“And I will make another deal,” he replied firmly. “I’ll buy you back from him. You’ll spend the rest of your life here, in Lyrei with me. Isn’t that what you want?”
I dragged my eyes up to his.
What did I want?
Why was it so hard to answer that question?
Once upon a time, not so long ago but worlds over, I had a life filled with hopes, goals, and ambitions. Back then, I made plans, I followed them, and I always knew what I wanted.
I refused to mourn that life as something lost to me forever because I never stopped hoping to return to it. I just had to find the woman I had always been. I’d lost my way in the shimmer of the iridescent hair, in the heated glances of the otherworldly eyes, and in the beguiling voice of the siren king who wished to own me for as long as I lived.
Oblivious to my inner struggle, Kye beamed me a swoon-worthy smile and gestured at the ship’s gangway to my left.
“Look, they’re bringing a bed for you, like I told them. I know the journey is just for a few hours, but you may as well be comfortable if you decide to take a nap, right?”
Chapter 14
Kye
Imight’ve underestimated thebrack. I had not expected him to accomplish this task in under a week.
Of course,brackshad one simple but incredibly effective motivation. Their only purpose in life was to serve their goddess. They would do everything to complete her orders, foregoing sleep and food, and literally die trying.
One clever thing I had done in this matter was diverting thebrack’stireless efforts to benefit my purpose. Instead of simply trading Maren forwomoraas thebrackhad offered, I made him procure the silk for me. And it worked. By tomorrow night, I’d be the owner of the magical silk. It’d have to be tested, of course, but Odine wouldn’t have sent me the message if she didn’t believe that her spell had worked.
And if it did...
I remembered what she had said when she told me about the silk.
“A pair of pajamas would make it possible for you to sleep in a real bed again. A pair of socks made from magic silk would let you walk anywhere you want.”
Those were all wonderful things that I couldn’t wait to experience again. But none of them I yearned for as much as being able to finally touch my sweet, darling Maren.
I could hold her hand, run my gloved fingers through her hair. I could take off her dress myself, then I could make her moan and writhe on her lonely little bed, driven mad with lust and pleasure frommytouch, not just her own. Exhausted and spent by all the orgasms that I would give her, she’d fall asleep on my lap while I’d comb through her hair with my fingers and sing her the best lullabies this world had ever heard.
Anticipation sparkled and sizzled through my body. I haven’t felt this excited for decades. But then again, I hadn’t felt another being’s arms around me for just as long too.
Burning with impatience, I could hardly wait for the day to end. But as the sun dipped behind the horizon, it also meant it was time to say goodbye to my precious butterfly. I hated parting from her, even for just one night.
I savored every minute we still had left, drinking in every detail of her appearance in hopes that the images I memorized would help me wait until morning.
Her wavy tresses of sunshine yellow were tied with silk ribbons and dressed in pearl pins. The soft material of her blush-pink dress hugged her curves gently. The color matched the delicate rosy glow on her cheeks perfectly.
She wouldn’t keep my gaze for long whenever I caught hers. It unsettled me, but I figured she must be nervous about spending the night with strangers. Arnon hadn’t been particularly friendly on his last visit to my palace. Busy as he was, he hardly ever had time for pleasantries.
His wife, Dorelea, however, more than made up for my uncle’s austere nature.
“You’ll like Princess Dorelea, Arnon’s wife,” I said to Maren in an attempt to alleviate her unease as we walked toward the exit from the palace. “As severe and straight-laced as Arnon is, his wife is the complete opposite. Her bubbly friendliness makes up for her husband’s shortcomings tenfold. People adore her.”
“And you think I enjoy the company of bubbly people?” Maren gave me a skeptical glance.
“Well, maybe not. But those kinds of personalities help break the ice and put strangers at ease, do they not?”
“Probably,” she muttered, stopping at the entrance abruptly.
In my efforts to cheer Maren up, I had also managed to distract myself from the fact that it would be my first time leaving the palace in almost a century. Apprehension seized my limbs, rooting me in place.
“Are you nervous too?” she asked.
