But we weren't alone.
I yanked away from my husband with a Herculean show of strength. His eyes were glowing, his facial bones sharper, and his scales had crept down, bordering his neck to disappear in his tunic. In short, he was ready to rut. And so was I. But I was still going to turn him down. Hard. Because there had been a benefit to the lust injection. Arach's fire had also revived me. It did far more than that nap had.
“I'm staying,” I said. “You may visit me if you wish. But I expect to be courted, understood? You may be my husband in the future, but you aren't right now. You gotta win me again, baby.” I smacked his chest, then turned and walked out of the throne room, tossing over my shoulder, “And close your mouth, you look like an idiot.”
My sensitive dragon hearing picked up the snapping of a jaw. It was all I could do to keep from laughing.
Chapter Fourteen
“That was . . . fascinating,” King Rory said as he came into my guest room.
“I'm sorry that I left you to deal with him,” I said. “I hope he wasn't too awful.”
“Not at all. King Arach very politely asked my permission to return tomorrow and then left.”
“That's it?”
“That is all.” He grimaced. “He did not look pleased, but he didn't look displeased either. It was odd.”
“He's a dragon at heart. He loves a good hunt.” I waved at the leafy seat beside the chaise I sprawled on. “So, are you off to find Rivella?”
“I fear that would send me off after your husband, following him to Fire.”
I shrugged. “She's been traveling around Faerie. She could be anywhere.”
“That's why I brought you this.” He set a clear crystal high heel shoe down on the chaise. “Would you help me?”
It was like staring at a piece of history but way better. This wasn't the Declaration of Independence. This was a faerie shoe worn by a woman who would defy the odds and the traditions of Faerie to become the Queen of Earth. A shoe that would become a symbol of magic. So recognizable that even a mention of it would conjure daydreams. And there it was. The actual glass slipper. The very piece of footwear left behind by Cinderella. And Prince Charming was handing it to me. Of all the surreal moments in my life, this one took the fey wedding cake.
“You want me to track her?” I chuckled. “What would you have done if I wasn't here?”
“I don't know.” Rory sat down and set the slipper on his lap. “Searched my kingdom for her I suppose.”
“Then that's probably where she is.”
“You think Rivella left my bed to hide in my kingdom?”
“I don't think she's hiding. I think she had such a good time that it scared her. I think the enormity of what you could be to each other and what you'd have to overcome to be together has scared her. You need to let her know that she's important enough to you to face those obstacles. Tell her, you'll face them together.”
“It would be insane, wouldn't it?” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “The Earth King and a Fire-Sidhe.”
“Being King can seem restrictive, but the truth is that you are the most powerful man in this kingdom,” I said. “Be brave, King Rory. Bravery emboldened by love is a magic of astronomical power. Show your people that there doesn't have to be borders when love is concerned. Show them that rules don't apply to the heart, and you will not settle for less just to make them happy.”
“But what would they think?”
“Hopefully, they'll be impressed and inspired. But, really, who cares? You won the throne. They can't kick you off it. Especially not for something as trivial as a lover.”
“And if it's more than that?”
I lifted my brows. He was already thinking of marrying her. Wow. Rivella really was legendary. And she had left a king after having gotten exactly what she wanted from him. Girl power. I would have high-fived her if she'd been there.
“If it's more than that, you have the opportunity to set a precedence for those who come after you.”
“Will I? Will I be the first king to marry outside his element?”
“I'm speaking hypothetically.”
“I don't know what that means.”
