“Get it done,” I tell him.
He nods, his knee still bouncing. “At least with the joining, no one can question your bond to a Thornrose. You should be thankful for that,” he grumbles, shooting me a contemptuous glance. “Otherwise the fae would be in an uproar.”
“Don’t you thinkI’min an uproar?” I tell him.
“No, I don’t,” he says flatly.
And sadly he’s right. I should be enraged at this joining. I should be furious, but being around Addison confuses me, winds me up, guts me and makes my primal instincts prickle up and down my spine.
“I haven’t heard of a true joining occurring in over a century. They don’t happen anymore,” he mutters. “I can’t even guess what kind of magic that is between two people.”
It’s atomic.It’s being sucked into a black hole where the only thing that exists is the other person. They’re all you can see. They’re your world, and their scent is your oxygen.
It’s torment and ecstasy wrapped up in a pretty little bow.
“What’s that look on your face?”
Shit. I must’ve been daydreaming. “It’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
He studies me suspiciously for a moment before moving on. “If you’re sure about this whole relationship thing, then where is she?”
I glance behind me, out the window. “Probably getting ready to go downstairs, if she’s not out there already.”
He balks. “You’re not escorting her out?”
“Fake relationship,” I remind him. “Besides, I had to catch you up on what had happened.” I rise and slip on my suit jacket that’s hanging over the back of my chair. “Ready to meet my bride-to-be?”
He grunts out an, “I suppose.”
Outside my office, we’re greeted by a host of fae and witches swarming inside the castle. I nod to those I know, and head toward the back garden. The doors leading outside are open, and sunlight spills onto the marble floor. The sound of laughter drifts in from outside as Trawick reaches the doorway first.
“Which one is your witch?” he asks.
It must be the magic of the joining because my gaze instantly hones in on Addison.
I suck in a breath at the sight of her. Her auburn hair tumbles in loose curls down her back. The green dress she’s wearing cups her perfect breasts and cinches at her waist, revealing a figure that makes my body stir.
She’s smiling. It’s angelic, and for once she keeps smiling when our gazes lock.
Then I’m falling into that black hole. The edges of my vision darken until only she exists. She’s walking—I think. It’s impossible to think when the urge to bury my face in the soft curve of her neck’s overpowering.
A breeze lifts her hair and makes her skirt flutter behind her. Everything happens in slow motion—everything except how quickly my cock stirs.
Then I blink and she’s standing in front of me. I can’t rip my gaze away. All I want to do is trail my tongue over every inch of her exposed skin, see if it tastes as delicious as it looks.
Then someone clears their throat. “Feylin,” Trawick prods.
Right.
I gesture to her. “Trawick, my oldest friend, may I present Addison Thornrose, my fiancée.”
When Addison drags her gaze from me, it feels like the sun’s been eclipsed by the moon. “Trawick, how do you do?”
He takes the hand that she offers and brushes his lips to the back of it. His eyes shine as they land on her. “I hear you’re to marry our king.”
She tips her face up to him and beams. Then she says in a voice ringing with authenticity, “I can’t wait to be his wife.”
As she tugs Trawick off into the garden, he looks back and mouths,She lies easily.
