Page 144 of Fae Reckoning

“Butwhat?”

“But I don’t want to wait for”—she rose from one of her elbows to wave in my general direction, encompassing my entire body—“you know,you. Half the time Hobart was talking I busied myself fantasizing about you.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me more.”

I knelt onto the bed, which put my dick at the height of her gaze. She dragged herself across the silk coverlet. Her hand was already reaching for me when I pulled back.

“Wait.”

“Why?” she whined, her fingers circling around my erection anyway.

“‘Cause I wanna revisit our vows. From our mating ceremony.”

“Now?”

I nodded. My hair had grown past my shoulders; I’d tied it back at my nape.

She sat back onto her knees and my gaze immediately found her plump, pert breasts. “Okay. That sounds … nice.” I felt her smile, and dragged my eyes up to her face. No matter how many of them she offered me, they felt like a special gift each time.

“I’ll say them fast though,” I offered. My desire pulsed through my body; my bond-beast was awakening. Soon it would push me to claim our mate.

She chuckled. “Yes, please.”

I settled back onto my knees as well. When she drew closer still, my hands couldn’t help but land on her thighs.

“You remember them?” she asked.

My chin jerked back into my neck. “Of course I do. They marked the most important day of my life.”

“Mmmm. That’s nice.”

Both brows arched. “Do younotremember them?”

One side of her mouth ticked up. It was one of her many mischievous looks. “Remind me.”

I clasped her hands atop her thighs and forced my attention to her eyes. They glowed a violet identical to olvidian’s pale flower—apropos, since she was as addictive as the drug distilled from the flower’s juice.

“Elowyn Xiomara Ashira, you are both mistress and queen of my heart. You are my mate, the essence that was designed to complement my own since the beginning of time. I will honor you today and forever with each of my thoughts, words, and actions. I will love you until the end of time.”

Her eyes shiny, the dewy luminescence of her skin a warm silver, she beamed back at me. Her voice was thick when she clasped my hands harder and intoned, “Rush Vega, you are both master and king of my heart, so you leave your crown on too. You are my mate, the essence that was designed to complement my own since the beginning of time. I will honor you today and forever with each of my thoughts, words, and actions. I will love you until the end of time.”

I took in the beauty of the female across from me until my vision blurred and my heart felt as if it had swelled to ten times its natural size. “Never has therebeen a more fortunate male than I. I’ve truly been blessed by the Ethers with the fortune of dragons.”

She chortled. “Well, now that the fortune of the dragons has been reversed so completely, I can agree with you. We’vebothbeen blessed with the fortune of dragons.”

I leaned forward, pressing my lips ever so gently to hers so she could sense how much of a treasure she was. She kissed me back, and just as the kiss was deepening, our bodies heating, our chests starting to heave, she pulled back, leaning her forehead against mine. Our crownstingedlike musical instruments as they brushed together.

“What is it?” I panted, her lips so close to mine.

“I changed my mind. I want to give you your gift now. Even joking, I don’t want you to think you have to do a single thing more to earn my appreciation.”

“I don’t.”

“Then let me give you my present.”

I inhaled, exhaled, dragged my face from hers, my chest away, struggling as if she were magnetic ore. “Let’s have it, then.”

“Well, don’t go sounding pushy now or I might change my mind again. It’s a fe?—”

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