“Unsettling? That’s one word for it.” Her sweet scent carries a whiff of ash. Alarm surges in my chest, triggering my purr.
I stoop and swing her up into my arms. Her neck stiffens. The rest of her melts against me, molding to my chest until her entire body is vibrating with my rumbling purr. Her perfume turns sweeter and thickens to nectar on my tongue.
“What are you doing?” She sounds drowsy from my purr’s soporific effect.
“There is something I want to show you.” Holding her close, I set off, marveling at how perfect she feels in my arms. But then, I shouldn’t be surprised.
She belongs in my embrace.
She belongs to me.
* * *
Rose
My mind is at war with my body. I hate that the king is carrying me, that he presumed to pick me up without asking. I hate the thrill that prickled under my skin when he swung me into his massive arms. I hate how I’m pressing myself against him. I hate the rumbling purr and how it makes my entire body relax like I just had a two-hour massage.
I hate how the evening air is soft and perfumed with moonflower scent. I hate how Bestian is carrying me like I weigh nothing. I hate the gorgeous five moons and how that little voice in my head whispers,Isn’t this romantic?as we travel through the gardens together.
But most of all, I hate how much I’m loving this. All of it.
We go through a covered walkway, and when we emerge, we’re bathed in lilac moonlight. Even at night, this place is stunningly beautiful.
It’s annoying.
“Do thewhispsdo all the landscape maintenance too?” I ask.
“Of course.”
“How do they work?”
“Magic.”
I realize I’m absently stroking the emerald green markings on Bestian’s chest and snatch my hand back. “Magic isn’t real.”
“Isn’t it?” He sounds amused. “I’m devoted to learning. I’ve studied magic all my life.”
“Where does it come from?”
“Members of my family all have innate powers, but the bulk of the magic I use comes from the kings’ symbiosis with the land.”
“Ask a stupid question,” I mutter.
“There are no stupid questions, little Omega.”
“And now you sound like my seventh grade science teacher. Except for the Omega part.” I snuggle closer to him, not because I need to, but because he’s warm and the night has a chill that penetrates my wrap.
“Settle, little one. We’re almost there.”
Something’s glowing up ahead. Bestian carries me through a massive archway, towards the gurgling sound of running water. Smack bang in the middle of a square courtyard is a frothing fountain surrounded by rows upon rows of lights.
No, not lights. Flowers.
The five moons are out, and they’re bright, but there’s no way they’re giving off enough light to be making those flowers glow in the dark like that. Each bloom glows as if it has a miniature lightbulb inside it.
The king lets me slide out of his arms. I hurry over to the nearest blossom, stroking its soft petals. “These look like moonflowers.”
“They are. That’s how they got the name.”
