Page 43 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

He was quiet a moment. “Is—is that standard princess training there?”

She laughed. “No. Not at all. But I am not your standard princess.”

No, she was not.

She grabbed his bow, knocked an arrow like most people lace a shoe, and fired the arrow sure and true. It hit just next to the bullseye.

“You two should have a competition!” Warrick provided.

I looked him dead in the eyes as I said, “That is a horrible idea. I would hate for my wife to have to lose.”

Warrick snickered, then tried to cover it, before laughing again.

Kessara grinned at me and said, “Either way, you get to sleep with a winner.”

Within ten minutes, she had beat me soundly.

So soundly I wondered if she intentionally shot her first shot a little off the mark.

And though I normally hated the taste of losing, with as happy as she and the boys were about it, I found I wasn’t even all that mad.

It was times like this that I was reminded I hadn’t even heard Kessara laugh those first few weeks of training.

We headed in with the boys, opting to eat with them in the kitchen of the royal wing, Krew and Jorah joining us later.

“Well, we need to start baths and showers, and you two need to rest,” Jorah told us as she began walking with the boys. “Krew and I will see you off in the morning.”

We walked back to my room, laughing about the day.

Tomorrow had ample worries; not so idle threats and war were brewing over the horizon, a two-day sail to Agria rapidly approaching at dawn, and yet this day was simply pretty damn great.

Other than the meeting this morning, today had been too perfect not to enjoy.

Just before I headed to change, I remembered the moment the boys had interrupted this morning. A moment that felt like a turning point of sorts. “What were you saying before the boys came crashing in?”

Her response was quick. “Nothing.” Entirely too quick.

“Kess. You can tell me anything.”

“I know I just—” she shook her head.

I popped my eyes open wide, feigning surprise. “Wait. Do you have another scorned lover I need to deal with over in Agria? Is there a whole list?”

She glared at me. “No. Just the one.” She inhaled deeply.

“Look, my mother is going to be the hardest to sell on everything. She knows I’m not impulsive and everything I do is thought over.

As much as I tend to overthink, it is out of character for me to recklessly fall in love.

In three months’ time. I’m afraid she is going to see right through this sham marriage. ”

“Will she though?” I challenged.

“Once Damek tried to court a woman in appearance only. One my mother somewhat pushed on him. She made them kiss before her. It was awkward enough she saw right through it. Knew he was only telling her what she wanted to hear.”

“Our marriage didn’t exactly feel shammy today,” I argued. “From being a team against your ex in that meeting this morning to running around with my nephews this afternoon and everything between.” We’d both known that. Felt it. But somehow saying those words out loud gave them power.

“So just kiss me!” she blurted out. “Kiss me and we will practice a time or two. Then when my mother demands it as proof that we do care about one another, it won’t be so awkward. I won’t be so tense.”

“I rather liked it when you kissed me ,” I argued.

“Owen,” she groaned. “Calix will also be watching us like a hawk on the ship. Please.”

Here was my wife. Begging me to kiss her. What was a man to do? “You do know that I respect you, yeah?”

She stilled and turned her head slightly while looking me in the eyes. “Yes. I trust you, Owen. We are leaving Artem here because I trust you. I trust you more than I have trusted most people in my life.”

I couldn’t help the slow smile from spreading across my lips as I moved toward her. “Well remember that in a moment. If you want kissed, I’m not holding back. Not even a little.”

She smirked. “I’m not sure you know any other way.”

At the same moment I sunk my fingers into her hair, bringing her face closer to mine, I hooked an arm around her lower back, pulling the rest of her in.

I covered her gasp of surprise with my lips. Not with a peck like at our wedding, this was more so like how she’d kissed me after I defended her against Calix.

I took my time exploring, memorizing the taste and feel of her.

At one point her back hit the wall near the bookshelf to the secret passageway.

Had I moved us? Had she? I hadn’t enough brain cells to know in that moment.

All that mattered was keeping her in my arms, tasting her for a few moments more.

And when the urge to carry her to the bed became too great for me to ignore, that was when I pulled away.

She reached for me to bring me back in, but I squeezed her hand and put a gentle kiss to it. “How was that? Convincing enough?”

Her hair was ruffled on the side my hand had found, her lips slightly swollen. She looked stunning most days, but this was how she looked best. Heated and disheveled. After a moment, she finally said, “I think I’ll have to experience it again before I can really say.”

I let out a laugh. This woman was going to be the death of me. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow what?”

“You can experience it again tomorrow. I don’t trust myself to do that again right now. And I don’t want either of us to have any regrets in this.”

She repeated words she’d said to me before. “Which way exactly is that supposed to sway me, Commander?”

I grinned as I ran my thumb over the top of her hand. “It’s time to go to sleep, Princess.”

With a disappointed huff she headed to go change.

And so, the moth continued to dance as close to the flames as possible, defying death itself if only for a little while longer.