Page 46 of The Cursed Crown

The queen was one to be hands on with the running of her court; she showed them the way herself, settling Rissa in a room more opulent than the one she'd occupied at her father's home. Although the gilded bone decor wasn't really to her taste.

Rissa practically leaped to the bed the moment she was left alone.

That was the first night she dreamt of him.

The In Between

She opened her eyes in the very same bed where Rydekar had left her three days past, but this time, he was lying down next to her, under the covers.

Quite conscious of the fact that she was in the City of Bones, she knew right away that she was dreaming.

Rydekar looked just as she remembered him, to the smallest crease of his eye, the slightest dip in his sensual lips.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" His voice sounded groggy, as though he'd also been asleep.

"It's my dream. You tell me."

He laughed, the sound low and throaty. Then, shifting on the bed to close the distance between them, he hovered over her. Close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath. To catch his scent.

"Does this feel like a dream, Rissa dear?" His hand touched her forehead ever so softly, before brushing a curl off her forehead.

It didn't. Not at all. She could feel him, his hand, his heat.

"I'm not in the Old Keep. You're not with me." She couldn't make sense of it.

"Your body might be a little far, but it seems you've found your way to my bed all the same, princess." Rydekar chuckled. "The question is why."

She narrowed her eyes. "You're a smug bastard even in my imagination."

Rydekar chuckled, and the bed shook under him. "You don't have the creativity to imagine the likes of me. No, your mind reached out to me tonight." He smirked. "Did you miss me?"

She'd rather remove her fingernails with pincers than admitting as much. "How do I knowyouaren't the one invading my mind?"

"Because this is my room. If I came to you, we'd be wherever you're staying."

Damn him, but it made sense.

Rissa could only pout, and switch to another topic. "How does this work? I didn't know it was possible to reach someone's mind like this. It's…vivid. Is that a power of yours?"

He shook his head, seeming far too amused. "I'm not doing anything, princess."

"I thought I was a queen," she quipped.

He shrugged. "Act like it and we'll talk."

Bastard. Part of her wanted to tell him what had happened today. How the Court of Bones had seemed to embrace her without her doing anything. The crown she dreaded didn't seem quite so heavy up here, with these people.

Rydekar wouldn't care, though.

"Have you made it to the Wilderness yet?"

She shook her head. "We're in Deanon. It's been…" She hesitated. "Interesting."

"How so?" Rydekar asked, genuinely curious.

Rissa attempted to curb her excitement and seem casual. "They were nice to us. You know, welcoming. They were attacked, but burned the human soldiers." This, Rydekar would be interested in. "They were strange, Rye. There was an aura of magic about these corpses. Queen Sura thinks they might have enhanced the human soldiers, using some sorcery. They burned all the same."

"The Bone Queen is known for her savagery. Good to hear her reputation wasn't exaggerated. Is Khal still with you? Are you safe?"

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