Page 108 of Queen of the Night
“Will they be destroyed by you and Vera bridging? Or will you have to banish them behind lucent again?”
I pause. I don’t actually know how any of it works. Jethonannever explained that part to me. “That’s something I intend to find out.”
She directs her attention to Vera over the low rumble of nature sounds and voices. “Does Renton know who you are?”
Vera nods. “He knows I’m a Black Tulip and plans to bridge with me.”
I find my hand fisting on my leg beneath the table.
She looks at me. “But he won’t be able to if I bridge with someone else first.” She realizes a second too late what she said before the crowd, and I see her sink into her chair, her knee pressing against my thigh with the motion.
But even with her embarrassment, her eyes meet mine with so much invitation I barely manage to stay seated. I’m ready to leave tonight, retrieve the flower I left in Moneyre, marry, and bridge. The words are practical to everyone else, but to me, they hold promise. When Vera meets my eyes, her cheeks warm even more.
The meal continues with the low hum of conversation. Plates are cleared, the night grows late, and still conversations continue. I watch Vera talk and laugh with a nymph the color of a blushing rose, but she must feel my gaze on her because she glances my way and tilts her head with a question in her eyes. I simply quirk my lips in a half-smile as an overwhelming rush of affection runs through me. I sit back, for the first time feeling like I can fix things for my people. At times I can still hardly believe I found a Black Tulip—not only found one, but fell in love with her too. My heart was vulnerable to Vera from the moment I met her—I felt it. The fear, the knowledge, that I’d fall for her before I could distance myself was there from the beginning. I smile as I realize the woman I thought I could never have… is the only one I ever needed.
The night is quiet around us as we walk hand in hand up wide leaf stairs, the noise of celebration behind us gradually replaced with soft chirping from crickets and the rustle of leaves in the warm breeze. It feels surreal to hold her hand in mine without the weight of secrets between us, our magic twisting and curling together, natural and free. We don’t speak, but the warm tension between us is heady. I hesitate to speak and disrupt it, but I have one question that simmers in my mind.
“You never told me what Odella showed you.”
“Is that you asking?” Vera smirks, but I see a hint of worry as her brows draw together.
“Sort of.” I offer a casual smile to hide the fact that it’s been killing me not knowing.
“I never saw the original seer vision, but the one she showed me matched the one I’ve heard about… a Tulip bridging with a being of darkness. Someone like Renton—the same thing they saw hundreds of years ago.” Fear glimmers in her eyes. “I don’t want to be that person.”
“You won’t.” I squeeze her hand, attempting to reassure her.
“I’ll believe you once we’ve bridged.” She smiles wryly as we reach the landing that leads to our rooms.
“That day can’t come soon enough.”
She looks up and meets my eyes with a smile on her lips that’s so tempting it takes everything within me to not pull her to me and claim her mouth with my own. I resist leaving her at her door like I know I should. She appears reluctant to end the evening as well, but when she slips her hand from mine, I quickly shutter my disappointment. I expect her to say goodnight and enter her room. Instead, she holds my gaze as shepulls the length of her hair forward, letting it fall over the front of her shoulder before she slowly turns and rests her palms lightly on the dainty wood railing overlooking the forest beneath us. The three moons and flickering tiny lights amidst the trees offer a warm glow, and in the distance, I can still hear the nymph party, but right now all I can focus on is the small tulip mark at the base of her neck.
I hesitate to move, or even breathe. She’s always been too intentional about hiding her mark for this to be anything other than her gifting me every last remnant of her trust. My eyes rove the lines of her mark, so small, so stark against her fair skin. I step forward, fearing if I touch her, she’ll run. I take the risk and slowly slide my hands down her upper arms, watching for any sign that she doesn’t want my touch.
She turns her head to look over her shoulder, standing so still I hardly see her shoulders rise and fall with the movement of even breath. I still, giving her a moment to step away, to turn around, to run if that’s what she wants… but she stays, unmoving, as if waiting for me to make the next move.
I slowly lift a finger and reverently trace the outline of her mark, not missing the way her breath catches… the warmth that begins to burn between us.
Chapter 60
Vera
My heart races, but I remain still as his warm finger grazes my skin and gently traces the mark I’ve kept hidden for a lifetime, leaving a warm, tingling trail. I battle the instinctive urge to spin around, to continue hiding like I always have, but I impulsively offered an invitation… and he took it. The only thing that moves are the petals of my dress gently fluttering in the lightest of warm breezes. I rally the confidence gained from the conversation we shared earlier, long looks shared across the table over dinner, and the low light from the moons shining on us… my walls are defenseless against him.
His hand slides from my arm to my waist, and a moment later, my breath hitches as he leans down and kisses my mark so gently my eyes begin to burn. Tingles race across my skin as the light scratch of a day’s worth of scruff on his jaw brushes the warm curve between my shoulder and neck, where he leaves another slow, soft kiss that sends heat running down my arm. Another stilted breath when his lips brush my skin again as he makes his way toward my shoulder… I can’t resist any longer.
All at once, I turn, and his arms come around me as his lips claim mine, firm and warm. My lower back presses lightly against the railing as I cling to his solid waist, and our magic twists and curls around us, mixed with his incredible scent and the strength beneath my hands as they move from his waist to his back.
Our kiss deepens as one of his hands slowly slides from my back and up into my hair, and with it, I let the years of hiding, weeks of wanting, and days of fearing he was gone pour out of me as I pull him closer, all of it replaced with a warmth and confidence I never knew possible. Here in Ikar’s arms, I feel whole for the first time. Safe.Free.
His other hand cups my cheek, caressing, even as he begins to pull away. In a desperate attempt to match his retreat, I rise to my tiptoes, but he laughs low and rough as he breaks our heady kiss.
“I intend to be a gentleman.”
I know exactly what he means. Those words are both comforting and infuriating when all I want is him. Instead of backing away and leaving as I fear he’ll do, he enfolds me in his arms and rests his chin gently on my head. I place my cheek against his chest, pleased to hear that his heart beats as rapidly as mine.
“I love you,” I whisper. I know he’ll hear it. Maybe I should’ve looked in his eyes or said it louder, but the words have already left my lips.
