Page 51 of The Curse and the Silver Rose

And yet, once again, she had invaded Davron’s privacy because she let her curiosity get the better of her. A flush of shame traveled up her neck. Why could she not leave things be?

She scrunched up the parchment and returned it to the drawer where she’d found it.

When she drifted back to sleep in Davron’s bed, she dreamed not of him or Levissina, but of a girl who lived deep underground in the dark.

Amelie and Davron took a very long time to get out of bed.

The prospect of doing anything except lying against Davron’s naked body was intolerable.

“How am I ever going to do anything again?” she whispered into his neck as he stroked her back, sending sweet shivers across the surface of her skin.

“We might starve,” he replied. “But I would consider it a small price to pay.”

He rolled her on top of him, so that she straddled him as he lay down. She leaned in to kiss him and he ran his fingertips down her spine, over her ass, coming to a light but deliberate stop on her flaming slit.

“I am quite sore from last night,” she admitted. “I yearn to make love again, but I might need to recover a little first.”

He grinned, and she swatted his shoulder.

“You could try not to look so pleased with yourself,” she chided.

“But I am.” He moved his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. “And can you blame me? I have the most beautiful woman in the world in my bed.”

She blushed, which made him grin even wider.

“I love that it’s so easy to make you redden,” he said.

He gently flipped her over onto her back, with him kneeling over her.

“I will only kiss you better,” he said in reassurance, lowering his face to her breasts. “Nothing more.”

She closed her eyes in bliss as he encased her nipple with his mouth and drew on it with the tip of his tongue.

“Mmm, I can abide that, I believe,” she said.

He spent a leisurely hour exploring her body with merciful kisses and tastes and touches. Davron savored the inside of her wrists, the crook of her elbow, the dimples on her lower back, and the arches of her feet. In particular, he paid close attention to her flushed entrance, showering the tender, raw folds with feather-soft kisses.

Amelie felt like she had died and entered a blissful eternity.

As the sun climbed the sky, radiant light spilled through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the shadows in the room. For some reason, the sunshine drew her attention. Her mind moved slowly, because Davron still tended to her body. She did not wish to think.

Regardless, the sunlight continued to prod at her memory. She’d dreamed about a girl who lived underground, and the notion was strangely familiar. The memory of the dream merged with the words from the parchment.

All at once, she remembered where she’d heard about sunshine in a jar.

“I strongly dislike that we are dressed,” said Davron. “And out of bed. Just for the record.”

“Noted,” replied Amelie, smiling up at him.

Their footsteps echoed in the corridors. She had put on her dress, with nothing underneath. Davron wore yesterday’s shirt and a fresh pair of pants. After her realization about the sunshine, it had taken her an hour to coax him, and herself, out of bed.

“Why are we going to the library?” asked Davron.

“One never needs a reason to go to the library,” she said. “I feel like reading, is all. I would love you to come, but you do not have to, if it bores you.”

“I want to spend every remaining second of my life with you, Amelie. It is just—” Davron frowned. “The last time we were in the library, I outright attacked you. Will it not make you uncomfortable to be there with me again?”

“That depends,” she replied in a light tone. “Have you been drinking any henbane?”

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