Chapter Twenty #2
Rowan was nervous. He had never done something like this before.
Since returning to Junacave, he had done plenty of things that he hadn’t intended to do.
Falling deeper in love with Bree was one of those things.
Escorting the queen at last year’s Winter Ball was another.
Becoming a knight, helping to rescue Cicilly, breaking Dahlia out of Sire, going to Anestas and speaking to the fairies…
His entire life was different now. His main focus back then had been surviving long enough to finish a mission.
Now his focus was on Bree and keeping her happy and protected.
It wasn’t easy. She had a temper and a stubborn streak.
She also tended to forgive too easily and trust too quickly.
They would soon need to build another wing onto the castle to house all the stray people she kept collecting.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see her standing there. She had a curious expression on her face. He understood why.
“Where are you going?” she asked, looking over at Dragon, who was saddled with a few bags attached.
“You mean to say, ‘where are we going?’ Because I don’t plan to go alone.”
“Rowan.” She frowned at him. “After the last time that we disappeared without telling anyone, I thought Sir Luthias was going skin you alive. We can’t do that again.”
“We aren’t going far, and I have on good authority that you will be protected.” When she raised her eyebrows, clearly disbelieving, he added, “I agreed to let Sir Evan and Sir Tomas follow us. Happy now?”
She smirked at him. It seemed like he received more smirks than smiles from her, but he didn’t mind.
It was just another thing he loved about her.
He took her hand and led her over to Dragon.
Then he helped her to climb onto the saddle and did so himself.
Then he grabbed the reins and they took off into the forest.
With the trees blocking the moonlight, Bree wasn’t sure how he could see where he was going in the darkness, but he had no problem staying on the trail.
They didn’t ride long before he pulled Dragon’s reins and came to a stop.
He swung his leg over and hopped to the ground.
Then he pulled a lantern from one of the bags and lit it.
“You remembered a lantern this time,” she teased. Bree followed him as he led his horse away from the trail until he came to a large tree with willowy branches that hung down to the ground. “What are we doing here? Did you bring me all this way to look at a tree?”
“No, my queen. I brought you here for a different reason.”
Rowan pulled a dagger from his belt and plunged it into the tree. Then he took out a small vial and splashed the contents onto the bark. Immediately, the tree began to expand and open up to a doorway.
“This is Dagan’s portal,” she said once she figured it out and followed him inside.
“Yes,” Rowan replied, removing a bag and blanket from Dragon’s saddle.
“Why are we in Dagan’s portal?”
“He has graciously allowed us to borrow it. For some privacy.”
He took the blanket, spread it out next to the creek, and sat the lantern down beside it. Then he removed a bottle of wine and two goblets from the bag. He sat on the blanket and looked up at her.
Bree’s stomach twisted and her heart raced. She couldn’t help but feel like a fifteen-year-old girl again. He had a way of doing that to her. When he held his hand out, she took it and lowered down beside him. He poured some wine and they sat for a long time, sipping and talking.
Bree reminded him of the time they caught Finn kissing Penelope in the gardens and how his face had turned as red as his hair. Penelope had been embarrassed and ran away when Bree made fun of her for kissing a boy. Penelope had hated Bree ever since and it was hard to blame her.
“Life was so much easier back then, Rowan,” she said, resting her head on his leg. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Yes, but you have a lot to be grateful for, Bree. We both do.”
“You’re certainly right about that.” She couldn’t suppress a yawn.
“Oh, no. You can’t go to sleep just yet. I brought dessert.”
Rowan reached into the bag and pulled out a pan. Bree didn’t need to look at it to know what it was. Her nose told her everything.
“Mmmm… apple tart. My favorite.”
“I know.”
They didn’t bother with plates since it was just the two of them. Bree moaned after the first bite. Miss Delray’s apple tarts were the best part of being a queen. She could have one anytime she wanted, but knowing that Rowan brought this one made it taste even better.
“Why are you only eating the crust?” she asked.
“It’s the best part,” he lied.
“Your loss,” she said taking another bite. But when she bit down, something hard hit her teeth. “Ow!” A kitchenmaid must have dropped a piece of an acorn in or something…
She pulled it out of her mouth, but it wasn’t an acorn. It was shiny as the lantern light reflected off it.
“Oh, my heavens!” she exclaimed, snapping her eyes up to look at Rowan, who had somehow risen up to kneel in front of her without her noticing. Her mouth dropped open and a small whimper escaped.
“Breestlin…” he began.
Her heart went wild in her chest. If she wasn’t in shock, she might have been able to enjoy the fact that she was holding a ring, and he was kneeling before her in the moonlight.
His gorgeous brown eyes looking at her as if she was the most precious gemstone in the realm. More than the ones in the ring.
“I have loved you since long before our kiss in the gardens,” he continued. He paused to steady his breathing, but he knew if he stopped talking for too long, he would never finish. “And I know that you could have your choice of literally any available man in the realm. But I—”
“YES!”
“Wait, let me finish,” he laughed and tried to remember what point he was at in his speech.
He had practiced the damn thing for weeks now.
The anxiousness on her face was distracting, and he completely forgot what he had meant to say.
“Oh, hell. Just forget about it. The rest wasn’t that important anyway… ”
She squealed and jumped into his arms, knocking him onto the blanket.
Their first kiss as an engaged couple was intense and perfect.
She had never felt as close to him as she did at that very moment.
He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over so that he was above her.
Then he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side.
Bree ran her hands over his chest and bit her lip. The glow of the lantern made his body even more appealing than usual. Her heart was about to burst but the heat between her legs was even stronger. She couldn’t think of a time when she had been more aroused.
She was also thankful that she was wearing a gown that buttoned down the front. She flicked the first button open and saw the corner of his mouth twitch. He was smiling completely by the time she opened the third button, and his mouth found her chest shortly after.
Slowly, he trailed kisses over her breasts and down to her stomach.
Her knees were shaking against his thighs, anticipating what was about to come.
And when he finally removed his trousers and slipped inside her, it felt like everything was right in the realm. Nothing could ever be better than this.