Chapter 1

‘You’re awfully quiet tonight, Valare. Do I need to be concerned?’ Eliasson drawled as he directed his ocean-blue gaze straight to mine.

Feigning shock, I reach my left hand out to run teasingly down Eliasson’s side, stopping at mid-thigh. ‘You say this like I’m not a demure, introverted, compliant wife all the time, husband.’

‘Because you’re not,’ Eliasson shot back, pushing my hand away. Despite his tone and actions, I didn’t miss the way he momentarily softened at my touch. ‘I can see that mind working and it can only mean you are devising a plan for Goddess knows what. I’m not in the mood, Valare. Do not push me tonight.’

Funny that, I also am not in the mood tonight.

I took a deep breath. ‘Let’s put my uncharacteristic nature this evening down to the approaching new moon and beautiful wine, shall we?’

Batting my eyelashes, I downed my glass of wine and held it out to be filled in the next instant. It paid off to spend time training the attendants in what I deem a high priority service.

Eliasson threw me a sidewards glance but was unable to hide his amusement. With a shake of his head, he returned to his own meal without comment.

His judgement for my love of the fruit of the vine added to my already quiet mood. He wasn’t wrong; my being quiet is cause for concern. Usually. But tonight, my mood had nothing to do with scheming and everything to do with a little thing called nostalgia.

In the year of my being married to the King of Arlom, I can count on one hand the number of times I had allowed myself to get lost in contemplation in his presence. I don’t usually allow him the luxury of seeing any part of my mental armour cracking.

But this day would always be one that slightly revealed those cracks. Because on this day, two years ago, I received the decree ordering my marriage to King Eliasson Arlom.

With her decree, my sister, Queen Slaviya of the Queendom of Salistya, ripped my world and heart apart when she ordered me to take her place, stepping into my royal duties and marrying the King of Arlom. As only third in line to the Salistyan throne behind my parents and two older siblings, I had been expecting a peaceful life with minimal responsibilities. But things changed and my role irrevocably altered to be part of a union that ceased the never-ending fight for the highly coveted Solista Isles, which was under the Salistyan rule.

A deep yearning stirred in the core of my being as I thought of the Solista Isles. My home. My now forbidden love.

Shutting down my thoughts, I attempted to distract myself by looking around the intimate dining room in the Royal Quarters. After taking in the trademark blue walls of the Kingdom of Arlom, I turned attention to the attendants, half of those being my staff from the Solista Isles and the other half being Eliasson’s. The former were obvious with their trademark mossy green eyes and olive skin, while the Arloman staff had the well-known Arloman ocean-blue eyes and fair skin.

As I looked at my spouse sitting at the six-seater dining table finishing up his dinner, I thought for the millionth time that I really could’ve done far worse. Any girl would be lucky to call a lean, six-foot tall man with a heart-shaped youthful face their husband. On top of that, Eliasson had sun-kissed blonde hair which normally finishes a little higher than his shoulders. Currently it was tied at the nape of his neck. Knowing this was my favourite hairstyle on him, I would place a hefty amount of gold that he’d done this on purpose, with the purpose being to send a very loud message of ‘down to fuck’ to me.

At the moment Eliasson finished his dinner, pushed his chair slightly away from the table, and placed his hands on his lap. His blue eyes met mine, an unwavering, expectant look on his face – yeah, definitely down to fuck.

Who was I to say no?

‘Dinner was lovely as always, my King. I will take my leave to prepare for the rest of our evening,’ I purred. Not one to miss an opportunity to enjoy the small delights of the world, I finished the rest of my wine before standing and making my way behind Eliasson to the door to my private quarters.

Just before shutting the door, Eliasson said my name as a command, making me stop and turn around.

‘Yes, Eliasson?’

‘Wear something white. I want to relive our wedding night.’ No room for argument. He didn’t even bother turning around to face me. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t want to be pushed tonight. I’ve rarely seen him this upset, but he’d been acting strange ever since he returned from a meeting earlier this evening.

In a perfect world I would reply with a snarky ‘Sir, yes sir’ and army salute. Instead, I settled for rolling my eyes as I stared at the back of his head. ‘As you wish, husband.’

Closing the door, I let a huge breath out before rushing to freshen up, my bath having already been fixed for the night. Bless Meredith.

Making quick work of bathing myself, I hurried to the closet, not wanting to keep Eliasson waiting. Patience was not his strong suit. Not when he was in this kind of mood. I picked out a simple, yet sexy white silk slip with light lace detailing around the chest that fell to mid-thigh – sans bra and underwear. I aim to please.

Placing my long, dark hair in a bun on top of my head, I gave myself a once over in the mirror. With my Salistyan skin tone, white is a complementary colour on me. While in my younger years I had mossy green eyes, upon inheriting my magical gifts at the age of sixteen, my eyes had turned a sharp lime green colour. Having been the only known Salistyan (or Solistan, because there is a difference) to have this reaction, a lot of eyebrows had been raised in the Solistan community. Nevertheless, pairing my looks with my hourglass figure, generous breasts and behind, I was looking quite tasty in this outfit, if I did say so myself.

Making my way out of my room and across to the dining room, I knocked on the door to Eliasson’s quarters.

‘Come in.’

Before I could even close the door, Eliasson had me in his arms. He cupped my cheek and kissed me softly, a flash of approval glinting in his eyes when he caught sight of my attire.

‘Does my clothing choice please you, husband?’ I purred as I pulled away and spun slowly, calling upon my rigorous training in the art of seduction. My years on the Solista Isles had prepared me for every eventuality.

‘You know it does, wife. Come here, I fancy making love to you tonight. Just like our wedding night last year.’

Ugh. Making love. If only he knew this wasn’t my favourite approach to sex, yet it was the most powerful way of luring him into my fa?ade of a devoted wife.

Sauntering past him and laying back on the blanket, I leant up on my elbows, smirking. Beckoning him forward with a nod, I replied, ‘As you wish, my King.’

Without missing a beat, he moved towards me. The clear passion in his eyes almost made me feel bad. Almost.

Unfortunately for King Eliasson I had had extensive training that allowed me to ensure his love for me, which was critical to fulfilling my mission. Unfortunately this mission involved him, but not in a way he would appreciate. Unfortunately for King Eliasson, I was sent to kill him.