My blood races, traveling south and thickening a part of me I hope she doesn't notice. The Queen, to her credit, is entranced by my chest. Power flutters under her palm as she presses it harder against me.
I smell her everywhere. I can taste her on my tongue, and I need more.
"Spirits, Finn?—"
"You should see me with my pants off, Queenie."
A giggle bursts from her lips as she shakes her head.
My pride fills the clearing around us at the small triumph of making her laugh. Arden's knees sink further into the grass. Her thigh presses against mine. Pink curls tickle my naked chest.
"I was talking about your magic.” Amusement dances in her eyes. “Not your impressive array of muscles."
"Compliments from you, Queenie? What have I done to deserve such a treat?"
"Not die."
"My Queen commands me to live, and as her humble servant, I happily oblige."
Arden laughs again. Her pink freckles are more pronounced when her face is flushed.
My creature preens under her touch, giving in to her quiet demand for more. Power leaves me in a rush and pulls through Arden's palm. Golden light wraps around her arm, making her shimmer. It seeps into her heart, tangling with her green magic.
A groan slips from my lips as Arden hums low in her throat.
The sensation is decadent. Whether from Arden's touch or a part of me flowing into her, I can’t be sure. If she wants all my power, she can have it as long as she keeps touching me. I've never been this desperate for release in my life.
One brush of her lips and I'll come in my trousers like an untried youth.
The longer I stare at her face, the more I realize just how isolated the Queen has been. There is a reason my flirtatious remarks land so well with her. Given all that I've come to know about her, I am the first male to ever treat her with such interest. Elwood no doubt wanted her for her title, for the power she wields.
I could give a fuck about that, I just want her.
Innocence drips from her, but there is a simmering fierceness I want to tease out. To taste it straight from the sourcebetween her lithe thighs. I hunger for her not as a human would but as I really am.
A fairy.
More than my need to give her pleasure, there is the desire to be there for her. Surely, many of her subjects have laid down their lives for her out of honor, but I want to do it because she is important to me.
This need to protect her has been inside me since the beginning.
That's why I agreed to her bargain. She's been alone for a long time. Centuries. I want to be her confidante as well as her lover. To show her through words and actions that I care.
That I want her, Arden. Not a Queen, but the female who consumes my every thought.
It's why, despite my vows, I can’t face the Void tomorrow without at least one kiss from her perfect lips. One fleeting taste of her is all I need. She needs it too. I can tell by the way her eyes stray to my mouth and linger on my chest.
Tomorrow we may die, and my chance at freedom will die along with us. If we manage to defeat the Void, I will be gone all the same. Tonight is my only chance to indulge in her and give us what we both seek.
My power flows from her, rippling over the ground. Flowers blossom around us in an array of silvers, pinks, and blues. Glowing insects weave through the trees and illuminate the dark clearing. The branches pull back, bathing us in pale moonlight. Every inch of Arden sparkles in the glow.
Happiness coats my tongue. Arden's joy is palpable as life returns in the meadow.
She is beautiful, brave, and the most enchanting female I've ever met. If we are successful tomorrow, perhaps I can delay my wish by a few days. Give us an adequate amount of time to celebrate our triumph before I return to my world.
"I've never felt power like this," Arden whispers.
I cover her hand with my larger one, locking her to me. Pink lashes flutter as her lips part.
