Page 118 of King of Fire and Flames

“Says the man with lightning magic that can melt flesh off bones.” She unbuttoned my jacket and swept it off my shoulders, tossing it onto the white-washed wooden floor.

She reached for my shirt buttons, and I grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you get ready for my coronation.”

Releasing her hand, I gripped her waist, my fingers flexing over her warm skin beneath the gown’s cool material.

She slid the shirt off my back and ran her palms over my shoulders, lightly over the gold feathers, and then down to my twitching stomach muscles.

“There you are, my golden Storm King. Muscles flexing, glyphs swirling bright,” her hand moved lower. “And rock hard at my touch. Just how I like you.”

“For gold’s sake, keep doing that, and I won’t be able to walk out there with you.” I tugged her close, kissing her sweet mouth.

For several moments, everything but her dissolved.

She cupped my hardness and squeezed. “As soon as the formalities are over, let’s meet back here and have some fun.”

“I’ll be counting down the minutes.”

“Shall we go, then?” I said.

“Not yet. You’re not quite ready.”

A dark brow arched, an uncertain smile dancing on her lips.

I wiped my damp hands on my pants. “I have something… something I’d like to give you.” I dug a silk-wrapped parcel from my pocket and offered it to her on my palm. “Would you wear this, my Aldara? Only if it pleases you, of course.”

Her green eyes sparkled. “What is it?”

“Open it and find out.”

She peeled the dark silk away, revealing a faceted, red prulite stone, the largest known specimen of the rarest jewel in the realms, flanked by two smaller stones glistening like blood on a chain of finely wrought gold.

She stroked the stones, gazing at me with tears in her eyes. “It’s so beautiful, Arrow. Thank you. I would love to wear it.”

Grinning, I dropped a kiss on her cheek, then stepped behind her and fastened the chain around her throat, letting the center stone rest in the notch between her collarbones.

I turned her toward the mirror, hugging her from behind. “It used to be my mother’s. As a child, it was my favorite thing in her chambers, and I begged to hold it and stare through the gemstone at the sun outside her window. Both light and dark can be found in the jewel’s heart. For some reason, that always appealed to me, and my fascination greatly amused my mother.”

Leaf smiled as she stroked the pendant. “Now I adore it all the more.”

“My mother gave it to me when I came of age, instructing me to keep it safe for my beloved.”

“What was your mother’s name?”

“Samara,” I said, wiping a tear from Leaf’s cheek. “She had silver hair with matching eyes and was almost as skilled with a blade as you are.”

“I’m sure I would’ve loved her.” Leaf spun away from the mirror, turning to face me. “We really should go.”

She took my arm, hugging it close to her side as we left her chamber and made our way to the Mydorian hall. Today, the weather was perfect, the sun shining in a clear, blue sky. Leaf was perfect, too—mine, and about to become the Queen of Dust and Stones. Everything was fucking perfect, and my heart was full. I should have been ecstatic, but as my boots echoed through the corridors, something niggled at the back of my mind.

“Leaf, before you’re crowned, will you do one thing for me?”

“Anything,” she said softly.

I dragged in a long breath. “For weeks, when you first came to Coridon, I made you suffer. I made you beg and cry out my name many times over, both in fury and in bliss. That is behind us now, and our future shines brightly before us. But I must know if you understand the truth.”

“What truth, Arrow?”

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