Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
BECOME QUEEN
As soon as the tree hollow spewed me out the other side, the Hatter’s spell shattered apart in a violent burst, arcs of glowing magic snapping through the air as the rabbit’s small form blazed with a blinding white light.
In the next heartbeat, the king reappeared in a rush of crackling sparks and shadow, collapsing back into his human form. Fading ribbons of magic flickered across his skin, his solid weight landing right on top of me as we sprawled onto the rocky desert ground.
Then, as if on cue, it started to rain.
Still breathless, the king gazed down at me in awe as the rain started pouring down in sheets, water dripping from his face.
Blinking back the precipitation between gasping pants, I couldn’t help but laugh in intense relief as I looked up at him. “I told you it was going to work.”
An amused light glowed in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to kiss me right then and there.
My heart pounded in eager anticipation, but he looked up first. Our clock tower was right beside us. My loft, dry and sheltered from the rain, was some five hundred feet above. Was he concerned about climbing all the way up the stairs?
I thought he might need the reminder. “I fixed the elevator.”
He slid his arm around my waist. “We won’t need it.
” He summoned his shadows with a blast. It seemed that with enough distance from the otherworldly energy, his powers had fully recovered.
We shot straight up to the loft balcony, where another flick of his fingers blew the metal door open for us to swoop inside.
My arms were still around his neck as he set me on my feet. Despite the slight chill in the air and our damp clothes, his warmth wrapped around me. Tilting my head up toward his, I cracked an impish smile. “My hero.”
His gaze was soft, in awe. “I can’t even begin to—” He shook his head, the corner of his mouth tilting up. “I guess we’re not even again. You’ve saved my life one extra time.”
I dropped my arms, one shoulder lifting. “I’ll put it on your tab.”
The king cast a glance around the clock tower loft, his tone heavy with meaning. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”
The faded velvet drapes, piles of books haphazardly strewn everywhere, scrolls and papers cluttering about surfaces, dusty shelves lined with bottles of ale. A wooden desk. A modest bed.
I pursed my lips.
Nothing. I had changed nothing.
While my laboratory downstairs was in constant churn, I had kept the loft exactly as it had looked the day I thought he’d abandoned me. It was the only way I could feel his presence during all those months when he was gone. The only thing I had left of him.
Almost embarrassed about the fact, I stepped away, but he caught my arm.
“Hey, look at me.” Tugging me closer once again, he brushed my hair back from my face. “So, your real name is Eleanor?”
I leaned closer to his touch, unable to help my eyebrows furrowing in remorse. “I think I prefer Allie.”
“What’s the matter?”
My chest tightening, I dropped my gaze to the floor where my dress was still dripping.
“You heard what the General said. Apparently, this Eleanor sacrificed so many lives to further her career, all in the name of science.” My tone lowered in despondence.
“He said I destroyed hundreds of worlds and billions of souls.” I let out a breath of revulsion. “If he’s right, then…I am a monster.”
Rabb took my face in his hands, his blue eyes fervently studying mine. His thumbs traced my cheeks. “You are not a monster, Allie. Take it from me.”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t help a chuckle as the irony smacked me right in the face.
What a fantastic pair we made.
He stroked my face, my hair, his rich, low voice soothing.
“Trust me, Allie. That’s not the real you.
The real you is the one who taught me that kingdoms must know when not to fight.
The one who taught me negotiation comes before invasion.
The one who got so mad when she found out I’d leveled a few towns just because I was trying to get her to break up with me. ”
“A few?” I echoed mockingly.
“Look, whatever happened in your past, whoever you used to be, it’s nothing compared to what I’ve done.
Your evil plots are nothing compared to my tyranny.
” He raked his fingers through his hair.
“God, I don’t even know if I can come back from that, or how anyone can even stand looking at me.
If I were any less selfish, I would tell you to stay far, far away. ”
I could barely stand the ache in my heart. “If I were any less selfish, I would say the same.”
Those mesmerizing blue eyes gazed down at me, as if he couldn’t believe the sincerity in my words. A shadow crossing his eyes, he shook his head. “Why do you still want me?”
Cupping his cheek, I peered into his face. “I know you.” I couldn’t stop touching him, my thumb stroking his jaw—oh—
I dropped my head to stifle a sneeze.
He flinched in surprise.
When I met his gaze again, we both laughed.
Brushing my wet hair back, he cracked a sly grin. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”
A shiver shot up my spine as he dropped to his knees before me. He let out a soft groan. “I’ll tell you, these boots have been driving me crazy since the ball.” He lifted the hem of my dress, drawing one leg to prop against his thigh so he could unlace my boots.
Chest heaving, I braced my hands against his shoulders to keep upright, shivering again when he grazed bare skin. I couldn’t catch my breath, my eyelids heavy with want.
As he shucked off one boot, then the other, those sparkling blue eyes were pinned on me, seeming mesmerized by my expression.
When he was done, warm fingers skimmed up my thighs, rustling against my dress as he stood back up, hands firmly settling against my hips. “Allie.” He bent his head, leaning closer. His whisper was warm against my neck. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, electric anticipation shooting up and down my entire body. “I missed you so much too,” I breathed. “Why couldn’t you have just stayed with me?”
He ran his hands up and down my arms. “I’ve done everything I can to protect you for eight moons.”
“Protect me?” I echoed in ridicule. “I didn’t need your protection. I needed you.”
Confusion colored his eyes. “What’s the difference?”
I dropped my head with a derisive chuckle. “It seems I also need to teach you the difference between caring and controlling.”
“Yes, Allie. Teach me.” His eyes glowed. “Teach me everything.” His thumbs stroked my jaw. He bent his head to take my mouth with his.
I couldn’t help but moan right away. I clutched at his shoulders to pull him closer. Months of longing exploded inside me in a rush of warmth and certainty, a long-awaited surrender, a final homecoming, every unspoken want overflowing at last.
Lips still playing against mine, he tugged on my emerald hairpin, letting waves of my silver hair loose, cascading down my shoulders. He broke off for a moment, wondrous awe in his eyes as he drank in the sight of me. Like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in the entire world.
He took a deep breath, his shoulders squaring in pleasure.
Without the last magical shield, he could feel the overwhelming burst of emotions from me too. Sense the innermost secrets of my heart. All my feelings laid bare. He would see everything. Know everything.
And I wanted him to.
I wanted us to see each other.
Completely.
He ran his fingers through my frizzy silver strands. “I love your hair this color.”
Too impatient, I nudged him toward the bed. “Yes, yes, it’s fascinating.”
He held my arm to still me, his gaze off to one side.
I almost thought his cheeks reddened. I studied his face. “What is it?”
“Allie, I… The truth is I…haven’t had anyone—since you, that is.”
I resisted the urge to gawk in utter disbelief.
After all of that bravado, all of his arrogant claims of courtier conquests.
This.
I cracked a smirk, despite all manner of butterflies fluttering about in my stomach. Nonchalant as anything, I met his gaze. “I’ll manage.”
His eyes darkened with need, triggered by my tenacity. The desire in him was molten, unbridled passion. He reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head in one smooth motion.
I immediately forgot how to breathe normally.
Gods.
The king’s body looked less like something belonging to an ordinary man and more like something carved deliberately for temptation and warfare alike—broad shoulders, taut muscle shifting beneath warm skin, old scars crossing his chest and abdomen in pale silver lines that only made him more devastating to look at.
Heat rushed to my face even before he met my gaze.
His eyes burned with desperation, his voice raw, hoarse. “Touch me.”
A king’s command.
Holding in a breath, I let my palm glide past the smooth planes of his broad chest, his torso, muscles so well-defined they seemed sculpted from marble. Awe and desire tangled inside me as I watched his abs clench and his throat bob in restraint at my feather-like touch.
With a soft growl, he bent down to take my mouth once again.
Warm hands slid up my back, nimble fingers undoing the laces of my dress before fabric tugged past my shoulders. My dress fell to the floor, pooling around my ankles.
Dipping his head lower, he dragged kisses down my throat, to my chest. He cupped my breasts through my chemise, a groan rumbling deep in his throat. “Take it off.”
I shifted the chemise up my head, even as he helped me yank it off my body. He scooped me up, crawling onto the bed to set me down. His gaze dragged up and down my body, his head shaking slowly as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
My cheeks flushed red. I bit my lip, feeling self-conscious, but the wave of hunger emanating from him was so potent.