Page 68 of This Is Not True Love’s Kiss

She gave the smallest shake of her head, face tilted up toward the stars, the silver moon painting her features in its light. “I suppose maybe there were people I could talk to, but it was never easy for me to open up like that. To share that vulnerable part of myself. Like if I gave anyone too much, they’d own too much of me.”

Yet here she was, sharing this. Choosing to show this. To me.

I stepped forward, peering at Aoife, drinking up these little pieces of her life like a parched man. “Why are you telling me this?”

She tilted her head, gazing at the stars surrounding us. “Because I wanted to. We’re two weeks away from one of us having to cede our crown.”

A lump formed in my throat at the reminder.

Aoife met my gaze, her golden eyes swimming with an emotion I didn’t understand. “But maybe you were right. Maybe we can be partners. Maybe we don’t have to fight anymore.”

So that was her truth; that was what she’d wanted to tell me. And she’d brought me up here to do it.

“I’d like that,” I said quietly. “I’d like it very much.” I joined her and leaned against the stone wall, tipping my head up toward the sky. “That painting was mine,” I admitted.

I felt her gaze land on me. “What?”

“Those scrolls Leena gave me. They were paintings I’d done.”

“You can paint?” she asked. “But why are you telling me this?”

“You shared a secret, so I guess it’s my turn to share one.”

We turned toward each other, Aoife searching my face like she was trying to find answers. “Why is it a secret that you paint?”

“It’s not exactly. Well it was. From my former mentor, Arthon.”

Something feral and angry flashed across her face at the mention of him, but it was gone before I could think too much of it.

“He didn’t like anything that swayed my focus. He wanted me to work hard, to keep my eyes on the ultimate goal of destroying the brotherhood. Painting had nothing to do with that, nothing to do with being the rebel leader he was mentoring me to be. So I did it in secret. I’ve always liked to draw, to express myself through creativity. But he found my stash of supplies and burned them all. Except those scrolls that I’d given Leena. I stopped after that, and I guess it’s seemed like a waste of time and resources when I have so much responsibility on my shoulders. But Leena giving me those scrolls reminded me how much I miss it.”

“So why don’t you start again?” Aoife asked. “No one is stopping you.”

“I don’t know where I’d get the supplies,” I said. “We don’t have any of those resources here. Or maybe we do have the resources, but I don’t have the time to figure it all out.”

You’re a waste of my time. A waste of space. I could tell you’d been distracted lately, unfocused, and now I know why. Because you wanted to paint. That’s more important than overthrowing the brotherhood?

I pushed the voice away. “So I just . . . stopped,” I continued. “But it was how I got my feelings out, how I cleared my head when I needed a break.”

“Then it’s not a waste of time,” she said. “Everyone needs a reprieve from their responsibilities. Everyone needs time for themselves. And you deserve that.”

I wanted to believe her, but it was so hard turning off that voice in my head that said I didn’t deserve anything, that I had to hold myself to a higher standard than everyone else. That was my weight to bear, the path I chose when I accepted this crown.

A small smile quirked her lips. “So is this a truce, then, Lorcan Wolfgang? Are we putting aside that edict by Castle?”

“I think so,” I said, stepping forward, loving the little sharp intake of breath that escaped her. It emboldened me as my lips dipped toward hers. “Should we shake on it?” I whispered.

She swallowed thickly, licking her lips. “Yes,” she stammered, eyes flicking to my lips. “Let’s do that.”

I lingered there but didn’t make a move to kiss her. Not yet. She was coming around, but I still wasn’t sure if crossing that line would scare her away. So instead I stuck out my hand, and she grasped it with hers, her eyes dark and full of something I recognized: desire.

I knew I was developing feelings for my wife, and I was starting to think she might finally be catching up.

CHAPTER 36

Castle

Things were changing between the king and queen. They’d agreed no one needed to cede their crown. They were sleeping next to one another every night. They were opening up and learning about each other. They still argued. Castle suspected they would always argue, but they did so without the hatred and spite that had previously filled their disagreements.