Chapter Twenty-Three

Felix

"No," she says flatly.

It's almost cute how she drops back to the balls of her feet and crosses her arms over her chest in a subtle attempt to hide the taut peaks of her breasts. She's always enjoyed being commanded.

I tighten my grip and jerk her chin forward. "Don't test me, Lumina."

Amber flames of desire burn in her eyes with my tone. I glance down when she pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth. Blood roars in my ears and my cock twitches with the action.

"I'm not sleeping—" I don't let her finish that sentence. My mouth crashes into hers, giving into the need I've had since I entered the room.

The being in my chest hisses in delight when, despite her sharp intake of breath, she doesn't pull away. Not that she could with my firm hold on her jaw, but it's the principle of the matter.

My breeches become uncomfortable when her lips part further. Ellesandra is beautiful in every breath she takes, but I'm unsure I'll ever find anything more stunning than when she's caught off guard.

She all but melts when I press a light kiss to her top, then bottom lip. The tension in her shoulders ebbs, and her hands fall to her sides as she kisses me with fervor. She'll say it's an act of hate, but the thread in my chest recognizes the desire behind the harsh nip of her teeth on my bottom lip.

Keeping my hold on her chin firm, my free hand snakes up and twines into the hair at the back of her neck. Her cocoa-colored curls are the smoothest silk between my fingers. I decide that I'll be content if today is my dying day when the scent of lavender fills my nose.

She's so fucking soft. It's the only thought that bounces through my mind as I taste the sweet remnants of venomous words dripping from her lips. Need ricochets through the bond and demands that I memorize each dip and curve of her body beneath my palm. She sighs when I run my tongue along the inside of her lip. The sound goes straight to my cock.

It takes all my power to restrain the urge to rip the sleeping gown from her body and fuck her until neither one of us can breathe. Although the language of her body tells me that an abundance of the most delicious honey pools between her thighs, I'm willing to move at a slow pace. I'll move at the pace of a fucking snail if it means she'll shut the fuck up and allow me to continue kissing her.

The thread in my chest growls in frustration when she pulls away and gasps for breath. A beautiful rose color creeps up her cheeks as she stares up at me with wide, molten pools of gold. Fury quickly replaces the surprise that's etched on her porcelain features.

"That was a mistake," she hisses.

The corners of my lips twitch upward with the flecks of starlight churning in her eyes that speak to just how much of a lie that statement is.

I drop my grasp on her chin and tug on her locks when she tries to step away. She stills when I angle my head.

"You're a horrible liar, Lumina. Your hand is still on my chest," I whisper into the shell of her ear.

I'm unable to fight back the chuckle that escapes my throat when she jerks her hand away as if she's been branded. Another, lesser man would wither beneath the glare she throws in my direction. She's never more exquisite than when she looks as if she wants to murder me.

Like a petulant child, she turns, stomps across the chamber, and throws herself onto the bed. Smart girl.

With a smile playing on my lips, I turn and readjust myself, my cock stiffening further when the image of her backside pressed into me floats through my mind.

After loosening the drawstring on my breeches, I turn to find that she's facing away from me. Her ankles peek out from beneath the brown and white furs, and just as I remember, she rubs her feet together. It's a mindless act that I'm sure she's not even aware of, something that speaks to her uneasiness. It used to drive me mad. Now, the motion is a comfort that lessens the weight on my chest to feel more like a feather than a boulder.

Since she believes she's clever, I take our little game a step further. Her breath hitches when I walk around the bed and crouch down in front of her.

I press my lips together in an attempt to hide my smile as her eyes narrow into mere slits. "Scoot over."

Surprise floods me when she scowls, but obeys. Of course, in the fashion of the princess I remember, she huffs and scoots as far as possible when I climb into the bed. So dramatic.

Amusement is sweet upon my tongue when I scoot closer and her eyes slam shut. With less than a foot of space between us, I'm able to count each of her eyelashes and the dusting of freckles across her collarbone. Her freckles are the reason the summer months of Minalis were always my favorite. They become more prevalent when she spends even a second in the sun.

At one point, I could place each line on her face by memory. The small horizontal line below her chin. A fingertip's length of space between her nose and the apple of her cheek.

A chocolate curl falls forward to tickle her forehead, and before I can think better of it, I reach out and push it behind her ear. Her eyes remain closed as she feigns sleep, but I don't miss the small hitch of her breath. Her breathing stills altogether when my fingers graze her cheek. Ever so slowly, her honey eyes open. The muscles in her face tense when she realizes how little space is between us, but to add to my growing surprise, she doesn't move away from my touch.

I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. Although she'll blame her lack of action on the bond we share, the secrets that rush forth when her gaze flits between my eyes tell the truth of the matter. The thread in my chest understands the language they speak without the need for her to utter a single word.

The past reaches forward, returning the princess I remember to me. I used to believe that nothing could compare to the nights I held her in my arms beneath the stars, but I was sorely mistaken. Lying here with her, at this moment, after five hundred years of waiting, is infinitely better.

Her tongue darts out to sweep over her bottom lip as she places her hand beneath her head and continues to stare at me. With the shift of her position, silver streams in from the window and creeps across the peak of her forehead. And although I know it's a risk, I test the star's luck further.

My eyes scrutinize her face as I lift my hand from my side, searching for the slightest indication that my touch is unwelcome. The thread in my chest stills in anticipation when I bring my hand closer to her face. Though her body tenses for a moment, the tension in her face ebbs with my next breath.

"Perfect," I murmur, dragging my thumb across the high arch of her eyebrow. She's always had the most beautiful eyebrows.

The slight widening of her eyes is the only sign that she felt my touch at all. Shifting and snuggling deeper into the furs by tucking them under her chin, she peers up at me through thick lashes. They're perfect, long, thick bands of eyelashes that flutter with each slow blink. Fuck, I want to kiss her again.

Understanding that pushing her further would be akin to sticking my hand over an open flame, I lean forward and kiss her brow instead. "Go to sleep."

Warmth spreads through the center of my chest when her eyes fall closed. Whether it's minutes or hours that pass, the image of her serene features at rest is the last thing that floats through my mind before sleep overcomes me.

Ellesandra,

Marry me and I'll command my men to return home. Marry me and give both us, and our kingdoms, peace at long last.