The smile on my lips curls around each of my letters, causing his jaw to clench.
It’s so wonderful.
“Be careful.” I kiss his jaw. “First, you let an assassin in, and now you’re at war with your wife, which means our kingdoms are on the verge of war again. Don’t let your nobles see your mistakes. That’s two strikes; a third, and you’re out.”
Galen shoves his spine into his chair.Perfect posture won’t fix this mess, hubby.
“Leave us, Titus,” he orders.
That’s exactly what I wanted you to say, Galen. Now Titus can leave the room in case he time-weaves.
As soon as the doors close, I sit back in my chair and croon, “Oh, Galen, you played right into my hands. I’ve wanted him gone from the moment he came to unbind me. I knew all I had to do was piss you off, so you’d excuse him.”
You lose. Again.
He plucks the orange from my hand, rips off a slice, and swallows it whole.
“If you were a woman, your swallowing skills would impress me. Instead, you look like a gluttonous oaf.” I giggle. The blush on his cheeks must chafe terribly.
“You think I underestimated you, but I know what you crave,” he spits.
“A craving is a desire. Desires change faster than the sun can retreat from the sky.” I grab my fork and stab a sausage with it. “You have no idea what I want now, what I am planning on doing. That terrifies you.”
His eyes follow my hands as I slice the sausage into tiny pieces.Yes, Galen, this is a symbol for your dick!
“Naturally, you know I want your head after what you did to me, so you’ve put Titus in my path. Made him disposable. You want me to kill him so that you can declare war again.” I sink my teeth into the meat and make sure to chew slowly.
He rubs his jaw. “I can’t let what you did go unexcused.”
“Neither could I.” I set my fork down. “You wanted war; congratulations, you now have one.” I stand and stab the knife into the polished wooden table. “Watch me end it,” I declare.
“Don’t you mean win it?”
“I’m the type of enemy that burns it all down, husband. No one wins. You should have considered that before the game began. I have nothing to lose. My brother is dead. I’m married to a prick who, yes, has a nice dick, but niceties only go so far. You’ve never fought a war like this, Galen. All your enemies had treasures they fought to keep safe. I don’t, therefore I don’t care who wins, only how it ends.”
I round the table when he says, “If attempting to kill Titus costs you two dozen fae nobles, imagine how many more will die if you succeed the next time you try.”
Good. In Galen’s eyes, I have an excuse not to kill Titus, but to endure him.
Thank you, Galen, for making it easier for me, you fool.
I halt, then turn to face him. “If you never wanted the war between our people to end, then why did you agree to the marriage?” I ask.
He takes a slow sip of his goblet, making me wait as he cleans his lips. “Because I wanted you.” He arches a brow. “The sole method to obtain you was to mislead your father into thinking I desired peace.”
What?
“You never met me before the marriage.” I want to hide my shock. I can’t.
“Tales of your beauty have been the courtly gossip for months; kings collect beautiful things, Selene, so that’s not alarming. But there was another truth woven into the rumors, one that made you stand out over your twin. Ask me what it is.” He smirks. “Come on, I know you want to.”
“You already told me. It was my magic.”
“Your magic was just an added benefit my people would admire.” He opens his hands as if he’s unrolling a tapestry that reveals the picture he wants. “A queen who saves lives on the battlefield is more respected and embraced than one who uses her death magic to slaughter. Queens should be seen as affectionate mothers, not vicious bitches.” He bites his lip as he grins. “Care to take another guess?”
I don’t want to be silent, but he’s managed to capture my tongue.
My skin tingles at the sound of his deep chuckle. “Fine, I’ll tell you.” He flutters his lashes like a feline seducing its target. “It was said you bowed down to no one. You don’t use fake flattery as your weapon like most women do. You use your sharp tongue. You fight head-on, whereas your twin prefers a knife in the back.I like to fight head-to-head. I want to see those eyes as I force you into submission.
