Reyna
Reyna wound her fingers through Lorcan’s hair and relished in the feel of him. She opened her mouth to his, kissing him with the ferocity of a thousand roaring lions. Everything within her squeezed tight. Her core ached. Her heart felt close to bursting.
She felt whole again, as if her world had finally right itself after so much time spent askew. Murmuring, she slid her hands over his smooth, rippling shoulders and down the front of his bare chest. She had no idea what had happened to his tunic, but she was glad for whatever it was. He was the most gorgeous male she had ever laid eyes on, particularly when he wasn’t clothed.
“Reyna,” he murmured against her mouth. She gasped at the sound of her name on his breath. There was always something in the way he said it that made her insides quiver in anticipation.
Suddenly, he pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Tell me you don’t hate me. Tell me this is what you want.”
She curled her lips into a demure smile. “Whatis what I want?”
A low growl rumbled in his throat. “Shall I show you?”
“Please do,” she whispered, cheeks flaming.
With a devilish smile, Lorcan leaned down and dragged his tongue across her ear. White hot desire exploded inside her core. Moaning, she sagged against the pillows, digging her fingers into his skin.
He pulled back and braced his hands on either side of her head. “I need to hear it.”
“Lorcan…” He pressed a finger to her lips, his eyes flashing.
“I need to hear it from you, Reyna,” he said softly. “I need to know you aren’t bored or confused or maybe just angry at my father. Do you hate me, Reyna Darragh?”
Her breath caught as she stared up at him. Those churning eyes, that hair that looked like the darkest part of the night. The way he gazed at her at times, as if he could see the truth of her, the best and worst parts all at once. He was as steady as a rock on a wave-tossed sea, and the strength of him could put most fae to shame.
Yes, he had betrayed her. It had been a terrible thing for him to do. But Reyna had done many terrible things, too, and Lorcan had forgiven every one. When she looked into his eyes, she did not see only darkness. She saw both shadow and light.
“I don’t hate you, Lorcan Rothach,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his.
He let out a victorious growl. Bracing himself on top of her body, he kissed her with an animalistic need, only for a sharp pain to rip through her gut. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes tight against the torment roiling through her.
His weight vanished in an instant, his voice full of concern. “What’s wrong, Reyna? Did I hurt you?”
“It’s my wound,” she hissed through the pain in her stomach. “It hurts like hell.”
“I’ll go fetch the alchemist.”
She heard him bustle out of the room and wished she could stop him. She felt as if she had torn her heart open wide, and now that she was lying bare before him, she never wanted to see him go. A moment later, he returned with Meredith, who was making a lot of agitated tsking noises.
She fussed with the bandage, poking and prodding. At one point, she spread another dose of the herbal ointment across the wound, and a million tiny stars danced in Reyna’s eyes from the sting of it. After applying a clean bandage and making Reyna drink another dose of nettle and rowan draught, Meredith took a step back and looked at the both of them very sternly.
“Might I ask what caused this?” she asked, her eyes aimed very pointedly in Lorcan’s direction.
Lorcan pressed his lips together. Reyna coughed. She knew she was blushing furiously.
“I see.” Meredith tsked again, crossing her arms over her chest. “Reyna, would you say you’re well enough to stand up and walk a circle around the room?”
Reyna pulled the covers up to her chin. This was mortifying. “Unlikely.”
“Until you are, you’ll be doingnothing else,” Meredith said firmly. “Particularlyvigorous activities.”
With a heavy sigh, the alchemist twisted on her heels and stormed out of the room. Reyna stayed hidden beneath the covers. Partly because she was pretty exhausted after all that. Meredith had given her another dose of her infamous draught, and it had the tendency of making the world slow down almost instantly.
Lorcan grabbed a chair and dropped it on the opposite side of the room, as far away from Reyna as he could get. He crossed his arms, smiled, and tipped back.
She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you look so smug?”
“I’m too much for you to handle.”
