Page 92 of The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

SABINE

Alex studies me, his eyes dark with his desire and indecision. “You tempt me, princess.”

“I trust you,” I whisper.

He groans, resting his forehead against mine. “I’m not that valiant.”

“I think you are.”

Slowly, Alex opens his eyes, capturing me in their gray depths. He presses his hands to the kitchen workbench behind me, caging me in. “It’s a cruel request, but I’ll grant it. You sleep on the bed. I’ll sleep on the settee.”

I bite my lip. “I don’t want to go to bed yet.”

“Neither do I.”

I laugh as Alex bends over and scoops me up, and I wrap my arms around his neck to hold myself stable. We leave the kitchen, and he sets me down on the settee, laying me amongst the pillows.

He then sits by my side, leaning over me and kissing my lips, in no hurry. He’s controlled, almost reverent, and each touch is like a caress of fire.

And Alex does touch me—my shoulders, my arms, my hair, and my sides. So gently, his hands drift over me, almost as if he’s studying something precious.

That careful exploration destroys the rest of my defenses. I’m helpless, feeling things that have been too painful to admit until now. Like how much I care for this man—how much I want to be gifted more time so we can know each other better.

Not days, not stolen weeks.

Years, decades. Aging together, growing old. Discovering things that can only be unlocked with infinite time.

Alex pulls back to look at me, each of us drinking our fill. His hair falls across his forehead, and I brush my fingers through it languidly, watching it fall back into place.

“You’re rather beautiful,” I say.

“Me? Hardly.” Alex runs his hand over my braid, untying the ribbon and unwinding the plait. “But you—you’re breathtaking. I can’t even think when we’re in the same room. Even now, holding you, I feel as if I’ve stolen moments from someone far more worthy.”

I frown up at him, finding that terribly sad. “What do you mean?”

“I caught a firefly in a jar so I could look upon its light…but if I don’t set her free, she’ll die.”

“I don’t feel like I’m in danger of imminent death,” I say wryly.

“You don’t heal as you should,” he reminds me, dropping a sweet kiss to my tender shoulder. “What if you fall ill? What if you’re injured?”

“What if you fall ill? What if you’re injured?” I pull him down next to me, and we look at the ceiling together. “Is it any different?”

He closes his eyes. “I hate myself for what I’ve done to you. And I hate that because of it, I’ve been able to hold onto you. It feels like a reward when I deserve punishment.”

“And yet, I am in your debt because of it.”

I hold my breath after the words are out of my mouth. It’s dangerous to say such things, but my magic is unable to form any sort of bargain right now anyway.

Slowly, Alex opens his eyes and looks over at me. “What?”

I roll toward him, setting my hand on his arm. “I don’t think the Fae can truly understand what it’s like to be human until they become human themselves. Does my magic make me more of a person? Does it make me more valuable or wiser or more worthy of love? Of course it doesn’t. I’m the same Sabine whether I wear this ring or not. Whether my ears are pointed or rounded. Whether I heal quickly or slowly.”

“Princess…”

“Which means humans are no more inferior to us than a cat is to a dog. We’re just different.”

“Am I the dog?” Alex teases even though he looks overwhelmed, clutching me closer. “I don’t want to be a cat.”