Chapter 17
Reynard
The city, wrapped in winter’s grip, didn’t notice its king’s arrival. My boots crunched on the fresh powdery snow as I rushed towards Sana’s house, hoping to find her there.
Roksana answered moments after my fist pounded against the door. ‘What’s the emergency? You’d better have a bloody good excuse for waking me up in the middle of the night.’ Her voice, laced with worry and annoyance, was the sweetest music to my ears.
‘I hope you like your surprise, Viper.’ I whispered, grinning.
Roksana’s eye appeared in the door as she opened it a crack.
The moment she recognised me, the door was yanked back, and she leapt forward, hands tracing over my face and chest as she examined every inch of my body.
I waited, smiling when the breath exploded from her lips, and she threw herself at me, nearly tackling me to the ground.
‘Rey… what’s going on?’ She closed her eyes, swallowing hard, her hands tightening on my collar.
‘Did the ice wraiths attack again? Gods, your cloak is frozen stiff!’ Her voice wobbled, and when she looked up, tears rolled down her pale face.
My idea of surprising her was suddenly less amusing than I thought it would be.
‘Let’s go inside, Viper,’ I said, scooping her into my arms as gently as I could.
‘No! Answer the question,’ she said, frowning when I ignored her. ‘Tova left to join you. If you’re here, we need to get him back, and the soldiers… When will the wounded arrive?’
‘Sana, look at me!’ I said firmly. ‘I flew here on a dragon, and it was freezing cold. The army is safe and sound under my brother’s command.
’ I stroked a strand of unruly hair from her forehead.
‘I came to see you. There’s nothing wrong, I promise.
’ Sana wriggled out of my arms, still frowning, and I used this moment to close the door, shrugging off the stiff cloak.
Then I reached for her again, cooing softly. ‘Come here, Viper.’
‘You mean it?’ she asked. I nodded. ‘Good. After Tova… I don’t like surprises.’ Sana gave me an apologetic smile. The next moment, she was in my arms, her face buried against my chest. I held her close, savouring how right it felt to have the warmth of her body pressed firmly against mine.
‘I didn’t have time to warn you, but let me make it up to you,’ I whispered, scooping her up.
I enjoyed the cute yelp she made before snuggling into my embrace.
Her presence, arms wrapped around my neck, breath teasing my ear, made me forget why I’d travelled here. It was only Sana and my need for her.
Before we crossed the threshold of her bedroom, I whispered. ‘Are we alone? I had a long, cold journey, and I dream of resting in your bed, especially with your legs wrapped around me.’
‘Reynard Erenhart!’ She burst out laughing when I kicked her bedroom door open. ‘Those aren’t the words I expect from a virtuous king.’
‘Am I in trouble for speaking my mind, Lady Healer? Then I wouldn’t dare admit to dreaming of your delicious arse every moment I close my eyes.’
She chuckled at my teasing, an adorable blush appearing on her cheeks. ‘How much time do we have?’ Sana asked, threading her fingers through my hair.
‘A few hours? I need to be at the landing point before dawn.’
She bit her lower lip, her expression shifting.
‘The goddess gave me this night; let’s make the best of the time we have.
’ The wording was strange, but I didn’t question her when she pulled me into a fierce, determined kiss.
Our lips crashed together like we knew the world was going to end, teasing the most primal part of my soul.
‘No fur could warm up this cold warrior’s heart better than the fire in your touch,’ I said, desire spreading like molasses in my veins when she stroked my beard.
Sana gestured for me to put her down. When I did, she slapped my chest in mock annoyance, pushing me onto the bed. ‘Then you shouldn’t have sent me away, you bonehead.’
The frame bent under my weight but survived, the wood creaking as Sana straddled my hips.
‘Even the best of men make mistakes. I humbly admit mine.’ I’d never been good at courtly speech, but now it flowed easily, fuelled by the need I saw in her eyes.
‘My merciless, delicious Viper, please forgive this foolish warrior. After all, how often do you have a man in your bed who smells of… lavender?’ I finished taking a whiff.
‘Why in the gods do I smell like lavender?’
The scent, which had gone unnoticed when I opened the door, now intensified.
Sweet and feminine, it clung to my skin.
I sat up, looking in disbelief at the pillow covered with delicate, dry petals.
As I’d fallen back, the satchel with dry flowers had torn open, and to make matters worse, they’d become entangled in my hair.
Sana bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter but failing miserably. ‘It helps me sleep. Lately, it’s been… I don’t like sleeping alone.’ She forced between laughing gasps while I combed the dry petals from my hair.
I would rub myself against a rosebush to hear her laughter, I thought, letting her help me. With Sana, happiness smelled like herbs, and her smile could light a room brighter than the summer sun.
‘Well, since you’ve destroyed my sachet, tonight, I will sleep on this,’ she said, poking my chest. I groaned at the mischief in her eyes.
Sana reached up and started playing with the amulet she’d given me.
‘You going to tell me the real reason you’re here?
’ she asked, pushing away the hands reaching for her nightgown.
‘Speak, kingling. You wouldn’t leave your men on a whim. Even if you missed me.’
‘Undress me first,’ I asked quietly, delaying the moment I’d have to question her.
Instead, my fingers began sliding over the soft skin of her thighs.
Do I need to know what she is if we’re this happy?
Would it change anything? My thoughts latched onto these questions while Roksana peeled off the layers of damp clothing.
It isn’t about her birthright. It’s about trust and her safety.
If she didn’t know, she’s at risk; if she knew…
I couldn’t finish this thought. I closed my eyes, my concern growing, even under the distracting touch of Roksana’s fingers lightly caressing my cheek.
‘Whatever it is, you can trust me, Rey,’ she whispered, and before I knew it, I heard my own voice blurting out my worst fears.
‘But you couldn’t trust me.’
Roksana stilled, studying my expression. ‘What do you mean?’
I ran a hand through my hair, cursing myself for being so blunt.
The speech I’d rehearsed on the dragon’s back had disappeared from my mind.
‘Fuck, that came out wrong.’ I caught Sana’s arms. Eyes narrowing, she looked like she was going to bolt out of bed.
‘Do you know you aren’t human?’ I searched for a shred of shock in her gaze but found none.
The tightness in my chest increased, but I ignored the intrusive thoughts.
There had to be a reason for her silence.
Her fists balled when she pulled away, swallowing hard, her gaze failing to meet mine.
Suddenly, her nostrils flared, and her pale skin flushed crimson.
‘My mother… She was a Vila. My father, my true father, is Boyan.’ Sana sat at the edge of the bed, turning her back to me.
‘I’m the daughter of a criminal and a Spirit of the Forest. That’s where my magic comes from,’ she said, pausing for a moment, pushing my hands away when I reached for her.
‘I’m sorry you had to travel so far to hear such a damning secret.
If that changes how you feel about me, I understand. Now, please. See yourself out.’
The steel in her voice was laced with unshed tears.
Roksana sat so tense I half-expected her to bolt the moment I moved.
But she didn’t bend, didn’t break, just sat there with the calm dignity of a queen.
She didn’t apologise for who she was. Any doubt I’d had vanished, leaving nothing but the love in my heart.
‘There’s no power in this world that could drag me from your side.’ I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pressed my lips to her ear. ‘Is that why you hid the truth from me?’ I pulled her to my chest. ‘I don’t care if your mother were a Vila or Empress of the Dark Fae. I never cared.’
‘Rey, I’m sorry,’ she whispered as I stroked her hair.
‘So am I. Your distrust hurt me, Sanika, but I reacted badly.’ I touched the patch that covered my eye. ‘Nothing you say or do could ever chase me away.’ My voice was gentle, loving. I needed her to know how I felt and how much she meant to me.
Roksana twisted around in my arms, her eyes wide.
Her pupils offered an imperfect reflection of my face, a brutal, scarred beast with a glowing eye, but with that turn, I knew she accepted me.
‘Rey, your eye is glowing.’ The concern in her voice eased the tightness in my chest. ‘If it’s because of me… I’m sorry.’ Her quiet apology broke me.
I pulled her closer, soothing the wildness inside me with her presence. ‘It’s glowing because the thought of losing you turns me into a beast. Will you tell me why I have to learn the truth from a dragon?’
Sana frowned, confused, but the longer I held her gaze, the more her body relaxed, until a smile teased her lips.
This impossible woman then wrapped her arms around me and placed a kiss on my cheek.
‘I only learned I was different during my Geas Ceremony,’ she said, kissing my other cheek.
‘Then things… happened… and happened…’ Her kiss landed on the top of my nose.
‘And it just wasn’t important compared to everything else,’ she said before her lips caressed mine, making me groan.
‘There’s nothing more important than you,’ I murmured, deepening the kiss, pulling her back to the bed. Sana nestled against my chest, stroking the amulet, and I felt the tingle of her magic as she used it on the necklace.