Page 81 of The King of Frost and Shadows

Tavish.

His hair was messier than normal, adding a sexier edge to him, and he had a plate of food in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

I sat up, my muscles protesting, but they’d improved in the short time I’d been asleep. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep.

He winced. “I’m fine. Sorry about earlier.” He walked to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress in front of me. He avoided my gaze and said, “I brought you something to eat.”

Fish and mushrooms.

At least their menu now made sense to me. That was all they had, and I hated how judgmental I’d been when I arrived.

Taking the plate, I took a bite of the fish. I chewed it and swallowed, wishing it were a pizza or something equally more delicious. “Where have you been?”

“Caelan and Finnian took me to my study and sobered me up. Then they forced me to attend dinner with blasting Eldrin for the sake of appearances.” His nose wrinkled, and he ran a free hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. “Sprite, about earlier. I—”

“You don’t need to say anything.” Though Finnian thought Tavish and I would somehow work things out and be together, this wasn’t a fairy tale, and believing it could be would only set me up for disappointment and pain. “I understand why you think killing me is the only option andthat what you said while you were drunk isn’t true. You don’t have to explain.”

“But I do.” He climbed to his feet and paced. “Lira,thiswas never meant to be our future. From the day you were born until I turned fourteen, I believed you would be my wife and we’d be leading our people together. But your parents changed that the day they allied with the dragons, attacked my people, killed my parents, and forced us to relocate here. They not only betrayed us but also promised you to the dragon prince when you were supposed to bemine.”

No longer hungry, I put the plate next to me on the bed. My stomach twisted into knots. “What do you mean they promised me to a dragon prince?” The image of the blond-haired man popped into my head again, this time with a smug smile and smoke trickling from one nostril.

He placed the glass on the table, and his wings sagged. “You are supposed to marry him in the next few years.”

The thought of marrying someone I didn’t know and not Tavish had my heart aching worse than ever before. “But I didn’t agree to that.”

“It doesn’t matter. Your parents gave their word.”

The irony of the whole thing stole my breath. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ll be dead soon after all.”

Tavish leaned toward me and took my hands. The usual buzz increased to a jolt that thrummed between us, partially filling a void inside me that I’d never noticed before.

“I meant everything I said when I was drunk.” His irises lightened to silver. “More than anything in this realm, I wish our future had never changed and we could be together. More, I regret finding you and bringing you here. I wish I had searched harder for another way to break through the veil because I’d giveanythingfor you to have the life you deserve. If I could turn backtime—”

My heart pounded, and that damntughad me leaning forward. I could see how much he cared and that he felt cornered, trying to do what was best.

This time, I pressed my lips to his. We were opening up to each other, but the course had been set. Everything we said at this point was futile.

“Lira,” he whispered. The raspy cadence rolled off his tongue like a song, and he kissed me.

My little bit of self-restraint snapped, and with his mouth molding to mine, logic faded away. His tongue begged for entrance, and I responded happily. Our tongues collided, and his taste reminded me of winter frost and night air.

The jolt between us turned electric as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he tangled his fingers through my hair. A faint burning sensation heated the skin in the center of my chest, but the pressure wasn’t awful and thrummed with power. The spot in my chest where the cool, refreshing pulsing came from sparked to life, along with the warmth next to it, coursing through my body in tune with the burn.

Each stroke of his tongue and brush of his fingertips distracted me and had me yearning for more.

I slid my hands up his tunic, feeling the smooth curves of his muscles, and he shuddered at my touch.

He shifted his weight over me, and I gladly lay back, wanting his entire body over mine.

Groaning, he sucked on my tongue and cupped a hand over my breast. I gasped as my body arched; the sensation was overwhelming, and heat exploded throughout my body.

Needing more, I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling his body against mine. Now he gasped, thrusting against me, allowing me to feelhow hard he was. His finger rolled across my nipple, and I pulled back a little to bite his bottom lip.

“Blighted abyss, sprite,” he murmured. “You’re blasting perfect. I love how you respond to me.”

His fingers slipped under the top of my gown, touching me without any barriers. A desperate ache formed between my thighs, and I rubbed against him again, needing the friction.

“Calm down because, if you don’t, I won’t be able to give you the night you deserve.” He chuckled and lifted his head.

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