“That’s a faerie.”
“You believe in faeries?”
“This one I do. I saw this design in one of Abby’s books and I knew I needed it. There’s something about her that makes me feel like I could do anything if I wanted to. She gives me hope that there is more out there than just me.”
“You definitely can do anything you put your mind to. You might believe in her, but I believe in you.” Adalia smiled at him so sweetly that he couldn’t resist stealing a kiss from her soft lips.
“Thank you,” he replied.
“Now, who is Abby?” Adalia asked innocently.
The prince rolled onto his back. “She’s my tattoo lady…a friend.”
Adalia lay on her stomach—propped up on her elbows and eyed him warily. “As long as she isn’t another secret I should know about.”
Matthias chuckled. “Definitely not, little dove.”
Adalia sighed and rested her head against Matthias’s chest. “Will you stay with me here tonight?”
“Do you think we can behave?” he asked.
“I can’t make any promises, but I will do my best,” she answered cheekily, stifling a yawn.
The prince let out a deep chuckle and propped himself up on an elbow so he could see her better. “Sleep. I will be here when you wake.”
“Goodnight, beast.”
“Goodnight, little dove.”
Bones sighed in his sleep over by the bedroom window, and Matthias smiled . . . everything felt so right. There wasn’t one time in his life that he’d felt this amount of peace. There was no looking over his shoulder, no sleeping with one eye open. Tonight, his father and the Oscuro Kingdom simply did not exist.
Staring at the white ceiling above him, Matthias felt the warm breath from Adalia as she slept against his chest, and he smiled. She was the light his shadows sought and here, within her arms, truth was being born.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The river somewhere
Sunlight crept across the floor of the room and crawled up the side of the bed to cast its warmth upon the bodies sleeping there, daring to stir their slumber. Adalia smiled at its morning greeting as she fluttered her eyes open. A solid wall of warm flesh and a faint scent of juniper berries and sandalwood met her, and she held her breath. If she didn’t move, then this illusion would stay . . . right?
The inked body gently rolled over to face her and a pink flush rose into Adalia’s cheeks under the steady blue-eyed gaze.
“Morning, little dove,” Matthias’s voice was gravelled by sleep.
Adalia reached up and moved the hair from his face. “Morning, beast,” she whispered.
Slender fingers attached to inked hands drifted over her soft skin and pulled her closer. Adalia’s breath caught as Matthias leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, positioning himself above her to better access her mouth. She sighed in contentment under the weight of his muscular frame.
Reaching up, Adalia raked her hands through Matthias’s tousled bed hair and kissed him deeper, their tongues slowly dancingtogether to a melody that was theirs and theirs alone. Heat pooled in Adalia’s stomach and slowly travelled down between her legs.
Matthias pulled back and ran a trail of kisses along her jaw and down the side of her neck, making his way to her collarbone. Each kiss was a small mark upon her skin, burning itself into her body for all eternity. Her eyes closed at the sensation of his touch, her breath trembling as he moved lower. His lips travelled down to the gentle rise of her breast. Adalia gripped his face in his hands and pulled him back up to hers.
“You said we have to behave,” she whispered.
Matthias groaned and rolled onto his back. “Why did I say such stupid things?”
Adalia giggled and rolled on top of him. They stayed this way for a while, just looking into each other’s eyes.
“You stayed,” she said.
