Page 57 of Conquering the King of Storms

“But…” I prompted him.

“But I won’t be able to protect either of you if we don’t get her some magic of her own soon.”

I frowned. “I thought she was too young.”

“Sheistoo young. And her father was a solar fae, so her magic shouldn’t naturally be this strong. But she was near us at the time of the death of the fae that flooded myself and the other kings with magic.”

My eyes widened. “So she got an equal portion of that extra magic?” It made sense, I guessed; her eyes had been glowing too.

“Yes.” His hand stroked my arm slowly.

“What if she’s stronger than you now?” I asked. “Would she need to lead your kingdom?”

“Leadership is a choice; power level is not. The strong always end up leading because the current leadership gets scared and goes after them. Me or the other kings don’t have that problem, and wouldn’t be afraid of Dove’s power.”

“Wait, what do you meanor the other kings?” I pressed.

“Dissiri could just as easily be a fire fae as a wind fae. That thought would terrify me if I wasn’t friends with the other kings; she could easily be seen as a threat.”

I nodded. “You guys are family though, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Exactly.” He studied me. “Tell me about your family, Sway.”

My face heated. “There’s nothing to tell. My parents pretty much left me to figure out everything for myself. I thought I’d found a family with Steven, but I was very wrong.”

His expression grew contemplative. “You wanted that?”

“I think everyone wants people they can love and trust enough to consider them family.”

Sirus nodded.

One of his hands slid around the back of my neck, digging gently into my curls. They were probably a wild mess, but I didn’t really care.

“You look beautiful,” he told me, his voice softer and lower, and his expression solemn. “But I can’t let you leave the room like this. One of your breasts is hanging out of your dress.”

A snort escaped me, and his lips curved upward slightly as I looked down and adjusted the top. It was pretty damn scandalous even when it was in place, but there was nothing I could do about that.

“All fixed. Now you can let me leave the room.” I flashed him a grin, and slid one of my legs over to the other side of him, so I could climb off the side of the bed I was closest to.

“Not quite.” The hand that wasn’t buried in my hair slid down my back and over my ass until it wrapped around my mostly-bare upper thigh. He used the grip to slide me upward until my face was right above his—and then he tilted his head back, and captured my lips in his.

My body heated as I slid my tongue against his, and his grip on my thigh tightened as his mouth responded to mine. They fought and danced, the movements rough in the best way.

He rolled me over until he was positioned over me, his erection throbbing against my core as we continued kissing. His knee parted my thighs, and I moaned into his mouth as I started rocking against his leg.

I reached for his erection, but he stopped me with a hand to my wrist.

It occurred to me, then, what he was doing.

Trying to pleasure me without letting me do the same for him.

If he was just being selfless, I would’ve been all over it in a heartbeat. But he wasn’t doing it out of selflessness; he was doing it because he still felt shame for what had happened between us.

And that was absolutely fucking infuriating.

So I pulled my mouth away from his.

His lips trailed hotly down my throat, pausing to suck hard every couple of inches. He’d be leaving a trail of hickeys, marking me, which was really hot. I wouldn’t protest that.

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