Page 78 of The Maleficent Faerie
Her golden head moves on my shoulder. She’s looking at the hourglass too.
Impulsively I move one hand to cover her eyes. But she has already seen it. I can tell by the sigh she releases.
“How long will it be, from the moment I prick my finger until I fall asleep?” she whispers.
“It will happen swiftly. Within a few minutes.” I stroke my knuckles over her shoulder, down her arm. “I need confirmation of something, Princess. Do you want me to keep your body here in Daenalla?”
“Yes.” She pushes herself upright. Goddess, her breasts are beautiful. Swallowing hard, I lift my hand to stroke one of them, to compress the soft, warm flesh under my palm. She doesn’t protest.
There is another question I must ask, though I hate to do it. “If this ritual doesn’t work, do you consent to your blood being used again, after your birthday?”
Her lips tighten as she slides off my body, sitting beside me on the rug. After a moment, she relents. “Yes.”
“I won’t let you die. You’ll be cared for with the utmost respect. I swear it on my own life.”
Softness wakes in her blue eyes. She leans down, presses her mouth briefly to mine. “I believe you.”
That gentle kiss breaks me. Panic roars through my body, wild and reckless—a frantic rejection of the idea of losing her.
Fuck everything and everyone else. Fuck the Edge, the Void, and the curse. Fuck the whole realm—let it be swallowed into oblivion. I’ll suffer the End gladly, if only I can have a few years of joy with this precious woman.
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Malec is gazing at me with worship and agony in his eyes.
“I can’t do this,” he bursts out. “I thought I could deny myself again and focus on the needs of Midunnel, but I can’t. I can’t yield you to the curse, Aura—not when I’ve just discovered who you are. We don’t have to do the ritual now—we can wait awhile—a week, a month, two months. A few years.”
His words send a warm, tingling thrill through my heart. They heal pieces of me that are still jagged and bleeding.
And they reveal the truth, with a sharp, sweet clarity.
He’d spare me, yes. We could spend more time together. But larger Caennith armies would come. Battles would be fought along the border and throughout the country, with people perishing on both sides.
Every day costs more precious lives from both our kingdoms.
But Malec looks so wretchedly hopeful, so intent on this new plan—I need to handle him carefully.
“We’ll wait, then,” I murmur, stroking the firm ridges of his muscled abdomen. “And now, I want you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“Turn over on your belly again.”
Obediently he flips onto his stomach, readjusting his wings. I run my palm over the smooth curves of his ass before smacking it lightly. “Are you my beautiful whore?” I say softly.
“Yes, Princess,” he breathes.
I slap his ass cheek again, and he moans with delight.
“And you’ll do exactly as I say?”
“I promise.”
I pick up my dress and pull it on, not bothering to lace it up.
“Close your eyes and count to a hundred,” I tell him. “And then come find me. I won’t be far away.”
I take a moment to admire him—the swelling muscles of his back, the joints of his gorgeous wings, his big shoulders, his silky raven hair, and his four proud horns. And that perfect rear, and those long, toned legs.
