Page 50 of Queen of Legends and Lies
No goddess is going to swoop down and fix this.
“Morning, love.” His voice is rough with sleep as his warm brown- and gold-flecked eyes blink open.
“Hey there.” I force a smile onto my face. “I’m not ready to confront the day. Want to stay in bed with me for a few hours?”
His eyes heat with desire, and he displays that wicked smile that always undoes me.
We’ve got an impossible mission ahead. But looking at Sterling, peering into those expressive eyes that hold so much trust and love, I know, together, we’ll find a way to defy prophecies and pissed-off deities.
Maybe.
For now, though, I just want to lose myself in him.
The next three days bleed into one another as I start my reign. There are meetings with stern-faced nobles, stressed-out merchants, and overly friendly craftspeople trying to win my favor. Hours bent over ancient tomes alongside Eldor and Bastian, trying our best to learn anything about different types of wielding magic.
The mundane, the magical, the minute, it all must be dealt with.
It’s exhausting, exhilarating, thrilling, frustrating, and so very, very tedious. The kingdom is a behemoth, well set in its ways. And little ole me is trying to change not just the way things are done, but how people view each other.
Not an easy task.
I glide through the corridors of the palace, my mind a flurry of parchment scrolls and heated council debates.
“Your Majesty, the designs for your coat of arms.” A squire—one of the many who work small errand duties in the hopes of being recognized by nobility or major tradespeople—presents me with vellum sketches of phoenixes and dragons entwined.
“Thank you.” I nod, barely glancing at the images before handing them off to Astrid Fleming, my new aide.
She’s an intelligent young woman who came highly recommended by both Alannah and Rhiann. Her chestnut waves end just above her chin, framing her oval face. A smattering of freckles covers the bridge of her nose, and her honey brown eyes brim with kindness.
She’s been a godsend.
My thoughts are already on the mountain of tasks before me. There’s so much to learn, so much to do. I was raised as a noble, but I know very little about kingdoms and court politics. Though over the last few days, I’ve gotten a crash course.
Murmuring voices pull me from my solitude as I enter the hallway, where I find Sterling, his gait confident despite thepallor still clinging to his skin. Healer Luci’s potions are working their slow magic. Celeste lingers at his side, her blond waves haloing her face.
Jealousy strikes, swift and hot, like a rogue flame licking at my heart.
But then he sees me.
The world tilts back into place as Sterling’s smile breaks through the fog of negative emotions.
And I return that smile with interest.
Seeing him staring at me, Celeste retreats toward the palace entrance, giving a low bow as she passes and disappears.
“Got a moment?” Sterling doesn’t even notice her departure, causing warm tingles to shoot up my body.
I’m grinning like an idiot, but I don’t care. “For you? Always.”
His anchoring presence holds me steady when the tides of duty and prophecy threaten to sweep me away. Together, we’ll face the challenges ahead. Without gods, without mercy. Just us against the world.
“I was hoping you could join me to go over the replacement recruits for the palace guards.”
Sterling steps up beside me. “Healer Luci has cleared me to do light physical training, so I can at least put the newbies through their paces.”
“What a coincidence. I was just heading to the training fields to go over the new additions to the royal guard.” My sweeping gesture encompasses my tunic, breeches, and weapons. “Didn’t you notice my attire?”
“Nope.” His eyes twinkle as he shakes his head, his silky black hair shimmering in the afternoon light. “You smiled at me. That was all I noticed. Now, if you were naked…”
