9 AELIA

A gown of olive-green satin with golden laurels woven into it lay on my dressing table. Next to it, a crown of matching golden laurels sat on a velvet pillow. I had worn many fine gowns in my time as queen, but there was something special about being given such a gorgeous gown by your suitor.

I picked up the note with King Killer inscribed in golden letters.

To My King Killer,

May this dress be worthy of your beauty. Meet me downstairs and bring a cloak.

All My Love,

Tharan

I held the note to my chest and closed my eyes, fighting back the tears threatening to stain my cheeks. Tharan was good to me in ways I couldn’t imagine. Wiping the moisture from my face, I applied a stain to my lips before outlining my eyes in a brown kohl. An attendant braided my hair in a crown around my head while letting the back fall in long waves.

“And now for the finishing touch,” the attendant said, placing the tiara atop my head.

“I thought it would be heavier,” I said, adjusting the headpiece.

“It is made of the finest gold mined from far in the north across the Atruskan River. The king had it made for you.”

“But I’ve only been here for a few weeks.”

“He can be very persuasive, as I’m sure you know.” A coy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

I chuckled.

“There’s one more thing.” She hurried out of the room.

“Oh?”

Before I could follow her, she popped back in, holding a beautiful cloak, the same color as my dress, lined with wolf fur.

I ran my hands over the soft pelt.

“Is this what I think it is?”

She nodded curtly.

“It is a dire wolf pelt. When a wolf dies, the pelt is given to its rider. This one’s rider fell in battle alongside their wolf. So the king had it fashioned into this cloak for you.” She fastened the heavy garment around my neck before taking a step back. “You look like a queen.”

My breath caught in my throat at those words. I hadn’t been a queen in a long time and hadn’t been very good at it. Could I be the kind of queen Tharan needed me to be? Could I bear the weight of ruling again?

Pushing my thoughts to the side, I headed out. As I walked down the magnificent spiral staircase, Tharan came into view. Back to me, his burgundy hair shone in the flames of the chandelier. He wore a green vest and white undershirt. With his hands behind his back, I could see the laurel cufflinks on his wrists. Atop his head sat the Alder Crown of Antlers.

I couldn’t help but smile.

He turned to face me, and his verdant eyes brightened. A blinding smile cut his handsome face in two.

Heat flushed my cheeks at the sight of him. Pure power radiated from him like an overflowing fountain. He reached out a hand to guide me down the last few steps. Electricity roiled through my veins at his touch.

“You look stunning,” he said, kissing my cheek.

“And you look very handsome as well.” I entwined my arms around my neck.

“I’ve been known to clean up from time to time.”

“A humble king.”

“I try.” He leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. His mouth tasted of blackberries and bourbon. The scent of clove cigarettes clung to his skin.

“Trinity, I love your scent,” I whispered in his ear.

“I love you,” he growled in my ear.

Goosebumps pricked my skin. I hadn’t told anyone I loved them since Caiden. And if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure I’d truly loved anyone. Looking back, I doubted my love for Caiden. Was I just young and infatuated? No. Who am I kidding? I loved him. Loved him enough to set him free. The love Caiden and I shared was forbidden and exciting, while the feelings I had for Tharan were warm and stable, like a steady thrum underneath my skin.

“I… I…” I couldn’t say the words—I wasn’t ready, and I hated to disappoint him. Tharan was safety. Tharan was stability and a home—something I hadn’t even known I’d been missing.

His fingers laced with mine.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to say it. I know you’re not ready.”

My eyes flitted to the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

He lifted my chin so that our eyes met.

“Don’t be. I don’t want you to lie to me. I want you to tell me when you’re ready.”

Pressure built behind my eyes.

“Thank you.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Of course.” He patted my hand. “Now, I’ve got something to show you.”

Tharan led me out of the palace to a waiting sleigh pulled by two snow-white horses with bells, and holly braided into their manes. Lanterns gilded the carriage in a golden light.

“After you.”

I climbed into the sleigh and settled into the plush seats. Tharan covered us in a thick wool blanket.

“Are you warm enough?”

I nodded and snuggled into the crook of his arm.

“Let’s go.”

The driver clicked his tongue, and the horses trotted on.

“Care to tell me where we’re going?”

“That would ruin the surprise.”

“Tease.” I slapped his chest playfully.

We glided through the forest. The snow glistened like diamonds in the moon’s light, and the bells braided into the horses chimed in a calming melody. I tried to savor each moment with Tharan, noting every detail—the feeling of his hand on mine, the outline of his face in the golden light. This would be the last night we would spend together for a long time, and I wanted to make it count.

We stopped in front of the entrance to a cave just as the snow began falling harder.

Tharan whispered something to the driver, but all I could focus on was the gaping hole in the rock, jagged and dark.

“What is this place?” I asked, staring at the ominous mouth of the cave.

Grabbing a lantern, Tharan said, “It’s a special place only a few people know exists.”

“No kraken, hopefully.”

He chuckled.

“Not this time.”

Entwining our hands, he led me deep into the cave. The lantern did little to warn off the ever-encroaching darkness.

An intoxicating scent wafted through the air—part floral, part sweet. I couldn’t quite place it.

“We’re getting close,” Tharan said.

“How can you tell?”

“The smell is getting stronger.”

“What exactly am I smelling?”

“You’ll see soon.”

The sound of our footsteps through the silence as we crossed over caverns filled with stalagmites growing from the floor.

The cave continued to twist and turn with no end in sight. When I suspected we were thoroughly lost, Tharan stopped in front of a seemingly innocuous boulder.

“We’re here.”

I looked around, but only darkness met my gaze.

“You had me get dressed up to take me to a dead end in a cave?”

“Oh, my sweet, you have no idea what lies behind this boulder.”

He pressed his hand to the stone, and an ancient rune inscription appeared at his fingertips, illuminating the darkness around us in a pale blue.

“I’ve never seen that script before.”

He looked at me over his shoulder.

“You wouldn’t have. This language was dead before the Trinity culled the land.”

I swallowed hard. What was this place?

At Tharan’s touch, the boulder rolled out of the way, revealing yet another corridor, but instead of hard black stone, it was made of polished white marble.

Tharan snapped his fingers, and torches lining the wall lit instantaneously.

My pulse quickened. Magic swirled around us, leaving a coppery taste on my tongue.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

He took my hand and led me down the pristine hall.

“What is this place?”

“It is an ancient temple where the forest birthed my father eons ago. It contains the source of our magic.”

“Oh.” Words evaded me. Tharan trusted me completely without asking for anything in return. Goosebumps flushed my skin. How did I end up this lucky?

Before we entered the next room, he turned to face me. “What I’m about to show you has not been seen for an age. And you must not tell anyone what you saw here.”

“Of course.”

He stepped to the side, revealing an oasis of bioluminescent plants of every shape and color radiating light in the darkness. Above, an opening revealed the night sky dotted with stars. A canopy of sparkling leaves cast a golden glow on the setting. Not a flake of snow dotted the ground, as if it couldn’t touch this place. The air felt like the first day of summer.

“Oh, Tharan. This is too much.” I untied my cloak and draped it over my arm.

He kissed my hand. “Nothing is too much for you.”

My heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked on mine. The tension pulled taut between us. Neither of us uttered a word. We didn’t have to.

“There’s more.”

Tharan escorted me to a table low to the ground, adorned with various fruits, roasted hens, and delicately crafted desserts. Fireflies flickered in the air like twinkling stars.

Taking our seats, he poured us each a glass of sparkling wine.

“A toast to us,” he said, giving me a smile that made my knees go weak. “May this not be our last night but the first of many.”

“To us,” I said, clinking my glass with his. The bubbles fizzed in my head, making my chest warm.

“There’s something else I need to give you.” He pulled a small velvet box from behind his back.

I sucked in a breath. In the human lands, these were usually filled with an engagement ring. Oh Trinity, I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want to hurt Tharan’s feelings, but I didn’t know if I could commit to something so big. The last time I married someone was Gideon, and that day still haunts me.

Reading the look on my face, Tharan said, “It’s not what you’re thinking, but if you want it to be, that could be arranged.”

I cracked open the box to find a single diamond earring. “Oh, it’s lovely, Tharan, but shouldn’t there be two?”

He gave me a coy smile, pushing his hair behind his right ear to show its sister earring. “They are no ordinary jewels. They are whisper stones. Specially designed so only you and I can speak to one another across vast distances. So even when we’re apart, we can still communicate.”

A weight lifted from my chest.

“Oh, Tharan.” I said, piercing the earring through the hole in my lobe where the glamoured stud used to rest. “How do I use it?”

“Just turn it gently to the right, and it will ping me.”

I did as he said, and Tharan jolted a bit. “It works!”

“Probably shouldn’t have done it so close to one another,” I laughed.

“Just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.” He took another drink of champagne. “Let’s eat. We don’t want this going to waste.”

The flavor of the enchanted foods danced on my tongue. I ate until my stomach begged me to stop.

“Everything is so wonderful,” I said, staring up at the stars.

“There’s one more thing.” Tharan stood, offering me his hand.

“Oh?” I clasped my hand around his, wondering what could make this night better.

Slipping an arm around my waist, he pulled me in close. “One last dance before we part.”

“But there’s no music.”

He snapped his fingers, and a string quartet of only instruments appeared through the entrance.

“You’ve really thought of everything.”

“I wanted everything to be perfect for you. And I didn’t know the next time we’d get the chance to dance together.”

My heart overflowed with love, and words emptied out of my head.

“I don’t know what to say, Tharan.”

He smiled as we danced around the meadow, illuminated by the golden leaves above and the luminescent flowers below. Color danced across our faces.

“I told you I’d show you just what kind of man I am.”

“And you haven’t disappointed.”

“I try not to disappoint the ones I love anymore.”

I nuzzled my nose against his, and he pulled me in closer.

“If I die tomorrow, I would die a happy man. This time with you has been the happiest I’ve been… well, possibly ever,” he whispered, as if saying it too loud would jinx it.

A pressure built behind my eyes. “I don’t want to think about you dying. Not on a night this perfect.”

“You’re right, my love. Let’s just enjoy the evening.” He rested his head on me as we swayed to the cheerful music.

We danced until late in the evening, neither wanting to let the other go.

“Aelia, we need our rest.”

I nodded into his chest.

Tharan snapped his fingers, and the instruments disappeared. Only the sound of crickets filled the night air.

“What now?” I asked. “Are we going back?”

Tharan gave me a coy smile.

“I thought we’d spend our last night together under the stars.” He snapped his fingers. Vines climbed from the earth, twisting themselves into a bedframe. Cotton sprouted and rolled itself into the shape of a mattress. Bioluminescent flowers sprouted from the vines, casting the oasis in a delicate pink light.

“Oh, Tharan.”

“Not bad. I’ll admit—one of my cleverer ideas.” He laid a fur-lined blanket on top of the bed and two down pillows. “I can’t make everything.”

Everything was so perfect—the stars twinkling overhead, the carpet of luminescent flowers below us, and the man I loved by my side. How did I end up here after everything I went through? I wanted to freeze this moment in time.

A feeling of dread threatened to poison my happiness. I pushed it away. There would be time to worry tomorrow. Tonight was for us.

“Is everything alright?” Tharan asked. He made a line of kisses down my neck and over my bare shoulders, each touch lighting a fire beneath my skin.

“Everything’s fine,” I said, facing him, tears welling in my eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I was this happy, and it’s overwhelming.”

“Oh, my darling.” His gaze softened, and he wiped the tears from my eyes.

“And if I am being honest… I’m afraid to be happy. I’m afraid the universe will pull the rug out from under me, and this will all disappear.”

Tharan pulled me in tight to his chest. His distinct scent of pine and clove calmed my senses.

“The world will always try to tear us apart, Aelia, but I promise you this. I will always come back to you. I will find you in the darkness and in the light. I will walk through fire to get back to you, and I will conquer death if it means I can spend just one more night in your arms.”

Overwhelmed with love, words refused to formulate. “Tharan… I…”

“Shh… you don’t have to say anything.”

Slowly, he unbuttoned my dress, my heart rate increasing with each snap. We did not take our eyes off each other, and the tension pulled tighter between us with each passing second.

I undid the buttons on his vest. The silk slipped between my shaking fingers.

When every button had been undone, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I love you, Aelia Springborn, King Killer, Queen of the Damned, and Ruler of my Heart.”

My heart burst in my chest, but I couldn’t get the words out. I had told other men I loved them and, in turn they’d hurt me. I wouldn’t give my love away so easily this time.

I stepped out of my dress and Tharan slipped a thin silk nightgown over my head. The fabric was so light it barely felt like anything at all against my skin.

“I’ll just hold you tonight. I promise,” he said, pulling the crown from my head and helping me into bed.

My body sunk into the plush mattress, reminding me of how tired I was.

Tharan took off his crown before pulling off his shirt. My mouth went dry at the sight of his toned body glistening in the pale light of the luminescent flowers.

“Tharan?” I eked out.

“Yes?” he said, sliding into bed next to me.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he said, pulling the blankets tight around us.

“That night at the Inn in Mineralia, when you gave me the bath. I noticed a golden tattoo. Brand? Snaking its way up your arm, but I haven’t seen it since.”

He arched a brow. “You could see that?”

I nodded.

“It’s an old army tattoo infused with magic. It’s supposed to only be visible to certain people. So they could identify your body should you fall in battle.” His eyes left mine. “But I had mine removed when I was…” His words caught in his throat.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it anymore,” I said, running a loving hand down his chin.

“No, it’s fine. I just… thought they took that from me. Forever.” His brows knitted with concern. “It’s not just a way to identify my body should I fall. It’s a way for those of us who fought together to identify each other. A kind of brotherhood for those of us who remember the Sylph and Elven War.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “But let’s talk about that some other time. I see the sleep clawing at your eyes, and I don’t want to keep you up too late when we both have to travel tomorrow.”

“I think it’s a little late for that.” A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

He pressed his lips to mine, and my whole body responded as though every nerve had been waiting for his touch.

I spread my legs, and he filled the space between them. His hard body pressed against mine—tongues entwining in a sanguine dance. A fire lit in my core, making me wet. Wet for him. I quickly slid my underwear off.

“I want you, Aelia, but this is as far as we go tonight.” Tharan nuzzled his nose against mine.

“No,” I pleaded, “I want you. I want to feel you inside me, coursing through my veins. I want to feel your teeth on my neck and my name on your breath as you groan into my ear.”

“Trinity, Aelia.” His hips rocked rhythmically against mine. Only a thin layer of fabric separated us. The temptation built each time his erection slid over my aching clit.

A moan escaped my lips, and his pace increased.

“Fuck, Aelia… I…” His words were breathy and full of need, but his eyes stayed locked on mine.

“Touch me, Tharan.” I guided his hand between my legs where my slick cunt waited for him.

He slipped his fingers inside me.

“Trinity, you’re so wet for me. Is this how wet you get when you touch yourself when I’m not around?”

I arched my back as his fingers found the soft spot beneath my mound.

“Yes,” I hissed out between ragged breaths.

“Good girl,” he whispered into my ear while his fingers pulsed in and out of me slowly, deliberately, coaxing my orgasm. Tharan’s thumb found a home on my clit, and lightning shot through every nerve in my body.

Trinity, this man made me feel things I hadn’t felt in ages. Like I would shrivel up and die without his touch.

“Aelia, I’d like to try something if you’re alright with it.”

My mind went blank, and I blurted out, “Anything.”

He paused, snapping his fingers. A vine curled onto the bed, unraveling a consolateur—blown glass with three orbs for varying pleasure.

My eyes went wide at the sight of it. Anticipation pricked the hairs on my arms. “I’ve never used anything like that before. You’ll have to guide me.”

A mischievous gleam lit in his eyes. “I want you to pretend it’s me fucking you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said, laying back on the bed and spreading my legs again.

Tharan rubbed my clit, sending a thousand shock waves through me. I moaned with pleasure, fisting my hands in his hair, pulling him closer to me.

“Are you ready, my darling?”

I nodded, fighting the growing orgasm inside me.

Tharan guided the consolateur into my cunt. My breath hitched as it stretched me. “Oh, Trinity.”

“Are you alright?” His brows knitted with concern.

“Yes,” I said through ragged breaths. “Don’t stop.”

He moved the glass orbs in and out of me—pleasure built with each stroke. “You’re doing so good, my darling, taking this as if you were taking me.”

I arched my back, whimpering as he increased his pace.

“Such a good girl,” Tharan whispered as he ran his tongue up my neck.

My breath hitched in my throat, my throbbing core on the edge of climax. Each thrust brought me closer.

“Trinity, don’t stop,” I exclaimed, digging my fingernails into the hard flesh of Tharan’s back. I wanted to brand myself on to him so everyone would know I belonged to him and him to me. Two broken pieces of a puzzle that only fit with one another.

“Aelia, I’m so fucking hard for you. The sounds of your moans are like music to my ears.”

I let out a groan of pleasure. “I’m so close.”

“Yes, my love, say my name.” He thrust the consolateur into me harder and harder so that I felt every ridge against my soft insides. My body responded with a jot of lightning through my nerves, and I bucked my hips with his thrusts.

My hands trembled as I gripped the blanket. Lifting my head to the sky, I let my orgasm rip through me.

“Tharan, oh fuck, Tharan!”

He sunk his fangs into my neck, not hard enough to break the skin but enough to send my pulse racing. I let out a guttural cry into the silent night. The pain mixed with pleasure, creating a euphoria inside me, unlike anything I had felt before. Tears built behind my eyes, but I pushed them away, focusing on the grooves in Tharan’s back. He pulled the toy from me and replaced it with his fingers.

“You did such a good job. Such a good girl, coming on my fingers.”

Ragged gasps ripped through me as my climax reverberated through every muscle. I imagined him coming inside me.

Tharan removed his fingers, and the cool night air licked my slick core. Using my wetness to pleasure himself, he worked his throbbing cock.

Trinty, he was gorgeous. Every muscle gleamed in the light of the flowers. Watching him touch himself while my cunt still throbbed made a fire light inside me all over again.

With one hand squeezing my breast, he worked himself with quick, short strokes, favoring his crown.

I lifted his chin so that our eyes met. “I want you to look at me when you come.”

“Yes, my queen,” he said, increasing his pace.

“I want you to imagine spilling yourself inside me.”

“Oh, Trinity.” The muscles on his abdomen tightened, but his eyes did not leave mine.

“I want you to imagine how wet my cunt is for you. Only for you.” He pumped himself feverishly.

“Say it. Fucking say my name. Tell me what I want to hear.”

“Tharan. I love you.” The words left my lips so effortlessly, the truth unable to be kept at bay any longer.

A look of relief washed over his face as he came hard onto my stomach. Here, the earth would not shake at his orgasm, for this is where he was created, where the magic outweighed his. He collapsed on top of me, muscles still twitching.

I ran my fingers down his back. The sweat glistened in the soft pink life of the flowers. “That was…”

He laid a passionate kiss on my lips before rolling onto his back, and gasping out, “Amazing? Life changing? The best sex of your life?”

“Fine,” I said, unable to hide the smirk tugging at the corners of my lips.

“I’ll take it. There’s always room for improvement.” Chest heaving, his breaths were ragged and strained.

I snuggled myself into the crook of his arm, and we gazed up at the stars.

“Aelia?” Tharan asked, his chest still heaving.

“Yes?”

“I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to say it.”

My stomach tightened.

“I’m going to miss you. I don’t want to be separated, but I know we must.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“My heart already aches just thinking of not waking up next to you.” He kissed my head. A simple act, but deeply intimate.

“At least we’ll always be looking at the same sky. No matter where we are.”

Tharan didn’t respond, and when I lifted my head, he was fast asleep. I lay awake, listening to the sound of his content breathing. If I stayed awake all night, perhaps tomorrow would never come.