42. Chapter 42
Chapter forty-two
Corre
“ S hall we inspect our palace now, my queen?” His lips grazed hers before pulling away. Corre’s heart fluttered.
“I’d love that,” she managed to say, then smiled coyly. “My king.”
He pulled her out of the room, and they made the ascent to the castle. It was wild to Corre that Markus had never been allowed to live there until now. As the giant, gold-encrusted doors were pulled open for them by two of about fifty guards, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
The wide marble staircase was so intricately carved she could hardly believe it was real. She reached out and touched the smooth banister, letting her fingers trail up the long, winding body as Markus led her to the top of the stairs. She marveled at the deep red of the rug lining the floor and the shimmering silver of the walls around them. As they walked deeper into one of the halls, Corre realized it looked like they were within an urn. A beautiful, exciting, story-filled urn. So alive in a place that was supposed to be dead.
“I’ve never been up here before,” he said, and Corre tore her eyes from their surroundings to look at him.
“You’ve never been to this palace at all?”
“No, I’ve been to the palace. Just not down these halls. This was Thanatos’s dwelling.” He stopped in front of a room with a silver lock chaining the handles to its doors tightly closed. “But I heard he wasn’t able to get into Hades’ chambers. Which are here.”
“Only you can?”
He nodded and raised his hand to the door. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and concentrated until the lock shimmied and broke apart. Its shattered pieces fell like glittering confetti across the scarlet floor.
Corre looked up at him excitedly. “Let’s go in!”He nodded, but there was something holding him back. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“Something’s off about you. I can tell.”
He paused, then looked back at the door. “I just . . . This all happened so fast. It’s hard to believe it’s real. I’m almost . . . I’m almost too scared to believe it. Just in case . . .”
She placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. “This is real, Markus," she said, and he studied her like he wasn’t sure. "I’m real. This place is real.” Her hands fell to his chest, but her gaze didn’t stray from his. “You can let yourself enjoy it.” She smiled gently. “I understand if it’s hard. Don’t feel rushed. But . . .” She slid her hand back into his. “Just know that this is all real, and you deserve every bit of it.” Finally, he nodded, the hint of a smile on his lips, which made her beam. “Do you want to open it or shall I?”
“How about we both do it?”
“Okay.” She placed her hands on the shimmering doors, feeling the grooves of each embellishment against her palms before, together, they opened the doors into their new quarters. The room they now shared.
It was magnificent. Corre practically skipped inside. The room was pristine and looked clean and brand new, having never been used. The walls in the hallway had been lined with silver, but here, they were decorated with swirls of gold and emerald. The carpet looked like magic, with its lustrous shine and changing colors. It shifted with each step Corre took around the circular room.
She twirled in the center, and Markus laughed. “You were made to be the queen here.”
“Was I?” she said playfully, and her eyes fell on a creamy door on the other side of the room. Prancing over to it, she didn’t try to resist the sudden urge that beckoned her to find out what was behind it. She took hold of its handles and pushed it open.
What unveiled itself through the ivory doors was breathtaking. Almost overwhelming. As soon as her eyes took in the view, Corre was hit with a powerful force.
“Wow,” she whispered, walking onto the rounded balcony. She hadn’t realized how high up they were. She could see nearly all of Tartarus from here. And an empty field.
She looked down and watched as the yellow field stretched to the rest of the Underworld. It appeared half-dead but, still, it was theirs, so to her, it was beautiful. Even more beautiful than the bright gardens by her old cottage. Maybe she could bring life to it one day and make it even grander.
She leaned over the marble balcony and inspected the earth-like atmosphere. From here, they could see the entrance to the Elysium field, where souls could be happy and free after death. She couldn’t help but wonder what her place would be here—what her duties could be. Would she help those souls? Would she tend to the various fields as Persephone?
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she jumped when Markus’s hand slid around her waist. “It’s just me,” he whispered. The warmth that always accompanied his touch spread through her, and she let her head rest against his chest. But she was still caught up in her thoughts.
“What will I do here?” she finally asked, sighing as her eyes followed the horizon. “It’s clear what your place is in this story, but I don’t know what mine is.” She watched the murky sky turn gray and wondered what made it shift. There was so much about this place she didn’t understand.
Markus wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his face on her shoulder. “This kingdom is yours.” The bass of his voice made her knees weak. She closed her eyes and listened. “You can do anything you want here. It’s just as much meant to be yours as it is to be mine.” He kissed her neck, and her face warmed.
She looked up into his eyes, and that warmth skated across her skin. He looked at her so adoringly—in that way she could never get enough of. Suddenly, she was at a loss for words. She was pressed against him and enveloped in his stare. His hand stroked her face and then fell down her back, and she was breathless.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and he pressed his lips against hers. Her arms draped over his shoulders as he kissed her more deeply. One of his hands trailed down her leg, and her breath dissolved in her lungs. His fingers wrapped behind her knee, and he scooped her up, carrying her back into the room.
She didn’t open her eyes. She just kept kissing him, the evening air cool against her bare shoulders. She didn’t see anything at all until she felt herself fall onto the large bed at the back of the room. A surge of excitement sparked through her blood as she looked up at him.
The hungry look in his eyes made her ache, and she let herself fall defenseless beneath him. His lips fell onto hers with a flurry of sparks, the impact rippling down her body in dozens of light, shocking waves. Warmth pooled through her, and her arms sprawled out onto the plush bed. He pressed against her, kissing her madly, his tongue trailing against hers. She surrendered herself to him, letting her mind shut off and live by feeling. His hand roamed through the gaps in her dress, and their kissing intensified. They let themselves go, kissing wildly. Urgent. Hungry. Chaotic. Free.
His hands found their way to her neck. Each finger slowly trailed down her exposed skin, and when his grasp reached the material of her dress, he pulled it lower. A spark of heat rushed down her legs, and she helped him tug off the top of her gown. He pulled it lower until nothing was left on her body but him.
She opened her eyes to see the way he looked at her. The way he touched her body and drank in every inch of it. The urge to be one with him was too great for her to stand any longer. She reached forward and gathered the material of his shirt, and he helped her take it off as she clawed herself closer to him. They kissed feverishly until nothing existed between them but the warmth their bodies made together. His mouth left hers, and he kissed down her chest, and her nails scratched up his back.
His tongue formed a map up her body until he was back at her lips, and a tempestuous rush of blood pulsed through her. He grabbed hold of her hips, pressing into the hollow of her bones as he removed any ounce of space left between them. The heat between them rose until she gasped, and they finally became one.
Her shoulders rolled back, and her mind went blank. It was explosive. A beautiful sensation that woke every nerve in her body. Every ounce of blood and starved emotion.Every frenzied craving was ravenous as she moved with him, their bodies finally fully tied. She reveled in the intangible bliss and let herself succumb to every passionate motion.
She wanted to feel every part of him. Every breath. Every movement. She wanted to know every thought, every emotion—everything that passed through him. She wanted all of it. This gave her a piece of that. This passionate act she had longed for so desperately.
They were fire and ice in a raging storm, thunder crashing around them, lightning fizzing through their veins.
Then there was an explosion of color. A powerful blooming deep within her. And starlight.
She opened her eyes.
He leaned down and placed his forehead on hers as he caught his breath. She swallowed and tried to breathe, but it was hard when he was on her like this. So vulnerable and bare and completely hers.
He smiled an infectious grin that left her laughing, though she wasn’t sure why. He fell beside her and joined in her light laughter, gathering her in his arms. She nestled herself against his chest as he pulled a blanket around them. Her face was hot against his skin, but everything else was so perfectly warm. She sighed in dewy peace, closing her eyes and enjoying the balmy sensation settling in her blood like warm water.
She smiled in her half-conscious state as she felt his fingers trail up and down her arm. Her senses were quieting, but her mind was still too fuzzy to function.
“Mmm . . . I liked that,” she said mindlessly.
“Which part?”
“All of it.” She opened her eyes to cast him a flirtatious look. She stretched her arms above her head, then let them flop on the pillow above her, coyly scrunching her nose. “I like you.”
He ran his hand through her hair, studying the blush-tinted strands as they pooled over his fingers. His dark eyes were gentle and serene as they met hers. “I love you, Correlia,” he said. Sincerely. Absolute.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back, the beginning of tears stinging her eyes. He smiled, continuing to brush his fingers through her hair.
“I enjoyed it, too, by the way,” he said with a wink. “Very much.” He cast her a playful smile, and she felt the warmth creep up her cheekbones. She squealed and buried her face in her hands. She forced herself to ignore how bashful she felt and looked up at him, but when she saw his eyes widen at something across the room, she paused. “Correlia . . . Look.”
She sat up and followed his gaze, but she didn’t need to. They were everywhere. Filling the room with a soothing fragrance.
Flowers. The most beautiful assortment of blossoming roses and lilies she’d ever seen. And there were many others—plants that didn’t have names yet, in every color she could possibly imagine.
“Did I make those?” she asked in awe. He raked a hand through his hair, and she watched the muscles on his arm flex slightly. Her gaze followed his movements, and she bit her bottom lip.
“You did,” he said, finally taking his eyes off the flowers and looking back at her. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “You made all of these. I’m so proud of you.”
A smile stretched across her face. She didn’t know what was more pleasing—seeing what she’d created or witnessing the incredible cuteness of his face after making such an adorable statement.
“I knew you had it in you.”
She couldn’t help but giggle again. “This is insane,” she said, falling onto her back. “I can’t believe I made all of these.” She couldn’t process it. She couldn’t process anything . Her mind was liquid.
He leaned over her and trailed his fingers down her chest and onto her stomach. His eyes followed the movement of his hand, and she followed the movement of his eyes.
She wanted him again.
Without taking so much as another breath, Corre leaned forward and kissed him, and he grabbed onto her and kissed her back. She let herself become his again. Until the room was so filled with flowers it was impossible to move. They laughed and spent the rest of the night playfully enjoying each other’s company, wrapped up in the comfort of their new home.
The crystals hanging from the chandelier above them were like raindrops frozen in time. That’s exactly how they felt—what they had always wanted to be—suspended in time, together.
It was magical. This whole palace was. Everything from the marble floors to the balcony that showed her the fields she could roam and rule forever. And this bedroom. Their brand new haven in this glorious castle made just for them.
And of course, seeing Markus let himself go and finally be happy and at peace was the best part. She could get used to this life. To this seemingly impossible happiness.
Eventually, they fell asleep, drunk on love and bliss. And strenuous exercise.