Chapter Six
The Dragon
It never occurred to me that my little sparrow might be useful as a confessional.
I have lived with my secrets, my thoughts, for so long.
Yes, there are many in the palace who served under my parents who know pieces of truth about me, but no one knows me.
When she asks me questions, I find that I want to answer them, however.
When she pressed about my sins, I wanted to tell her that they were not quite as numerous as people have claimed.
But more than anything, I want to devour her.
More than anything, I must do something with the need that’s building inside of me. More than I need this marriage, more than I need an heir. She is beautiful in ways I cannot fathom. Like the mysteries of the universe, a glorious, glimmering tangle in front of me. An entire galaxy of loveliness.
Soon she will be my wife. And I can have her in any way I like.
The only question is if I can wait that long.
Not even her defiance does anything to minimize my need for her. It only makes my hunger grow.
And I have never been one to ignore my appetite.