Page 101 of Thorns of Deceit: The Beast Within

Arye’s eyes widened as the meaning of her words set in. In a fluid motion, he sank to one knee before her, bringing her hand to his lips.

“Duchess Anathemark,” he murmured against her skin, his voice filled with reverence and barely contained desire, “please marry me. Become the Queen of Regalclaw.”

Tears pricked at Skylar’s eyes, a tremulous smile curving her lips. “Are you sure?” she whispered, hardly daring to believe this was real. Her free hand came to rest on Arye’s cheek, feeling the slight stubble there.

Arye’s answering grin was positively wicked. He turned his face, pressing a kiss to her palm. “You shouldn’t ask questions to which you already know the answers, my love.”

A laugh bubbled up from Skylar’s chest, light and free in a way she hadn’t felt in years. “I could get used to seeing you on your knees,” she teased, her fingers tightening around his.

“Oh, I’m quite sure I’d enjoy that too,” Arye replied, his eyes dancing with promise. The heat in his gaze sent a shiver down Skylar’s spine.

He rose to his feet, never breaking eye contact. “Marry me, Sky,” he said again, his voice low and intense. “I told you long ago—just say it, and I’ll burn down everything for you. Your wish is my command.”

Skylar’s heart soared, years of longing and desire finally finding their release. “Yes,” she breathed, the single word carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken promises.

As Arye stood, pulling her flush against him, Skylar felt a surge of boldness. She wound her arms around his neck, reveling in the liberty to touch him freely. “King Arye,” she said, her voice steady despite the rapid beating of her heart, “obey my first order: kiss me.”

A slow, predatory smile spread across Arye’s face. “As you wish, my Queen,” he growled, before crushing his lips to hers.

The world exploded into sensation. Arye’s lips were hot, demanding, claiming her with a ferocity that stole Skylar’s breath away. His tongue swept over her lower lip, seeking entrance, and she opened to him with a soft moan that vibrated through both their bodies.

Arye’s arms tightened around her waist, lifting her off her feet. Skylar felt weightless, anchored only by his touch. She wound her fingers into his hair, reveling in its silky texture, tugging slightly and eliciting a deep groan from Arye that sent shivers down her spine.

Their tongues danced, tasted, explored. Years of pent-up desire poured into every caress, every heated breath. Skylar nipped at Arye’s lower lip, drawing it between her teeth, and was rewarded with a low, animalistic growl that made heat pool in her core.

Arye’s hands roamed her body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. One hand slid up her back, fingers splaying across her shoulder blades, while the other dipped lower, gripping her hipwith a fervor that would surely leave marks. Skylar arched into him, pressing every inch of her against his solid form.

The kiss deepened, grew more desperate. Skylar wanted to lose herself in him, to forget everything but this moment, this feeling. She clung tighter, kissed harder, pouring all her longing into each touch.

Arye broke away, trailing scorching kisses along her jaw, down the column of her throat. Skylar tilted her head back, exposing more skin to his hungry mouth. When he reached the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, he bit down gently, then soothed the sting with his tongue.

A breathy moan escaped Skylar’s lips, her body trembling with need. “Arye,” she gasped, his name a prayer and a plea.

He captured her lips, swallowing her cries. One hand tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen the kiss even further. The other slid down to her thigh, hitching her leg up around his waist. The new position pressed them impossibly closer, and Skylar could feel every hard plane of Arye’s body against her softer curves.

When they finally broke apart, both were gasping for air. Skylar’s lips felt swollen, her body thrumming with electricity. She felt Arye’s heart pounding against her chest, matching the frantic rhythm of her own.

Arye rested his forehead against hers, his breath coming in hot pants against her lips. His eyes were dark with desire, pupils blown wide. “Sky,” he whispered, voice rough with emotion, “you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this. Wanted you.”

Skylar’s fingers traced the sharp line of his jaw, marveling at the freedom to touch him. “Show me,” she breathed, surprised by her own boldness. “Show me how much you want me.”

A low, hungry sound rumbled in Arye’s chest. He claimed her lips again, pouring all his longing, all his love into the kiss. And as the night air hummed around them, filled with the scent ofjasmine and the promise of more, Skylar knew that this was just the beginning.

EPILOGUE

His hand hovered over her chamber’s ornate door handle, a tremor of anticipation coursing through his veins. The day’s events—the ball, the battle, his father’s… unfortunate demise—whirled in his mind like leaves caught in a storm. But they paled in comparison to the one thought threatening to consume him whole.

She had agreed to be his Queen.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. On the day he’d claimed his father’s crown, he would also claim the woman who’d haunted his every waking moment and fevered dream. The gods, it seemed, had a twisted sense of humor. Or perhaps they simply knew better than to deny him what was rightfully his.

He pushed the door open, the soft creak of hinges shattering the night’s stillness. A faint scent of medicine and bathing oils wafted through the air, but he couldn’t care less.

The sight that greeted him stole the very breath from his lungs, surpassing even his wildest, most depraved fantasies.

There she stood, silhouetted against the moonlit window, more goddess than woman. Her nightgown, sheer as sin itself, clung to curves he’d ached to possess for far too long. His swordlay beside her on the windowsill, its steel glinting with deadly promise. The juxtaposition was exquisite—the instrument of death next to the embodiment of his deepest, most forbidden desires.

She belonged to him. Finally.

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