Page 71 of Burning Crowns

‘I’m still angry at you,’ she whispered against his lips. ‘Don’t think that because I’m kissing you that I forgive you.’

‘I would never assume such a thing,’ he said, kissing her again. ‘But I will say, if this is how you act when you’re angry at me, I can’t wait to see what you do when you’re happy with me.’

‘Maybe you should try harder to make me happy, then.’ Rose smiled as he planted a trail of kisses along her neck. As their tongues met once more, Shen pulled her closer, groaning as he lifted her off her feet and pressed her up against the glass. Rose swung her legs out behind him, accidentally toppling a flowerpot. It fell with a crash, startling them from their kiss.

‘Stars!’ she cried, as the world filtered back in. ‘We’re in a glasshouse! Anyone could walk by and see us!’

‘And?’ Shen appeared unmoved. ‘Perhaps I want someone to see us. Perhaps I want the entire kingdom to see us. Then everyone will know who I choose.’

Rose stilled, her heart thundering in her chest. ‘Don’t jest, Shen.’

He gently set her down. ‘I’ve never been more serious about anything,’ he said, taking her hands in his. ‘I choose you, Rose. I chose you since the moment you leaped off Storm in the desert, ready to fight me with nothing but a fistful of sand. I chose you when you healed me in Balor’s Eye, without even knowing that you could. I chose you when you climbed down the Whisperwind Cliffs, even though you were terrified. I chose you when you found love in your heart for the sister you never knew, when you opened yourself up to the witches and welcomed the truth of who you truly are.’ He drew a shuddering breath. ‘I chose you when you saved me here in my own kingdom, when I was too pig-headed and stubborn to see the truth of my uncle’s betrayal.’

He squeezed her hands. ‘I choose you, Rose Valhart, and I will never stop choosing you. I promise you that. And this: I will do whatever I can in my power to bring you happiness, to keep you safe and to make you mine.’

Rose’s eyes prickled, her heart so full she feared it might burst. In all the time she had known Shen, she’d never heard him speak with such conviction. She hadn’t realized how much she had been yearning to hear him say these things, how badly she’d wanted to know how much she meant to him.

He cupped her face, laying his forehead against hers. ‘This place might be my kingdom but you are my world, Rose. I love you.’

‘Oh, Shen!’ Rose threw her arms around him and kissed him, hungrily, as if she could swallow the words he was saying and keep them inside her forever.

After a moment, he pulled back, breaking the kiss. He gazed down at her,his eyes molten with lust. ‘Oh, Shen?’ he said, grinning. ‘That’s all I get?’

‘Oh … I … well … I …’ The words Rose longed to say suddenly felt trapped in her throat. The air in here was warm and heady with the scent of desert roses. Everything felt like a dream, as if time was slowing down around them. There was nothing to fear. Only the truth of her feelings, and once she realized there was nothing scary about that, the words came pouring out. ‘I love you, Shen Lo. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. I didn’t even know I could feel like this. That my heart could feel so full and still hunger for more of you.’

‘It will get even better,’ Shen whispered in her ear. ‘I promise you that.’

Rose wished they could stay like this forever, just the two of them secreted away in their glass bubble, but anxiety stirred in the pit of her stomach. The nearness of Shen’s desert roses was a constant reminder of what had happened to Rose’s own just a few days ago. How Oonagh had ripped through the royal gardens like a cruel winter storm, destroying the flowers and all the life that thrived there. Rose could ignore it no longer – she had come here with a purpose, and it was time to reveal it.

‘I need to tell you why I’m here,’ she said, pulling away from Shen. Her voice grew cold, her body, too. ‘About why Felix tried to burn down the stables. About Wren. Oh, Shen, there’s so much you need to know.’

Shen’s entire body was coiled with tension. ‘You’re scaring me.’

‘Good. You should be afraid. We all should,’ said Rose. ‘Oonagh Starcrest is back, and she wants war. She’s coming back to Eana,to Anadawn. She has already been once.’ She brushed the tendrils of hair from her shoulder to reveal the scars on her neck.

Shen stilled, rage flashing in his eyes. ‘She did this to you?’

His voice was low, dangerous.

Rose nodded. ‘Yes.’

He stared at her. ‘And you waited untilnowto tell me?’

‘Well, when I arrived you were a little busy watching women swallow swords and such …’ Rose trailed off. She knew how petulant she sounded. How ridiculous she was acting, but she couldn’t help it. ‘And then Elladora wanted her waltz.’

‘This is serious, Rose. You’ve been hurt.’ Shen traced his thumb along the scars, his gentle touch at odds with the murder in his eyes. He bit off a curse. ‘I’ll kill her,’ he said, more to himself than to Rose. ‘I swear I’ll kill her.’

Rose caught his hand to keep him from punching a window. ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’

‘Tell me everything,’ he said.

And so she did. Rose told Shen about Oonagh’s visitation, and the threat she had made about returning to snatch her throne back. About Wren’s curse and Alarik’s visit, including their trip to the Mishnick Mountains. She told him that their undead ancestor was out there, raising an army of her own. That Oonagh intended to fight for the throne. That they would need every willing witch and soldier to defeat her, but more importantly than even that, they would need a witch-made weapon to kill her. That without the blow from a witch-made weapon, Oonagh could never truly die.

When she was finished, Shen slumped to the floor and took a moment to weather the news.

Rose wrung her hands, waiting for him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t, she attempted to lighten the mood. ‘If you do this for me – for Eana – if you pledge to help us find and defeat Oonagh once and for all, then I promise I will forgive you for this horrendously insensitive celebration.’

He looked up at her. ‘How can you joke at a time like this?’

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