Page 157 of House of Embers
“I’m a king,” he said, hoisting her up into his arms. “All that matters is my queen.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
The Very Last Night
Kerrigan stared wide-eyed at the ceiling.
Amond’s healing had helped ease her magic drain, but it still hadn’t recovered to its usual reserves, and it didn’t normally take this long. Whatever Fairgate believed, the crown had still exacted a price. Maybe it wasn’t permanent, but it was sluggish enough to matter on the day she’d need it, making it impossible to sleep.
Fordham had been true to his word: he’d taken her out of all the remaining meetings and forced her into a long, steaming bath that he’d reheated with his magic. Then he’d tucked her into bed with a kiss while he finalized things. She’d fallen into a deep slumber, only the mattress dip from him crawling in after her hours later had woken her up.
Now she couldn’t seem to find sleep. Fordham’s naked torso was highlighted in the moonlight. His brow was devoid of his usual skepticism, his dark hair tumbling forward over his forehead. He looked like a statue.
It was easier to focus on him rather than the impending battle. She didn’t want to think about it, but she knew that they might not make it out alive. Even if they won, they could die. Her father had shown her that truth. And now she couldn’t shake the fact that it was more aprobability than a possibility—a decidedly morose outlook the night before a battle.
She should have been confident, but she wasn’t.
She turned over to her side, placing her arm over Fordham’s and snuggling into him. His arm came around her, pulling her to him. She laid her head down on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Fordham breathed into her hair, “Can’t sleep either?”
She sighed. “Tomorrow is going to be rough.”
He tipped her chin up to look at him, then pressed a kiss to her lips. “Yes, it’s war.”
“What if…”
“Don’t do that,” he said gently. “The what-ifs can wait.”
“Yeah, but…”
“That can wait too,” he told her as he rolled her over on her back.
“What are you doing?” she asked right before his lips descended on hers. She kissed him like he was her lifeline, like if she stopped, then she’d cease to breathe. Her arms wrapped around his neck and drew him in closer.
“Kissing you,” he breathed against her lips.
“Yes,” she said.
“We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. There’s no forgetting where we are headed,” he said, pulling back to look into her eyes. The silvery light of the moon illuminated his gray irises. “But tonight there is only you and me. Just as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.”
She brushed her thumb over his bottom lip. “Just you and me?”
“Forever and always,” he promised.
He nipped at her thumb as he rolled over to cover her body. She stretched her arms high as his kisses moved down her body.
“And when this whole thing is over,” he said as his mouth found her breast, his tongue rounding the raised peak. “And I make you my wife.”
She shivered at that word.Wife.
“Then it’ll be for everyone else to know too.”
“I think everyone else already knows,” she teased with a knot in her throat.
Fordham continued his kisses, worshipping her body. Lower, lower, lower he went. “Publicly and contractually tied to me then,” he said as he kissed down her inner thigh. “You will be mine, and I will be yours.” Then he moved to the other leg to do the same. “But tonight…” His eyes lifted devilishly to hers, hovering between her legs like he was set to devour her. “I’ll speak those vows to you.”
Kerrigan swallowed. “Vows?”
