Chapter 55
Fifty-Five
ALLETTE
The bed I’ve been given is probably the most comfortable in the history of beds, and yet sleep eludes me. For a week, I’ve managed to keep the nightmares from what happened in the throne room at bay by exhausting myself and helping our new Tuath guests settle into their rooms here at the castle. There is so much to be done, and having no wings makes life in the tall towers exceedingly difficult, but we’re doing the best with what we have.
They will need more practical homes as soon as we can manage them, which is something I plan to discuss with Senan when we get a moment alone.
Loving a man whose time is in such high demand is a bit like loving a ghost. Even when he’s by my side, he’s not really there, his mind drifting to the next day’s tasks and ways to fix new problems that seem to arise each hour.
I thought we’d at least get to share our nights, but Kyffin has been glued to his side every chance he gets, going so far as to sleep in his bed. The poor boy is struggling and needs time to adjust, which means I will just have to get used to my new life on my own.
A soft knock interrupts my silent wallowing. A moment later, the door opens and Senan slips into the room. Instead of coming straight over to the bed, he leans against the wood, his head falling back with a sigh. “Good. You’re awake.”
I sit up a little straighter. “Why? Is there something wrong?”
He pushes off the barrier, coming to a halt at the side of my bed. “What’s wrong is that I have not held you in over a week. I’ve seen you every single day and yet I’ve missed you all the same.”
Fae light sparkles off the crown he wears. He looks positively irresistible, with the top buttons of his shirt left open, a scrolled “A” peeking through the gap. Hours spent in the sun have returned his skin to its healthy golden glow.
“I’ve missed you too.”
He toes off his boots and falls down beside me with a groan.
“What about Kyff?”
“He’s asleep. For now.”
“Is he still having nightmares?”
A nod. “I don’t know how to make them stop.”
He cannot make the dreams stop, only be there for him until he works through all that has happened over the last few weeks. “Give him time and love.” I’ll still be here waiting when he can return to my bed.
Senan snuggles closer, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “Mmm… Is that a new perfume?”
“Yes.” Braith and I went shopping on our way back to the castle from the burrows. She and her sister Regina have been helping set up classes for the Tuath to harness their magic. “Do you like it?”
“You smell good enough to eat.” He nips at my ear as he plays with the thin strap of my shift. “Is this new as well?”
I smile. “Everything I’m wearing is new.”
“ Everything? ” His fingers skim down my arm to the swell of my hip where he bunches the fabric of my shift, exposing my lace undergarments. “Oh, I like these. As a matter of fact, I like them so much, that it makes me feel bad knowing how ruined they’re about to get. We should take them off so they don’t get damaged.”
“So chivalrous, always thinking of me.”
“Always.”
I lift my hips, allowing him to slide the lace down my thighs where they catch at my ankles. Apparently, Senan finds something more interesting to explore, nuzzling my neck as his fingers trace my folds. “Mmmm,” he hums against the shell of my ear. “Drenched.”
My legs part, falling open to allow him better access as he strokes against me, exploring, sinking deep and then twisting back out to toy with the sensitive nub at the juncture of my thighs. The tips of my breasts strain against the fabric of my shift, demanding attention. I writhe against him, whimpering when he captures the silk and draws it down to tease my nipple with his thumb.
“Allette?”
All I can manage is a hum in response, my hips working against his hand, desperate for friction.
His tone drops to the most delicious rumble. “Have you ever been fucked by a king?”
Heat climbs my jaw, this man and his wicked words driving me to the edge. “I have not.”
His fingers curl inside me, stealing my sanity. “How would you like to remedy that?”
Stars… This man.
I capture his lips in a punishing kiss, our tongues clashing as he works me into a frenzy. Tension coils up my spine and low in my belly. As if he knows I’m on the brink, he comes over me with the wickedest of grins as I grapple with his belt. He grips the collar on his shirt, dragging the garment over his head and casting it aside.
I can’t help but marvel at the glorious ridges and planes of his hard body, adorned with memories of us.
He draws back, the smile slipping from his face as he stares down at me, his brow furrowing. “Something isn’t right.”
My pounding heart grows quiet, the harshness of my panting breaths falling still. “What is it?” Tell me there isn’t more trouble. Heavens, it feels as if we’ve been plagued with nothing but problems for so long.
Sitting back on his haunches between my spread thighs, Senan reaches for the crown our frenzy has knocked askew, lifting it off his head.
I must admit, I’m sorry to see it go.
He is still a king, but part of me wanted him to wear it while we made love.
Instead of setting the crown aside, he places it on my head.
The corner of his lips quirk into a lazy smile. “That’s much better.”
“Senan…” When I sit up, the thing falls forward on my brow. “I cannot wear your crown.”
He adjusts the front, nudging it back and tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Because it’s so ugly? I know. I’m commissioning a better one.”
It is ugly, but that’s not the reason I’m not allowed to wear it. “This crown isn’t mine.”
His head tilts, reminding me of the Senan I first met, a young, cocky, mischievous prince. “In Kumulus, the queen wears a crown as well.”
“But I am not a?—”
From his pocket he withdraws a black velvet box. Words fail me as he opens the top, revealing a gold band studded with glittering gemstones cut to resemble a moonflower. “I believe you were going to say queen, so let me remedy that as well.” His throat bobs as he withdraws the stunning ring. “Allette Rittey, you have ruled my heart since the day I first heard you laugh. I have loved you from that day on and will continue to love you until I have turned to ash. Although you have been my wife since the night we exchanged vows in the human realm, I was hoping we could make our bond a little more official.”
My lips tremble beneath my fingertips, and I have to blink through my tears so I can see his face properly. This man, this beautiful, broken man, wants me— me —to be his wife, his mate, his queen .
The tiniest wrinkle appears between his brows. “Well? Are you going to give me an answer or do I have to beg?”
“I’ll give you an answer when you ask me a question.”
His eyes flash. “Allette Vale, will you make me the happiest man in all the realms and officially take me as your husband?”
“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice if I want to keep this.” I tap my nail against one of the jewels at the front of the crown.
Senan clutches his chest with a dramatic groan. “I see how it is. You only want me for my crown.”
“I want you for you, Senan Vale. I always have.”
He slips the ring on my finger, the stones the same cerulean blue as the wings that were stolen from me all those years ago and the new ones inked upon my skin. The same color as the hair that falls down my back.
I give him a saucy smile and push him back onto the bed. He lands with a soft grunt, and I climb on top of him, straddling his hips. “Senan?”
“Hmmm?”
“Have you ever been fucked by a queen?”
His lips tug into the most devastating grin. “I have not.”
“How would you like to remedy that?”