Page 70 of Queen of Legends and Lies
He pulls back, cupping my face in his hands. “We will find a way. I promise you that. But we have to be patient. We have to trust in each other and in our abilities.”
I nod, leaning into his touch. “I do trust you. More than anyone.”
His tender smile makes my heart ache. “And I, you. Always.”
We stay like this for several minutes, drawing strength from each other.
“You know, it’s a Tirenese tradition that the event can’t end until the monarch dances. At least once.” His gold-flecked eyes sparkle.
The moment over, I sigh. “We talk about how much we trust each other, and you have to go and ruin it by lying to me?” My tiny jab to his stomach hardly makes his rock-hard abs flex, but he still laughs and pulls away.
“It’s not a lie.” He ponders for a second. “It’s a…prediction?”
“A prediction. Then it’s going to become a tradition?”
Grabbing my wrist, he tugs me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m sure of it.” He dips his head, lips hovering just above mine. “You dance so well. Even better when it’s with me.”
Except moving with him isn’t merely dancing. It’s foreplay set to music with onlookers galore. And that was before, when we had to hide what we felt about each other.
A wicked thrill runs through my body just remembering the one and only time we danced together.
It was a night to remember.
I’d just finished dancing with Jasper, and I was angry with Sterling. For so many things. But once we started gliding across the ballroom in sync, that anger faded away as the ratcheting heat built up between us.
“I think you might be right.” Stretching up, I wrap my arms around his neck. Warmth pours along my hands, my arms, and across my body, drawing him closer.
“In that case…” His lips brush over mine, chilling, tantalizing. A hint of what’s to come. “May I have this dance, my queen?”
Anticipation settles low in my gut. “Yes.”
As far as predictions go, it’s a good one. And it’s way past time to start making some changes around here.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I feel the divine presence before I’m fully awake. My eyes snap open, revealing the darkness of the bedchamber.
“I am Hallr, God of Stone and Mountains.” His deep, gravel-like rumble rattles my lungs.
Though I can’t see the god, there’s a shimmery presence at the foot of the bed.
According to the priests who tutored me as a child, the Hallr is known for being temperamental and greedy. He clearly expects an offering. Bitter fear coats my tongue, dry like the dust of rocks stirred up in a storm. I can almost taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. My pulse races as I scramble out of bed, careful not to wake Sterling.
Just as Narc expects offerings related to the dark, Hallr requires gifts connected to stone or the mountains.
But I have nothing like that. Not here in my room, in bed, while wearing only a nightgown.
How am I supposed to have an offering ready when he’s caught me sleeping?Think, Lark, think.
My room. My clothes. The dress Celeste ordered for me, bedecked with gems and jewels. Ripped and hidden away afterSterling and I headed back to the room, so no one would see the evidence of our impromptu sex in the throne room.
Not the best direction for my thoughts to go while in the presence of a god.
Like a treasure chest forgotten in the corner of a dusty cave, the wardrobe beckons with its sparkling contents. I can almost sense the stones pulsing.
A nearly perfect offering.
I grasp at the jewels, tearing loose the threads that were so painstakingly applied to secure them to the gown.
