Page 116 of King of Fire and Flames

“My favorite part,” I replied.

Tears streamed down my face as he brought me to ecstasy again and again, drinking reverently from the veins in my thighs, my breasts, and my throat, while I whispered, “More. Don’t stop. Not yet. Please, not yet.”

Finally worn out, he wrapped me in his wings, and we perched on the edge of the pavilion, overlooking our sleeping kingdom.

With a gentle finger under my chin, he tilted my face to meet his gaze. “After tonight, you must promise to stay with me always. We have three kingdoms to oversee, but I’m sure we can—”

“You’re still issuing orders,” I said, interrupting.

“Not an order, an ardent request. I hope you want the same—to never be parted from me again.”

“I do want that, Arrow. I want you to stay with me forever. Marry me. Be the father of my children. Be my dawn, my gloaming, my endless night sky. Always and forever.”

“Finally, you’re speaking sense! Nothing would make me happier. Before we leave for your Mydorian coronation, we’ll marry in a simple Light Realm ritual.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He looked away, his heels thumping against the pavilion’s stone wall.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Tell me.”

“Well… in old Coridonian marriage ceremonies, the king bequeaths his queen with a new name. A formal one, if you like. Will you let me do this?”

“Why would I need a new name?”

“Because it’s the greatest honor a Light Realm king can bestow upon his Aldara.” He leaned closer and whispered, “If you don’t like the name I choose, we can negotiate for change.”

I cupped his cheek. “Negotiations are always… appealing. Tell me what you’d choose.”

“Leaf Zali Omala Ramiel.”

“Why put Leaf before my birth name?” I asked.

“Because it suits you. And it will serve to remind me of everything I have taken away from you and all that I plan to give back.”

“Well, then, I like it very much. Can we go to bed now, please? I’m exhausted.”

Without warning, he gathered me close and flew us up to his chamber, while I giggled into the crook of his neck. Flying without clothes was certainly an interesting experience.

“Do you still have nightmares?” I asked, sighing as his silk sheets enveloped me, and I curled into the sanctuary of his arms. I breathed him in deeply, the hint of rosemary and mint in his hair making me smile.

“Yes, but only when you’re not with me.”

“Then you’ll never have another one again.”

“Never,” he agreed. “Sleep soundly, my Aldara. I’ll see you soon in our dreams.”

“See you there,” I whispered, pressing my lips against the strong column of his neck, my Aldara mark pulsing in a soothing rhythm. “Please don’t crush me during the night. You’re extremely heavy,” I teased.

He chuckled. “I’d rather die.”

The night sounds of Coridon lulled my eyes closed—the contented chirping of the auron kanara from the floor below, a bell chiming in the distance—and I released a deep sigh of happiness.

I was home at last.

I had finally found what I’d been seeking since the moment I woke up in that horrible market cage. Arrow’s love. Wherever and whenever he held me, that was my home and where I belonged.

A rumble came from his chest, then a nonsensical jumble of words from his lips.

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