“What?” Caelynn breathes. Tears well in her eyes. “I don’t... that doesn’t—”
“We have a lot of work to do Caelynn, but if they’re attacking the Shadow Court’s reputation, I intend to counteract it. I will openly support your rise to the throne, and we will fight against our enemies from there.”
“They’ll... they’ll be angry.”
“Let them be,” I growl. I’m not sure who she is concerned about, to be honest. The Night Bringer? The courts? The people? Her people? But it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, if anyone is angry about Caelynn living out her destiny by taking her place as Shadow Queen, let them be angry. It will not stop me.
“It’s what you want, right?” I ask just to be sure.
She swallows and nods softly.
“Then, we take it. Now. Before anyone can stop us.”
One shaky breath leaves her lips, and then she crashes into me with fiery passion. Her hands clench at my jacket as her lips claim mine. Her knees are around my waist.
I kiss her back and resist the urge to chuckle as she attempts to devour me in this tiny carriage. Her hips buck against me. My blood boils with desire so thick it’s hard to think past it. “We don’t have much time,” I force out.
“I’ll take every moment I can get,” she says between kisses. Her hands claw down my chest, over my now wrinkled golden tunic. I push the furs off her shoulder and then sweep her up, twisting so that I’m sitting on the cushioned bench and she is straddling me.
Have I mentioned I quite enjoy this mate-ship business? Her taste and scent wrap around me, burning through to my very soul.
Mine. She is mine, and I will not allow anyone to harm her. I will give her every ounce of happiness she deserves, and the very stars in the sky could not stop me.
The carriage jerks to a stop, and Caelynn lifts her head suddenly. Reality crashes back into us. This will be our first time out in public after the incident at the High Courts. The general public will not have changed their minds about her. For all they know, she’s the one that controls the wraiths. In too many of their minds, she is the source of all this conflict.
I still have a lot of work to prove them wrong.
The mark on my forearm burns, but I remember to keep it hidden. The silvery magic of our bonding is only visible to us—so long as that is what we desire. And while it’s not what we want, it’s what we both need.
One day. One day, I’ll shout to the world that she is my mate and I adore her.
Our rapid breathing mingles together, warming the coach to a near uncomfortable degree. Then again, it’s not below freezing outside the carriage any longer. Caelynn pulls in a long breath, straightens her shoulders, and then pushes her way out of the carriage. Sunlight streams into the coach, and I blink rapidly. She turns everything off so easily.
Me? My face is red. My chest heaving. My eyes are probably still dilated, and I definitely have to adjust my pants. I try to channel Caelynn’s ability to slip on that mask. I puff out my chest and become the High Prince, powerful and self-assured, when I step out of the carriage, but inside my body is still so wound up.
Caelynn stands still before a crowd of silent staring fae with purple eyes. The last time we were in this court, we ended the largest bout of scourge, where an entire city was at risk of being devoured.
And someone tried to attack her. I clench my hands into fists, remembering that moment and the rage that took over me, even then. Now, I don’t know if I could control myself if someone were to come after her.
And they’ve certainly got more reason to hate her now that her court just launched an attack against theirs.
A large male with deep brown skin pushes through the small crowd and rushes forward. His cloak is silver and purple, his eyes large and full of obvious concern. “Welcome!” he says cheerily, louder than I think is necessary, but then I wonder if he wants to make it very clear we are not the enemy. Particularly Caelynn, with her black dress and golden eyes.
“Come, guests of the High Court!” he says in a near squeal. “Follow me quickly!”
I place my hand gently on Caelynn’s back and guide her forward. Her body is stiff, and her expression hard. “Now may not be the best time to present anger.”
She swallows and wipes the stress lines from her face like a painter has just entirely redone it. How does she do that so easily? Even so, her eyes are hooded and her mouth flat. Indifference isn’t all that much better.
Instead of dwelling on how I want people to see her, I follow our guide past the small throng of people and through a back door of the huge Crystal palace. No one says a word to us as the fae ushers us down the hall. We rush up a set of steps and through another corridor.
“How is Kari?” Caelynn asks after another moment. We haven’t passed a single other fae.
“I’m sorry, miss, I am not privy to much information. I was simply urged to ensure you arrive quickly and safely.”
“We understand,” I assure him.
“Here.” The fae waves to a near translucent lavender door with uneven ridges. Gemstone. One of the most precious materials in our world. It is the source of our wealth. And the Crystal Court uses it as basic decoration.
