder and faster, and we claw at each other’s clothing, wanting to be rid of them.

It's as though I’ve been caught in the rapids of a river, and no matter how much I might want to fight against it, I have to let myself be carried along.

He moves me backward, until my thighs bump with a dark velvet chaise longue. His hand supports my lower spine as he reclines me onto it.

“Lie back, Taelyn. Let me do what I described to you. Let me kiss you down there.”

I blink in surprise. I know exactly what he’s talking about. It’s been on my mind ever since he described it to me.

“You want to do that?” I check.

“More than anything. I want you to come all over my tongue.”

The thought embarrasses me, but it also excites me.

“I’m so hard for you, Taelyn. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. We’re something special, you and I. Made for each other.”

I want that so badly, to have someone in my life who is just for me.

Someone who loves me and desires me and worships the ground I walk on.

I want someone who will listen to my problems and help ease my pain.

I have Skylar and Balthorne, but it’s not the same.

Though I love them like family, they’ll never fully understand what it’s like to be me. In Ruarok, I have an equal .

He pulls down the front of my dress, exposing my breasts. My nipples tighten further in the cool air.

He stares at me. “By the gods, you’re beautiful.”

I go to cover myself, but he knocks my hands away.

He covers my breasts with his fingers, pulling and tweaking my nipples into long points, and then he ducks down and sucks one into his mouth, and then moves to the other.

I lace my fingers in his thick, dark hair, my head tilted back against the chaise longue, my lips parted as he suckles me.

His hand pushes between my thighs, and he maneuvers around my underwear to touch me.

I’m wet down there, and that embarrasses me, too.

Will I ever feel comfortable doing this kind of thing?

Perhaps if I’d started younger, it would have come more naturally to me, but I’m still a virgin at my age.

I press my hips up into his hand, my breast into his mouth. I want him to consume me.

“Let me hear you, Princess. Tell me how good this feels to you.”

“It feels so good,” I murmur.