Page 22 of Conquering the King of Storms

Ivy hadn’t told me that.

Did she know?

“I was stronger than the queen, and full of rage. She was cocky. My sister and I found her, and I ripped her heart out of her chest. The kingdom was glad that she was gone, but her death didn’t take away my pain. Felaria moved into the castle with me, but she blamed me for our parents’ death and thought I owed her. I mourned alone, for not only my parents but for her as well. Eventually, Quake showed up hoping to make a peace treaty to satisfy the rebels in his land. We became friends, and sought out Flood when we heard he had taken control of thewater fae, creating another treaty. We were planning to do the same with Flame, but then he declared war.”

My eyebrows shot upward, and Sirus chuckled. “It didn’t happen. We convinced him that friendship would be better, and true peace connected our lands. When Dove was born and I took over her care, it brought us together.”

“Lucky little girl has four overpowered father-figures in her life,” I drawled.

“Lucky… or unlucky.” His lips quirked upward, and I found mine doing the same. “I’m not a good man in the sense that most people hope for. My family matters more to me than my kingdom. I rule not because I’m a worthy king, but because I’m stronger than any of the other fae in our land. When someone tries to take control from me, I end their life without hesitation. There are many better men that fate could have paired you with, but now, I’ll protect you from all of them.”

My face was hot.

Really hot.

He hadn’t claimed me the way I was always hearing his wind whisper.

“You are mine, mate.”

“I’ll taste you soon, mate

“Soon you’ll be naked in my arms, mate.”

“I’ll hear your moans of pleasure soon, mate.”

But his words were just as possessive. And maybe even steamier.

Because he wasn’t just calling me his; he was telling me that he would kill anyone who tried to take me from him. That he would protect his people, his throne, and me with as much force as was necessary.

That was far more intimate than just a simple“me Tarzan, you mine”kind of thing.

And I wasn’t sure whether it terrified me or calmed me.

Maybe a little bit of both.

Sirus picked up the speed until he was moving so fast that I was panting, and his chest was rising and falling too rapidly to talk. He ran—and swam, at times—for hours, and luckily, there was no sign of any monsters. At least, none that I saw.

The tension in his expression told me that just because I wasn’t seeing them didn’t mean they weren’t there.

He finally stoppedfor the night (or what we were calling night) when I couldn’t keep my eyes open and nearly fell out of his arms because of it.

Though he looked exhausted, his eyes weren’t glowing, and his lips curved upward slightly when I shook my head hard, trying to wake myself up. Sirus set me down on a smooth-ish part of the rock, and my back pressed lightly to the wall. He made quick work of untying the vines connecting us, and put them beside me with a quick murmur that we didn’t need them anymore. Thanks to the mental-map of the cave his magic was creating for him, he seemed confident that he could keep track of me without a rope.

My dress and hair were still damp from the last swim we’d taken, but the warm, muggy air in the cave prevented me from being too uncomfortable with the wetness.

“I’m going to find us some fish, and then we’ll get some rest,” the king told me, brushing the backs of his knuckles over my cheekbone. “We’ll have to stay awake in shifts, but I can watch with the wind for now. Try to sleep while I’m gone.”

Fuck, I did not like the idea of him leaving me alone in that dark hellhole.

We did need food though, and I needed to rest.

So I nodded lightly.

A soft breeze wrapped around me as I stretched out on the ground. It wasn’t comfortable, but it had been ages since I slept somewhere that was actually comfortable, so I didn’t mind.

Exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes.

It feltlike I’d only just shut my eyes when Sirus woke me up with a gentle touch on my arm. His calming breeze was still rustling my dress, and I noticed that my clothes were dry.

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