Page 46 of The Princess's Chosen

"Aric," I growled. "I don't knowhowto run a thieves' court."

"You need someone strong, someone who knows the rules and the history but won't be married to them, to try and mold you into old kings."

"Quit pretending you haven't already thought of someone for me," I scoffed, and Aric's grin flickered to life.

"You have allies," he said.

I frowned and stared at him, thinking. "Scrapper's not right, is he?"

"No, but he'll be a faithful spy for you. Probably better than he was for me because you're prettier."

Quit flirting with me!I wanted to shout, except that I was enjoying the sudden shift between us and thinking over and over the kiss in the stairwell, the grip and bite of him.

"Griffin," I said instead.

Aric pretended to consider this, even though Griffin was the only other thief I knew. "She's not well liked, but that just means she won't have friends she tries to influence you for. She's fierce, the men know not to crack jokes behind her back and the women respect her. She's just lawful enough to suit you, but still a rogue at heart."

"You're very amusing when you try to act like you haven't been steering me in that direction," I said.

"I think quickly. I was certainlynotexpecting you to take on Emory," he growled, brow arching. "I thought you'd send Stark to save my neck."

"I would've had to argue with him that you were worth saving, and I didn't think I had the time," I said.

"You were probably right," Aric said, nodding. His lips curved up. "Have I said thank you yet?"

"You've absolutely let it slip your mind," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

His grip on my hips tightened and he pulled me in, fitting us together so I had to tip my head back to look up into his face. "Thank you, princess," he purred, and I waited just a beat too long for his face to lower to mine before I realized he was waiting for something.

"What will you do now?"

"Hmm, I could just manage the bar, although Otto doesn't like it when I'm underfoot too much…" Aric pretended to think again as I held my breath. "I suppose, if you wanted the help, I could continue doing research on your magic, maybe even teach you ways to control it as you release."

My eyes widened at that. "Do you think so? How…how exactly would you do that?"

Because we both knew perfectly wellhowandwhenI released the magic.

Aric sobered and stared back at me. There were faint strands of the revelry from the bar beneath us rising through the floorboards, but we were alone, in the relative quiet, waiting for something to fall into place between us.

"Do you still choose me?" Aric asked, brow furrowing and words careful, just shy of worried. "After all that I said and the ways I hurt you, do you still…?"

Did I still want Aric?

"You are, and always have been, my Chosen," I said softly, holding his gray gaze.

And when his hand rose to circle the back of my neck, our bodies colliding, my arms circling his shoulders as our lips met in a frenzy of begging and demanding, the Hunger purred smugly in my chest.

16

Bryony

Aric groaned as I sucked on his bottom lip, my fingers raking through coarse strands of his hair, his own palm gripping my ass and holding me tight to his hips.

"Please," I managed as I pulled away for a breath, but Aric wanted his revenge for my teasing.

He straightened from the table, his arm circling my hip and lifting me from the floor, his teeth dragging over my lips before his tongue plunged between them. My knees lifted, squeezing around Aric's waist, my skirt taut between us. My back met the door we'd shut behind us, and Aric pinned me there, my hips wedged between his and the wood surface. He nuzzled down against my jaw and I stretched my neck, trying to guide him to my pulse where I was especially sensitive. His hands shifted to my thighs, tugging my skirt up and out of the way. I whimpered as he bit my throat, and the chafe of horseback riding without my saddle met the coarse fabric of his pants.

"What do you need, princess?" Aric rasped, nipping and sucking on my skin.

---