Chapter 33

T he crown prince's chambers were more opulent than mine. As expected for the heir to the throne. Warm wooden floors flowed throughout the suite, with an intimate sitting area near the entrance. Two chairs and a sofa the color of summer skies sat before a stone fireplace. A wooden archway led to his bedchamber.

"Wine, Love?" he asked as I mapped the quarters in my mind. Two exits—the door we entered and the balcony doors near his four-poster bed. A resplendent golden sun spread across his ceiling.

"I'd love some." Instead of taking one of the azure chairs, I explored his room, where he didn't have gold accents, he had that same blue. The decorator had clearly favored a theme. I stopped at a large oak desk, adorned with another sun motif. Parchment lay in neat piles near a quill. I perched upon its edge as he approached with the promised beverage. He seemed distracted, his mind anywhere but here with me. It hurt a bit; despite my plans to leave, I had glowed internally in the ballroom. This male had denounced any possibility of wanting another. He had chosen me above all when every single one of those nobles thought I wasn't worthy. They knew I wasn't worthy. The irony stung—their disdain only matched by my own self-doubt, even as their prince claimed me as his.

Oryn sighed as he placed his hands on either side of my thighs on the hard desk and placed his head on my shoulder. I brushed a loose strand of his golden mane off his face, releasing a subtle citrus scent into the air, mingling with the warmth of his skin and the lingering spice of wine on his breath.

"Where are you right now?"

He lifted his head, raking his fingers through his hair. "Those nobles are ruthless. We need to increase your security detail." Magnus and the soldier rotations might not be enough to dissuade them from making an attempt on your life." His finger gently traced my jawline, lifting my eyes up to his. "I'm sorry they marred our engagement party with their pettiness. No woman, fae or human, could ever compare to you. I'd rather give up my throne, my crown, my life than spend it without you, my mate." His voice trembled with raw emotion, his eyes blazing with fierce devotion as he pressed his forehead to mine, his breath mingling with my own.

His words shattered my resolve, my plans of escape dissolving like frost in sunlight. My fingers traced the lines of his sun tattoo, warming beneath my touch.

"I'm not so sure you know who you're chaining yourself to."

His light eyes darkened to stormy seas, desire eclipsing the blue.

"I'm certain you have no idea how sure of this, of you, I am. There'll never be anyone else. Only you."

I silenced him with my lips, and his response was instant. A growl rumbled through his chest.

His hands gripped my waist, lifting me fully onto the desk. Papers scattered to the floor as he stepped between my legs. Our bond flared, desire scorching through my veins. I fisted my hands in his tunic, dragging him down. Our lips met with savage hunger. His hands roamed my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I arched into his touch, wrapping my legs around his waist.

His lips blazed a path down my neck "Gods, I've missed you."

"Then show me." My breathless lips crash upon his once more, desperate for the contact.

He swept me off the desk in one powerful motion. Cool stone pressed against my back as his burning body pinned me to the wall. The intoxicating blend of citrus and sandalwood flooded my senses. Our bond hummed with electricity as his hands traced invisible paths along my body. Not an inch of my skin remained untouched by him.

"Mine," he breathed against my skin. "My mate. My queen."

"Yours," I gasped as his teeth scraped my neck. "Always yours."

His lips found mine again, softer this time but no less passionate. I felt his hard length pressed against my entrance, sliding through my slick heat.

Desperate moans escaped me as I shifted my hips, begging to feel him fill me completely. A dark chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest as his hand wrapped around my throat. He pulled me from the wall and laid me back upon his desk. My thighs spread for him as his hips pinned me to the hard surface. He held me there, captive under his burning gaze while he continued his sweet torture.

"Ryn," I breathed.

His knowing smirk sent fire racing through my veins. Gods, this male would be my undoing. His golden hair caught the firelight like a halo, his muscles rippling beneath sun kissed skin. The deep V of his hips was a temptation made flesh.

"Tell me what you want, Love."

A whine tore from my throat as his touch coiled the tension in my core even tighter.

I want to hear you say it, Love. I want to hear that pretty little mouth beg for the filthy things I want to do to you.

"Oryn, please," I begged. He positioned himself at my entrance but didn't push in even an inch. "I want you, Ryn."

He drove himself into me. We moved together like waves meeting the shore, inevitable and perfect. The rest of the world fell away until there was nothing but us, our hearts beating in sync, our souls intertwined. Our mate bond pulsed with each thrust, a golden thread of light binding us together as pleasure crested and broke over us both.

Sweat cooled on our skin as we lay tangled in his sheets, my head resting on his chest. His heartbeat thundered beneath my ear, gradually slowing to match mine. The bond between us hummed contentedly, warmth radiating through every fiber of my being, like liquid sunlight flowing through our veins, binding our souls in an eternal dance.

His fingers danced across my bare shoulder, tracing ancient runes only he knew. "Do you remember that night at the tavern?"

"Mmm." I pressed a smile into his warm skin.

"I knew the moment I saw you. My soul recognized my mate when our eyes locked." His chest rose with a deep breath. "When you left the next morning... gods, I thought I'd go mad. I searched every corner of that city for days searched the city like a man possessed. Even royal duties couldn't tear me away until my father threatened to send the entire army."

Guilt burned like acid in my veins. I'd inflicted that wound. Just as I'd planned to do again.

"While I was angry you had left, I prayed to the gods I would find you again. Seeing you in the throne room was nothing less than the answer to every prayer I'd whispered into darkness." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I see our future so clearly, our children running through these halls, their laughter echoing off these walls their footsteps a melody against marble. You and me, building something real here, something eternal."

My heart stuttered in my chest. The picture he painted was everything I'd never dared to want.

"I love you, Alora. More than the crown, more than my own life." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "You're everything."

His words pierced through every defense I'd built. All my carefully constructed plans crumbled to dust. The mere thought of leaving, of existing without his touch, his smile, his love, felt like trying to live without air. The mate bond surged between us, liquid gold threading through my veins, wrapping around my heart like a promise. My skin hummed where it pressed against his, every point of contact a reminder of what I'd be leaving behind. The thought alone made my chest constrict, made the shadows in my mind rear up in protest.

I lifted my head to look at him, drinking in the sight of him like a woman dying of thirst. His eyes were already closed, breath evening out as sleep claimed him.

"I love you too," I whispered, knowing now that I'd stay. Not for the crown he wore or the kingdom he'd rule, but for the heart that beat in time with mine.

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