Page 71 of Queen of Ever

‘Don’t put words in my mouth,’ I said, matching his light-hearted tone.‘Besides, are you telling me you don’t want me there?’

His arm tightened around me, and a seriousness entered his expression.‘I want you wherever I am.’

I laid my head back down on his chest.‘There is another option,’ I said after a long moment, finally breaking the silence with the words I didn’t want to speak.It still sounded too ridiculous to be real.‘One that could potentially negate a war.’

‘Oberon’s power gives you the right of challenge,’ he said as if he was reading my mind.But what he felt about that, I couldn’t say.He kept his emotions from his voice, hiding his thoughts from me.

‘Apparently.’I couldn’t bring myself to put anything into that single word.‘If I did, theoretically I could reunite the realm and we’d all hold hands and sing kumbaya or something.’

‘Kumba-what?’

I shook my head.‘Human thing, never mind.’We lapsed back into silence, one that made me increasingly anxious, not only because of my thoughts but because I wanted to know his.Part of me wanted him to tell me what I should do so that I wouldn’t be responsible for the outcome of this, so that I wouldn’t be responsible for the lives of so many.

‘What do you want to do?’he asked instead, his tone gentle.As if it was as simple as what I wanted.

I sighed.‘I don’t want to do any of it.I want to just run away with you to some remote place where we don’t have to worry about crowns and thrones and kingdoms.Somewhere like Fiji, where they serve you cocktails on a warm beach and the only thing you have to worry about is reapplying sunblock.’

‘You say the strangest things sometimes.’

Right.That fantasy was another human thing, I supposed.Life was so much simpler when I thought I was human.

‘I don’t want to rule,’ I said finally.‘I wouldn’t even know how to start.’

‘Some might say that makes you perfect for the role.’

‘Well, they’re idiots.’I ran the tip of my nose back and forth across his skin as I thought it through.‘But I guess we need to figure out a way to deal with Moriana at some point.This does sort of provide a solution.’

‘Leave my mother to me,’ he said, and his tone was dark, now, no longer teasing or soft.I knew it was more than a want, heneededto deal with her.He needed to take back the power she had stolen from him for so many years.Just thinking about it, imagining what she’d done to him in that time, made me feel sick.She likes to ruin things, he’d said.From what I’d gathered, her favourite project was ruining him.But even if he wanted to take her on, how was he going to defeat her when she could bring him to his knees with just a word?

‘And Solas?You’re just going to leave him to me, are you?’I asked sceptically, propping myself up to look at him again.‘No problem.Can’t fight to save my life—literally—and I have no idea how my magic works.Should be a piece of cake.’

‘It does things to me when you sass me.Keep it up and you’ll be asking for trouble,’ he warned.He gripped my chin and kissed me hard, stealing my breath and making me want to see what kind of trouble he meant.

All too soon, he released me.‘I’ll teach you how to use your magic.Notto fight Solas, but because I’d feel better if I knew you could protect yourself.’

‘I suppose that means we have to get out of bed now, doesn’t it?’I asked reluctantly.I wasn’t foolish enough to think that Solas and Moriana would sit around and wait for us to be ready.

‘I wouldn’t say that.’His lips curled into a wicked smile.He pulled me to him again, sending that thrill through my body as he pressed against me, as he leaned in, his breath caressing my lips.

A loud knock interrupted us, making my body stiffen.It was far too easy to forget where we were when we were together.There were always far too many people around us.Perhaps a holiday to a tropical island in the Human Realm wouldn’t be such a bad idea when this was all over.

‘Get your pants on,’ Ethan’s voice called through the thick wood.‘The queen would like to speak to you.’

‘Why would she send Ethan?’I asked in confusion.Maybe it was because of his relationship to me but it seemed strange when he was considered a traitor.Or perhaps only his brother felt that way.

‘Does it matter?’Tarian asked, holding me a little tighter, as if he had every intention of picking up where we’d left off.

‘Hey!’I said, doing my best to pull out of his grasp.‘We can’t keep her waiting.’

‘Why not?’

I gave him a stern look.‘You should speak with her.’

‘This isn’t a real court.’

‘Why not?Because it’s not High Fae?’I asked.‘Whatever the High Fae think, they deserve to be treated with the same respect as anyone else.And that means treating their leader with the same respect you’d treat a High Fae ruler.’

He let out a sigh of resignation.‘Fine, I’ll speak with her, if that will make you happy.’

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