Chapter 9 #2
My jaw gaped. I knew amongst goblins and fairies, the land chose the rulers, not the people. And I of course knew Mistral was a prince, and his mother had ruled this land with her brother, Avery. I managed to move my mouth enough to say, “I don’t think I understand.”
He stood, graceful as a cat, then offered me his hand. I stared at it, still unsure of his mood.
“I am no longer bound to this realm, Eva. Not by magic, nor by duty.”
I looked at his hand a moment longer, then lifted my eyes to his face. “And how do you feel about that?”
He kept the hand extended. “If we can regrow the pathway, and my people as well as magic can flow back and forth to the Bogs, I will no longer be bound by any duty at all. Do you understand what that means?”
I shook my head, feeling too silly to hope.
He knelt, taking my hand before guiding me to stand. “I will be free. Now that I see that my homeland is safe, I don’t have to stay. And with goblin magic coming through once more, the Bogs will be stable. We will both come and go as we please.”
I squeezed his hand as he got to his feet too. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry. What came out was, “Why didn’t you tell me this as soon as we arrived?”
“Were you so worried I would want to stay?”
“Obviously!”
He pulled me close, rubbing his cheek across mine and inhaling my scent. “And here I was worried you would no longer need me once your mother was safe.”
“I was worried you would no longer need me once the Bogs was safe.”
He chuckled, his breath warm and inviting on my skin. “Is that why you’ve been acting strangely?”
“I thought you said you could read women.”
“Apparently not as well as I’d like to think.”
I laughed, then pulled away enough to meet his eyes. “I mean, there’s plenty of other stuff I’m worried about, but yes, this is why I’ve been acting strangely.”
He kissed me with a smile, which kind of got in the way of a proper kiss, but I appreciated the smile. Maybe once everything was done, I’d get to see a lot more of it.
“You know, we don’t often have this time alone,” he said as he pulled away.
I lifted my brows, my gaze drifting beyond him to the massive bed. It did seem pretty comfy, but, “The others might be back soon.”
He traced a finger beneath my chin, angling my face toward his. “Do you have any idea how large this estate is? And even in the middle of the night, goblins will wake at the sound of visitors and want to be introduced. Your other beaus are in for a long night.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You knew that when you encouraged them to go.”
His smile this time was devilish. “Perhaps.” He laced his fingers with mine, then guided me toward the bed.
In the dim light of the magical lanterns, his eyes reflected an otherworldly glow, accompanied by the tiny stars that had already kicked up around us.
When he kissed me, I tasted the sweet remnants of the wine we’d shared earlier, my stomach clenching as the gentle pressure of his lips became more insistent.
His hands slid beneath my shirt, tracing patterns against my skin that made me shiver despite the warmth of the room.
“Eva,” he whispered against my neck, his breath causing goosebumps to rise along my arms. I helped him remove my clothes, then his, our movements unhurried yet purposeful.
When we were both bare, I took a moment to admire him—the lean strength of his body, his gray skin clean and smooth, marked only with a few silvery scars that told stories of his past. So many stories I was yet to learn.
The moonlight filtering through the dark glass window highlighted the sharp angles of his face, softened now as his eyes roamed up and down my body.
He lowered me to the bed, the covers cool against my back, his weight a delicious pressure as he moved above me. His eyes never left mine as he lowered himself to his knees, bringing my hips toward the edge of the bed.
I couldn’t help but get a little self conscious since we’d been running around all day and I was yet to shower, but when I started to protest he shushed me, then his tongue slid across my opening and I shut the hells up.
My vision swam with stars as my body went heavy with arousal. He hiked my legs up, draping them over his shoulders for a better angle as he slid a finger into my wetness.
“Oh my—”
“Shh,” he said again, right against my flesh, then slid his tongue across me again.
I writhed beneath him, on the edge of orgasm, but… I had almost lost him, or at least I thought I had. And we might only have sex in this realm once. “I want you inside of me.” He licked again and I shivered. “Please.”
“As you wish.” He nuzzled my thigh, then stood, his naked body showing that he wanted the exact same thing.
Kneading my hips, he pulled me a little closer to the edge of the bed, then draped himself against me.
I gasped when he entered me, the sensation both familiar and new, a perfect fullness that made my back arch involuntarily.
He wrapped his arms beneath my arched back, pulling me toward his chest as he slid further into me.
Moving slowly, he kissed down my neck, whispering, “Thank you, Eva.”
“For what?” I gasped as he shifted, hitting just the right spot.
“Existing.”
My fingers traced the contours of his back, feeling the muscles shift beneath his skin as he rocked against me, more urgent now, punctuated by soft groans that sent shivers down my spine. We exhaled in unison, finding a rhythm together.
I was startled when the vortex within me seemed to respond, an added magical buzz spreading through my core that intensified with each thrust. Tendrils of magic curled through my veins, making my skin glow faintly in the dim room.
When I came it was with a cry that Mistral captured with his mouth, his own release following moments later.
We lay tangled together, his head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat as it gradually slowed.
In that moment through the bond, I understood what freedom meant to him, and what it might mean to us together.