29. Sloane

Chapter 29

Sloane

I pull away, panting. "Hold on, Dex. We need to take a breather."

He looks confused, his eyes dark with desire. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," I say. "And everything. For the last three days, I didn't know if you'd ever wake up."

He frowns, not understanding my concern. "I am awake now."

I shake my head, frustration building. "That's not the point. The point is, we need to finish the conversation we started in the forest."

"What is there to finish?" he asks, his tone maddeningly calm. "You are my fated mate and future queen. All that is left is to consummate our bond and hold your coronation ceremony."

I feel like my libido has been doused with ice water, and I move away from him. "When did I agree to be your mate, let alone your queen?"

Dexari's brow furrows. "When you returned with me to the palace. When you made changes to the meals, invited your dragalor to dine with you in the courtyard, and oversaw Gorlag's training of the guards in my absence. When you made pants acceptable for palace females to wear." He looks at the form-fitting leggings I had the staff make me with new appreciation. "These are all things my mate would do, my queen would do."

"I was just trying to keep busy so I wouldn't drive myself crazy by obsessively thinking about whether you would live or die. And for the record, I only offered Gorlag training advice to piss him off, not because I was trying to fill in for you."

His grin is infuriating. "Only my mate would care so much whether I live or die."

I make more excuses, even as a part of me recognizes the truth in his words. "Your dad basically ordered me to have your baby and…I haven't even met your mom yet."

He waves off my concerns. "I will deal with my father, and my mother will love you as much as I do."

"Love?" Now, he's lost me. "We hardly know each other, Dex. A few days ago, I was your prisoner and threatened your life with a dagger to your heart."

He closes the distance between us and cradles my face in his hands, as if I'm something precious. His eyes, still dark with desire, now soften with something different, something raw.

"The moment my cockspikes emerged for you, Sloane, you were no longer my prisoner." His voice is low and throaty, choked with emotion. "They knew what my heart, my soul , would soon discover: we were meant to be together. Your fire, your fortitude, your will to survive…these are traits that will challenge me to become a better male, a better king ."

His thumbs brush lightly across my cheeks, sending a shiver through me. "You think love comes only from time? From knowing every little thing about each other? I know you in ways that run deeper than time. I have seen your courage and have seen through the humor you use to mask your fear. I have experienced your caring nature, your selfless compassion. I have marveled at how you fight, even when the odds are against you, and how you rise to each challenge you encounter, time and time again."

He presses my hand to his chest, over his heart. "Yet I know my love for you is real because I feel it here. Not because of what you have done or because the gods have chosen you for me…because of who you are and how you make me feel. Becoming king was my birthright. Yet you are the one who gives my life meaning and purpose."

He pauses, searching my face, his voice a tender rasp when he speaks again. "I love you, Sloane. And when you are ready, I know you will return those words. For now, just know that when you held the dagger to my heart, I had no fear. My heart had already surrendered to you, and was yours to command."

He leans his forehead against mine. "I know there is so much left for us to discover about each other. Yet nothing I learn about you will change the truth. You are my fated mate, my one true love, and, if you will accept me, my future queen."

Then, he kisses me again. It's different this time, less desperate, more purposeful. The kiss is deep and tender and all-consuming, as if he's pouring all his feelings into me, all his feelings into this one action. And despite my doubt, despite my confusion, I find myself responding.

When we finally break apart, Dexari's eyes bore into mine. "I want you as my mate, Sloane, as the mother of my offspring, as my queen. And one day, I hope to have your love. Yet, I will not force you to live and rule by my side. The choice is yours to make."

Deep down, I do want him—and everything he's offering me. So, why can't I just say yes? "The connection between us, I feel it, Dex. I don't understand it, but I feel it. It's just..."

I trail off, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. What if this is all too good to be true? What if I give in, let myself believe in this fairytale, only to have it ripped away? The queen part I can handle; the last few days have proven that. But the idea of freedom, of choice, of...love? That's what terrifies me. What if I screw things up? Or Dexari wakes up one day and realizes I'm not enough for him?

"It is just, what?" he prompts.

"I'm afraid," I confess.

He smiles then and brushes his lips against mine. "When has fear ever stopped you?"

I laugh out loud at that because he's fucking right! Did fear stop me from fighting back against capture by his guards? From befriending Zephyr? From stunning poor Rukmar as a warning to Gorlag? Hell, no!

"What do you want, Sloane?" he asks.

"You. Us. Your love. The crown." This time I brush my lips against his . "I want it all."

He takes me in his arms and swings me around the room. When he puts me down, I'm dizzy, but not too dizzy to see the heat in his eyes.

"All of it is yours for the taking," he tells me. "Are you ready to consummate our bond?"