“Do you remember the oath you made to me the day we sparred?”I ask.
“I remember.” He chuckles and sweeps his hair away from his forehead. “It’s hard to forget when you pledge your love and loyalty to someone while tied up in vines.”
“I suppose it is.” I glance at the Posseda and stroke it with my thumb. “I’m ready to make my oath to you, Kyron.”
He sobers. His Adam’s apple bobs and the shield of confidence that he always wears wavers, leaving him vulnerable to this moment. “Only if that’s what you want. I’m in no rush if time is what you need.”
“I want it.”
I lock eyes with him and caress his stubbled jaw. So many words collide in my head, declarations of love and oaths to forever adore him. Each phrase is as sweet as sugar and as beautiful as a sunset. I want to make a pledge filled with frilly words, but my mouth moves with something more simplistic as I say, “I stand in this holy place and vow to the Statera that my heart, mind, and body are yours. Until my final breath leaves my lungs, I will hold you above all others. May our love guide my rule, and I find my greatest strength with you by my side.”
“Is this your way of saying that one day you will be my wife?” he asks, a touch of the playfulness that has been dimmed by the last few days sparking to life in his eyes.
“One day when everything isn’t shrouded with so much hurt and those who are missing can witness it, I’ll vow to be your wife. Until then…” I take his hand and press it to my thigh where the Eporri lies. Holding the Posseda between us, I nod toward the stone. With furrowed brows, he covers it and my hand with his. As if I’ve spoken the ancient language my entire life, I chant the incantation that has rested on the tip of my tongue since I noticed him here with me.
The power bestowed upon Pliris’ kings and queens dances around us in soft, fragments of color and brushing against our skin. The Statera’s gift radiates in a way that it didn’t during our anointments as future rulers. It’s vivid, strong, and elated to bless the future king of Pliris.
When the singsong words finish, I declare to the Statera. “You are the future sovereign of Lucent—the unifier of Pliris, Kyron Niklaus LeFur.”
“Raelle?” he whispers, a small attempt to stop me.
He feels it too. I know he does. This need to make it official, to bind him in a way that will fix all the wrongs of the past.
The words continue to flow from me. “May you rule with a pure heart, just hand, wise mind, and be the embodiment of the Statera’s immaculate balance to all within our kingdom.”
The second it’s done, I release a long sigh, and the power whirring through us stills. For the first time since becoming queen, I’m at peace with what the future may hold. No matter what happens, Micah’s dream of a land where all are equal will come to fruition through Kyron. Together we will build a new Pliris.
I leave the Posseda in his trembling hand and walk down the last step, putting us on equal ground. Fanning out the skirt of my dress, I lower into a deep curtsy that brings me almost to the floor. “It will be my honor to rule with you, my future king.”
Kyron falls to his knees and hooks his finger under my chin, lifting my face. Beyond the tears welling in his dark eyes is complete adoration. “You bow to no one, not even me.” He moves closer and brushes his lips over mine. “Thank you, Raelle.”
I know his gratitude runs deep. Lucent has always stood between us. Obligation after obligation has hindered me from giving my all to him, but not anymore. I can’t relinquish my status as queen, but I can offer him to rule beside me, to share my life and my kingdom. I’m giving him my unadulterated trust.
Sliding my hands around his neck, I lower to my knees and press our bodies together. The Posseda falls from his grip, thumping against the floor. He cradles the back of my head and rubs the small of my back. Our lips touch gently and slowly until he brushes his tongue along the seam of my mouth. I open to him and his taste makes me lightheaded. My fingers tangle in his hair, and my mouth is bold against his, seeking his tongue and nipping at his lips.
I press my thighs together when his hand slides down and curves over my ass. He holds me against him, and the hard swell of him presses into my lower stomach. I pull on his tunic, needing to touch his skin. My fingers graze the soft thatch of hair below his navel, and he hisses, pulling back a little.
Desire burns in his eyes as he breathlessly says, “Careful, princess. I’m seconds away from hiking up your dress and taking you right here.”
His warning only stokes the fire burning inside me. I want him to do it. A mischievous grin pulls at my lips as I slide my hand between his legsand stroke the leather covering his cock. “Be careful what you promise, prince. I’m a queen now, I can command you to follow through.”
“Fuck, Raelle,” he groans, staggering to his feet and taking me with him. “You don’t have to command a damn thing. I’ll make good on my promise. Just not here.” He glances at the statue of his mother.
My laughter echoes throughout the empty sanctuary. “I suppose that’s a little awkward.”
“Just a little,” he says, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapping the Posseda in it. He slides the stone into his jacket pocket and pulls me against him again. “Besides, the way I want to worship my queen is better suited for my bed.”
“Lead the way, Your Grace.”
Twenty-Two
Kyron opens the door to his room, and I take a step back. It’s small, no bigger than a broom closet. The white walls are bare and in the back is a silver box with a grated door.
“What is this? Have you been sleeping in a cage?” The question is outrageous, but what am I to think? This is the door to his room.
His laughter is like rich honey as he slides the door up. He motions for me to enter and closes us inside. “It’s a lift, and it will take us to my room.”
He pulls a lever, and the metal floor trembles beneath us. I gasp and cling to the front of his shirt. I can’t see anything, but I can feel the cage lifting us into the air, far away from the ground. This thing is a death trap that can send me plummeting to my demise.
