Page 148 of Cursed Crowns

“All very official, of course,” he said, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb.

“Of course,” Rose murmured, pressing a kiss to it.

“Rose,” he whispered. “My Rose.” And then his mouth was on hers and Rose couldn’t think about anything else. She wound her fingers inhis hair, pulling him closer, until every part of her was pressed against him, their moans slipping from them in perfect harmony. Shen pressed her back against the workbench, and accidentally upended a bowl of limes.

As they toppled to the floor, reality crashed back in.

They were in the kitchen! In the middle of the day! Whenanyonecould walk in.

She pulled back from Shen. “Oh,” she said, breathless. “I’m afraid the moment ran away with me.”

He swept a hand through his hair. “I’ve forgotten what we were talking about.”

Rose tried to be serious, but her lips twitched into a smile. “I’m afraid we should return to our duties.”

“Right. Yes. Our duties,” said Shen, his gaze on her swollen lips. “What are those again?”

“I have a country to fix,” said Rose, laughing as she prodded him. “Andyouhave a kingdom to return to.”

He smirked at her. “Are you still ordering me around?”

She returned his smirk. “Not everything has to change, you know.”

59

Wren

Wren sat on the bow of Marino Pegasi’s ship, with her feet dangling above the water, and smiled as the wind nipped at her cheeks. She didn’t realize how much she had been missing the sea until she returned to it. There was something soothing about the wind out here. It made her feel closer to Banba, closer to herself.

“Do youhaveto sit so precariously?” said Rose, who was standing behind Wren, dressed in a lavish fur coat and a matching ivory hat. Her arms were pulled tightly around her, the chill chattering through her teeth. “I’m anxious enough already without having to worry about you falling overboard.”

Wren swung around to face her sister. “I already told you: you don’t need to be anxious.”

Rose’s gaze darted. “What if this whole thing is a trap?”

Wren flexed her fingers, reminding her sister of the magic that flowed through their veins. “Then it will be the Gevrans who suffer, not us.”

“Don’t worry, my fair queens.” Marino’s voice rang out as he came striding over, dressed impeccably in a cobalt frock coat and dark leathers, his tricorn hat tipped roguishly to one side. Rose looked him upand down appreciatively, and Wren got the sudden sense that he was once her childhood crush. Or perhaps her adult crush, though not even the swashbuckling captain could hold a candle to Shen Lo now.

Even so, Wren suspected that if Shen knewquitehow handsome and charming Marino Pegasi was, he might have forsaken his return to the Sunkissed Kingdom to accompany Rose on this journey.

“If Alarik Felsing even so much as looks at either of you the wrong way, I’ll run him through with my cutlass.”

Rose squeezed his arm. “Heroic as ever, Marino. And just as good at battling real foes as the imaginary villains of our childhood games. As I recall, you were particularly good at defeating dragons.”

He flashed his teeth. “Don’t make me blush. And you’ll find I’m much better with a sword of steel than a stick of wood.”

“I don’t remember you two flirting this much when we were younger,” grumbled Celeste, who was following close behind him. “And don’t get any ideas, Marino. Rose is all but spoken for.”

“Celeste!” said Rose, dropping Marino’s arm as if she’d been scalded. “We arenotflirting, and as for the other thing, that’s hardly something to be discussed here. In public.” Her cheeks turned bright pink, though Wren knew it had nothing to do with the biting sea wind.

“Youwereflirting,” she teased her sister. “Although that’s only because Marino flirts every time he draws breath.”

The captain assumed a look of mock offense, and Wren winked at him.

“Stop that,” warned Celeste. “I’m not getting saddled with trouble incarnate as a sister-in-law.”

Wren stuck her tongue out. “You wound me, Lessie. I’ll have you know I’m a delightful sister. Just ask Rose.”

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