Her face fell. “We’re not meeting at the cafe tonight?”
Roman shook his head. He didn’t remember making dinner plans with her tonight. “No. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The woman fled the infirmary in a whirl of red hair and resentment. “I take it the tattoos aren’t for her.”
Roman would have recoiled if Alex weren’t holding a needle over his chest. “They’re for my mate.”
Alexander’s hand froze. “I thought your mate married another man. Broke the bond. Put our entire kingdom in danger, if you believe the old religious texts.”
“The gods bonding me to Vivian was a mistake,” Roman replied matter-of-factly. “Her identical twin sister, Violet, is my true mate.”
Alexander chuckled. “Makes sense.” He began puncturing Roman’s skin, leaving tiny trails of fire in his wake. “The townsfolk will be glad to know the gods gave you another mate.” He leaned back and dipped his needle in the black ink again. “Why haven’t you announced her yet?”
If the people wanted to think the gods bonded them, Roman would let them. “She’s traveling right now. We were going to announce her when she’s back home.”
Alexander hummed. “Does she know about all this?” He waved a hand over Roman’s upper body.
Roman looked down at the intricate artwork that would soon cover his entire upper body. “They’re a surprise.”
In hindsight, he should have asked Violet if she liked tattoos before having his entire torso covered in them.
* * *
Princess,
How was your first week in the Mountain Kingdom? Two weeks ago, I sent a carriage with more money, shells, and warmer clothes for you. By the time you get this, it should already be there. I hate that the Mountain Kingdom is so far away. Waiting weeks for a letter back is excruciating.
To answer your question in your last letter, yes, I still go to the pleasure house, but not to see the shows. I go because I remember how you looked, flushed and squirming, fighting off the need to slip your hand under your dress and stroke your slick little cunt.
Sometimes I rent out one of the elite boxes and imagine pressing your front against the glass while I eat you from behind. It always was your favorite part of the show.
Would you like that, princess? Or would you rather I fucked you against the glass instead?
Fuck, I miss you.
One hundred and eighty-one days.
Obsessively Yours,
Roman
P.S. There’s a sweets shop in town that makes a new chocolate I want you to try. It’s become my favorite indulgence, though I think your pussy will replace it once I’ve had a taste.
25
Violet tapped her coal pencil against her sketch pad, trying to figure out what reason the Mountain Queen had for sewing her dress hems above her ankles as opposed to the full-length dresses everyone else in the Mountain Kingdom wore. Was it rude to ask?
Amelia had taken Violet under her wing, and her female companionship was a nice reprieve from Griff and Ares. Violet loved them, but they got on her damn nerves sometimes.
Amelia’s unique fashion drew Violet to her. One seamstress Violet had visited in the Mountain Kingdom claimed the dresses to be human fashion, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Violet had just been in the Human Kingdom, and no one wore theinterestingfabrics the queen donned at least twice a week.
Amelia’s dresses were always in the traditional Mountain Kingdom style—tight long sleeves and bodices with full skirts—but the shorter hems hovered well above her ankles in the front and were never straight. Sometimes her dresses were in the common cool-toned colors of winter, but three of them were made of the ugliest fabric Violet had ever seen, and she always wore tall leather boots in a green the color of vomit.
She also wore a gold necklace with a trout fish pendant. None of it matched her personality, and once, Violet had heard Rennick grumble something about Amelia’s necklace, but the queen had silenced him with a scathing look.
Despite Amelia’s odd taste in fashion, she was fun to be around, always on the go and talking about whatever book she’d read.
King Rennick, on the other hand, could not be more different. Or terrifying.
