Page 133 of When Wishes Bleed

“Tonight? Oh, of course; the coronation will be telecast.”

“It certainly will, but we won’t be watching from The Gallows. Tauren invited the entire sector to the Coronation Ball.”

My mouth gaped at her revelation, and I barely heard the door behind me swing open. I turned around to see Tauren with his arms braced on the door frame. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt. Mira’s jaw unhinged, and I used a finger to gently close her mouth. She immediately forgot I was standing in front of her, too busy ogling my hand-fasted.

A slight swirl of jealousy swept through my veins. My fists tightened, and while I would never hurt her, I couldn’t help wanting her eyes off Tauren.

His voice interrupted my inner turmoil. “Will you require a number of carriages, Priestess Mira, or will you all spirit to the Palace?”

“We will appear – in style,” she told him. Mira shoved the bagged outfit to me by the hanger and grinned as she strode away. “See you tonight!”

Mira and her magical spiders had crafted a sleek pair of black dress pants. Over it, she’d created a masterpiece of precisely-placed sheer panels and dark, glittering beads. The tunic was more of a short dress, hugging my curves perfectly. Tauren certainly liked the traveling suit. His eyes swept over me. Often. Bonus: she’d placed my favorite dagger-hiding heels in the bottom of the bag.

The drive to the palace was different. I’d traveled the road before, but never with Tauren beside me to introduce me to every facet of the Kingdom he loved. I was amazed by how much he knew about his people. As the carriage swept through each sector, he taught me.

How the timber mills worked; how strong and brave the men who felled the trees were.

How the factories produced electricity, and how the witches might want to consider adding it in the future.

How his mother had let him pound the head of a hammer into a chisel, which flung small bits of rock into his eyes. He was only five, but he remembered his tears clearing the debris and then taking up the hammer again, undeterred.

He hadn’t visited the Children’s Ward in Sector Three since his father passed. I promised I would go with him soon, grabbing his hand and making him smile. Of all the powers I’d ever possessed, putting a smile on Tauren’s face was by far the greatest.

When we passed through Sector One and Rose’s mansion in particular, I tensed. Tauren stared out the window and for a moment, I wondered if he was reconsidering his decision to hand-fast to me. In times of contentment, a year could pass fast, but in times of discontent, it could seem to pass agonizingly slowly.

“I’ve invited the other invitees, and their families, to attend tonight,” he noted, turning to watch my reaction.

“That was kind of you.” The words came out snippier than I would’ve liked, but Rose… well, she could push my buttons like no one else, and I didn’t feel like having them pushed.

“You hate Rose almost as much as I do,” he laughed.

“You hate her?”

“A match with her would’ve made sense, given her father’s position, but she never would have made me happy.”

I wanted to purr when he lifted me onto his lap. I threaded my fingers around the back of his neck, feeling the freshly cut hair at the nape. “Why is that?”

“She’s not you. None of them were.”

I kissed him, pouring love through my lips instead of through my words. When we pulled away, I finally told him, “She used a love potion on you, you know.”

His brows kissed. “Who did? Rose?”

“Yep.”

He smirked. “Then she learned a valuable lesson. You, Sable, are more potent than any silly potion.” His grip on my waist tightened. He kissed me again and again, and before we knew it, we’d arrived and were stopped in front of the palace.

Courier Stewart cleared his throat from the driver’s bench. “Highness, your mother approaches,” he warned.

I slid onto the seat like a chastened schoolgirl, pressing my lips together to quench the tingling sensation, all too aware that they were swollen and the skin around them likely red.

Tauren laughed. “You’re blushing.”

I swatted his arm before he stood and exited the carriage, gallantly proffering his hand. I accepted it – again – and exited the carriage with careful steps, holding my breath as the Queen descended the stairs.

Annalina hugged her son and then scooped me into her arms. The scent of her lavender perfume clung to her neck and hair. “I’m so happy you accepted. Welcome to our family, Sable.”

Tears burned in my eyes, but I held them back.

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