Page 108 of A Bride for the Winter King
I belong here, in the immensity of Winter. Ice can’t hurt me anymore. My senses reach down to the bottom of the lake, to the bed of the glacier, and I feel its power mold me into something formidable and endless.
Something better.
I raise a trembling hand to my head and skim the edges of a heavy yet intricate feminine crown.
Elio’s fingertips dig into the nape of my neck, his gaze riveted on my new accessory. “You’re so fucking beautiful. That crown… I’ve never seen anything like it. The glacier always wanted you…”
I raise a brow, crumbs of frost falling between us. “The glacierwanted me?”
“Iwanted you. Iloveyou. You’re my queen.”
The sex isn’t hard and fast, but slow and steady and maddeningly indulgent. Exquisite waves of pleasure lash through me as the union of our bodies consecrates my rise to Winter Queen.
Elio buries his fingers in the flesh of my waist and guides me up and down the length of his cock. I rock my hips, desperate to emphasize the grind, the pressure at the apex of my thighs spreading along my spine.
I want to see my husband reach his release inside of me—and only me. Forever.
He kisses my breasts with wicked intent, one hand snaking up to twist my cold, hard nipples. A gentle burst of ice zaps through them before he licks the frost off, my moans growing impatient and high-pitched as I curse him for playing with my body in such a cruel, cruel way.
“I’m close,” Elio says in a hoarse whisper. “I want you to scream as you come.”
He snaps his hips, filling me so deep, and my core throbs as I reach the peak. I scream, more than happy to obey his instruction, and the orgasm leaves me feeling intoxicated, happy, and boneless.
“Oh, Lori,” he cries out, and I feast on the sight of him falling apart, his hardness pulsing inside me.
We ebb down from the high, my nails still embedded in his neck, and breathe together until our rushed breaths soften into loving whispers.
“Look,” he says, spinning me around in his embrace. “It’s done.”
Sometime during our love-making session, the entire lake had melted, and I draw in a sharp breath, blown away by the beauty of the clear turquoise waters. The lights rise to the sky, joining their comrades in the vast expanse of the night.
Tears sting my cheeks as I think of the grieving families, but I can sense the souls' relief at being set free. Millions of them rise higher and higher before shooting upward with as many comets’ tails. Falling stars burning in reverse, shining bright for one last time.
Northern lights paint the starry sky in green, pink, and purple streaks, as though the gods are throwing a party for the new arrivals.
“It’s”—no adjective seems enough to describe this moment, my new husband’s arm slung across my waist, holding me closeas we watch the most beautiful spectacle nature has to offer—“perfect. I can’t believe we’ll get to see this every year.”
Elio nuzzles the side of my face with a sigh. “You still don’t fear my curse one bit, do you?”
“What curse?” I joke. “I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it. Next year, we’ll laugh about this, you’ll see.”
“Promises can be broken, little spider. Even the most solemn of them.”
I stand and stretch gingerly. “Stop pouting and take me home. We’ve had a grueling day. I want to sleep in your arms tonight.”
Ice creeps along the rim of the lagoon, and I hold out a hand to help Elio up.
He rises to his feet and wraps a protective arm around me. “Let’s go to my apartments in the Ice City. We can have some privacy before the reception tomorrow.”
“No, the tower.” The words leave my mouth of their own accord, as if the new magic inside me yearns to return to Iris’s bedchamber—perhaps to desecrate it as Elio suggested earlier.
“Are you sure?” he asks quietly.
“Yes. There are some ghosts there that need to be put to rest.”
Chapter 44
The Truth in your Lies
