Page 169 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“No,” I agreed. “They taste just as bad as they look.”

Samkiel made a face and lowered his hand. “I am sorry I left as I did. I had good intentions, even with how I was hurting at the time.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I said, meaning every word. “Truly—”

“We’ll talk about it later.” He gave me a small smile. “First, we still need to leave this place.”

“Right. Kill the mega queen.”

“But first.” He reached beneath his armor and pulled out the ring he’d wrapped in a piece of thin black material. “Dianna. Ayla. Akrai. My world. My life. My love. Will you marry me?”

“No.”

His brows drew together so tightly I worried about his face freezing that way. My smile was so big it made my cheeks hurt. “I’m kidding. It’s yes. It’s a thousand times, yes.”

The cavern trembled violently, almost knocking us over. A roar reverberated through the air, this one far too loud to be the creatures we’d been fighting. Samkiel grabbed me as the ground bucked beneath us, throwing us off balance.

We turned in mid-embrace, creatures emerging from tunnels on all sides, debris and dust raining down all around us. The queen was royally pissed and looking for blood.

“I hope that’s a serious yes because we have an enormous problem now.”

I gave him my hand, extending my finger. “It’s a yes. Now give me my damned ring.”

His smug, male smirk was adorable as he placed the ring on my finger. Heat coated my skin, a warm, tingly feeling washing over my body before fading away. He rubbed his thumb across the stone, and silver armor flowed over my body, covering me from head to toe. Samkiel did not just give me a ring. He offered me protection, too. I had so many questions, but the first wave of insects reached us, with the second horde right behind. My admiration and curiosity would have to wait.

SIXTY-NINE

DIANNA

My palm slapped into Samkiel’s, and he hauled me from the hole in the ground. We both took a deep breath, fresh air filling our lungs. Samkiel bent and pulled at the clawed, severed leg still clinging to my armor, its grip still tight after death. He managed to work it free and dropped it to the ground, where it continued to twitch. I kicked it with my armored boot, and it fell back into the hole.

The silver armor wrapped around my body was identical to his but more feminine and exactly suited to my shape. I looked at him through the narrow slit across my eyes. His armor looked so intimidating, but now I knew it was easy to breathe and move in. It was like leather and spandex wrapped into one with a hardened shell on the outside, but so much lighter than I expected.

“You think that’s all of them?” I asked, stepping over some rubble and further from the hole, just in case.

He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. The queen is dead, and the others will follow. They are made from the same chemical that floods through her. A new queen hadn’t hatched, so the line has ended.”

“You’re so smart.” I smiled at him, even though he couldn’t see it.

He snorted. “Not by my own doing. Remember, I got in trouble frequently for my actions. My punishment was hours locked away studying, memorizing texts and languages, and . . . Well, you get it.”

I nodded as he summoned his blade back into his ring. I dropped my gaze to my sword and rotated my wrist, spinning it in a figure eight between us.

“How come it doesn’t burn me now?”

“As long as you wear this,” he tapped my armored shoulder, “it won’t. I made sure of it. Ablaze weapons kill almost everything. It’s safer and keeps me from worrying about you.”

“You know I breathe fire and become a giant, scaly beast, right?”

His brow flicked upwards behind his helmet. “Appease me, please.”

“Fine.” I chuckled and flicked mine like he did. Only my sword stayed. “How do I do the cool, flippy thing like you do to make it disappear?”

I couldn’t see his smile through his helmet, but I saw the corners of his eyes crinkle. He grabbed my wrist and twisted it, flicking my ring against my knuckle. The blade disappeared in an instant.

“Just like that.”

I glanced at him, forgetting he couldn’t see my returning smile. “Thanks.”

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