Page 41 of Taken By the Fae King

He narrows his eyes at me.“Ilid’ren,”he says, the Orcish word for Fae. Apparently, in his opinion, unlike my mate, I do not deserve any further address of honor.

He thumps his fist to his chest, and she does the same before he turns and leaves.

My chest swells with pride as every warrior in the room turns to her with expressions of awe and respect.

She has been Queen of Anlora for only a few days, and already she has earned the respect of our greatest warriors. I am certain word will travel far and fast of what happened this day.

CHAPTER24

GRAYCE

After the Orc leaves, we make our way back to our rooms. Although we are walking arm in arm, Kyven is silent, and I wonder if I may have overstepped. I invited the Orc King to meet us for a peace treaty, without consulting Kyven about it first.

He said we would be equals, andbecausewe are equals, I probably should have discussed it with him before I made the offer. I may be the Queen of Anlora now, but that doesn’t mean that I understand everything about their history and any policies they have for negotiating with others: Orcs and such. And I do not know how deep the hatred and distrust runs between their two races.

When we step into our room, Kyven closes the door. I turn to him. “Did I overstep?”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Telling Kurnag to deliver a message to his king about meeting with us.”

“That was brilliant.” A handsome smile curves his mouth. “And something that wouldn’t have happened if not for you.”

“What would you have done?” I ask, curious to know.

“I would have interrogated him, and probably thrown him back in a cell,” he says flatly. “But you found a path that may lead to actual peace between us and the Orcs. No wonder your brother was so hesitant about my marrying you.” His lips twist into a slight grin. “He not only lost a sister, but also his most capable politician.”

Pride fills me, and I cannot help the smile that lights my face at his praise.

A subtle knock at the door is Aren, informing us that we should leave soon.

When we walk out into the main entryway, dozens of warriors have gathered to see us off, each of them bowing low as we approach. Commander Graedyn bows as well, and Kyven claps a hand on his shoulder. “It was good to see you again, Commander.”

“And you, my king,” he replies and then looks to me, his gaze shining with admiration. “It was an honor to meet you, my queen.”

“And you as well.”

Kyven hoists me to his chest as if I weigh nothing. His purple wings flutter furiously behind him as we lift off and into the sky.

Against him like this, I’m acutely aware of his strong arms and the thick cords of muscle that line his chest. As he pulls me closer, I breathe deep of his heady masculine scent. My mind returns to our kiss, and I wonder if he is thinking about it as well.

I’ve never been fond of heights, but as we fly out over the city and into the forest, I am not afraid because I know he would never allow me to fall. He leans in and the soft mint of his breath skates across my skin. “I apologize again for bringing you to Corduin, so close to the wall. I know this is probably not what you had in mind for the early days of our marriage.”

Although I do not want him to feel any guilt in bringing me here, I do like that he cares what I think. Father never particularly cared about our mother’s opinions and it was my worry that I might someday find myself in a similar situation. I am pleased that it does not appear to be this way with Kyven. “I’m glad we came,” I reply. “I’ve heard so many stories, and I’ve always wondered about the Great Wall.”

He frowns. “You were not afraid?”

“At first, I was.” I tip my face up to his. “But it was lovely meeting the people you spent so much time with.”

A faint smile quirks his lips. “They are like brothers to me.”

It is easy to see he has their admiration and respect. “Do you miss it?” I ask. “Living in Corduin? Patrolling the wall?”

His brow furrows deeply. “It was not an easy life, but it was a simple one.”

“Guarding the wall hardly seems like a simple task,” I reply. “It’s dangerous.”

“That is true,” he replies. “But on the wall, you know exactly who your enemy is. In the royal court, it is often difficult to discern friend from foe.”

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