I grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
“I love you,” I said holding him close once again.
He smiled then blew out a nervous breath and whispered, “I love you too, My Flame.” The first time he’d said the words aloud. “I’ll live for you, if you live for me.”
“I’ll live for you, if you live for me,” I repeated the words back to him, it seemed like some vow.
Then we kissed again, which was a mistake. I don’t know how long later Rook broke off with a chuckle, kissed my forehead, then left.
Bayn came over.
We didn’t hug.
“You are lucky to have such dedicated and loving partners,” he said with a glance back at the others, staying innocuous on the other side of my large bedroom.
“You have them too,” I said, taking up one of his massive hands in both of mine. “They’ve become like brothers to each other, and I know they’ll welcome you into their special little fraternity.”
Bayn’s round cheeks rose as he smiled. “I’d like that, even if… I may not be ready for it yet.”
“You’ve gone through a lot in a short time. It’s okay if this takes a while. There’s no hurry. Just make sure you survive this fight and that we win, then you’ll have all the time in the world.”
“You make that sound easy,” he rumbled softly.
“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing your whole life? Fighting?”
He cocked his head. “True.”
“Then this war should be the easy part. Learning how to live peacefully afterward, that… may take some work.”
He blinked at me as if that was some devastating revelation.
“Huh… you’re right.” Then he smiled again. “And here I was worried about the war.” It seemed like a weight lifted off him. He even chuckled softly. “But it’s just one more battle — if a large one — in the war I’ve been fighting my entire life.”
His gaze refocused on me. “Then… after…? You’re right, I don’t know how to love, not really. Or how to live peacefully with others. I… may need your help with that.”
“Love is caring for someone like they’re your best friend and wanting to fuck them at the same time, to paraphrase a wise dragon I know. You’ve got the fucking part down, so the rest shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Do you…” His brow furrowed, his face contorting. He looked away. He couldn’t say it.
“Love you?” I finished.
He nodded.
With Bayn, I wouldn’t mince words. “I wouldn’t say you’re at best friend level yet… but I’m starting to trust you, and that’s not easy for me. I’m no longer scared of you, which is something. I feel…stronglyfor you, though what exactly those feelings are, I have yet to work out. So, yeah… I’m not quite there yet either. But… I’ve seen your heart. You care for your sister and your people. You didn’t want them following a tyrant like Valnea, and you saved them from themselves. There’s a lot to admire in that. I don’t think love is too far off for us.”
Bayn nodded. “You’re certainly the best fuck I’ve ever had,” he said, blunt. I had to smile, because he’d said it completely straight, entirely serious, not a hint of machismoor carnality. I got the feeling he wanted to say more, be… open, share some emotion, but he didn’t.
Yeah, we weren’t there yet.
“So, let’s fight,” I said softly. “Fight for a future where we don’t have to fight anymore. And once we’ve won, we can get married, you can be king, and we can utterly ruin our marriage bed. Then we’ll work on love and all the rest, how’s that sound?”
His smile softened, a secret thing just for me. “Honestly, I’m not sure I wish to be king anymore.”
“Oh, you’re gonna be king,” I insisted. “I don’t want to rule alone. Even with the council we’re setting up, I’d rather you be on it than me. Don’t back out on me, now. And I’m making the others my king-consorts as well. I know that’s not a thing, but if I’m queen I can make it a thing.”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
We stood in awkward silence before he asked, “Are you… able to remove the binding on me?”
