Page 180 of The Fallen Fae King

I start to purr.

“You’d make a brilliant ma,” he says so quietly that I may have misheard him. Then he leans up and his shadow covers me. “I have something for you.”

I yawn. “Already? I’ve only just woken up. Isn’t your cock worn out after last night?”

“My cock’s legendary. Don’t challenge a fae’s stamina. You’ll lose.”

“Is that a saying?”

“It is now.” Daire sits up, and I blink up at him. “But I was actually talking about your wedding gift.”

My expression brightens. “I wasn’t expecting anything from you.”

I wince when Daire’s face falls.

Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.

I only meant that Daire has no way to buy me a present.

I hurriedly sit up to face Daire, reaching my hand to touch the pinion feather in my hair.

I shudder at the thought that Daire will dramatically pull out his newly grown one to prove that he loves me just as much as Aurelius or Lanlin do.

I don’t need that proof from him because I have always known it.

“I asked one of the members of my Frost Clan, Wren, to work on this as soon as we arrived back in the capital months ago.” Daire crosses his legs, scooting closer to me in the nest. He settles his wings on his back. “I knew that you were interested in my rune magic, and Wren is trained in it. He’s finally finished it. I didn’t know whether to wait until tomorrow, but knowing Aurelius, he’ll make a lot of noise and pomp about the ceremony. I needed a quiet moment. This is just between us.”

Touched, I lean toward him. “This is perfect. Just us.”

Daire’s eyes pierce me with their intensity. “I hope you know just how much you mean to me. This gift holds…the soul of my people. It was a big bloody ask of me to expect Wren to make it. I hope that you can become friends with Wren. He seems harsh and cold, but he’s an orphan like you. He was also bullied. I have spent my life standing up for people like him. It’s why I did what I could for Barnabas. Any leader should be responsible for their people and bleed alongside them. If they don’t, then they’re not worthy of their crown.”

I frown. “You’re talking about Aurelius and Lanlin.”

“Nay, Tarquin. Now that you’ve raised the other members of our pack, however, I hope that they’re also learning these lessons.”

Daire reaches into the pocket of his robe and pulls out a scrap of rolled-up parchment like it’s a holy relic.

He holds it up on his palm between us.

I stare down at it.

I can’t be rude.

“Ehm,” I search around for the right words to thank someone for a tiny piece of paper, “it’s lovely.”

Daire smirks. “You’re a terrible liar, love. But thanks for sparing my feelings. Touch it…gently…with your thumb.”

I shrug, before reaching out to caress the scrap of paper. Then I yip, drawing back my thumb after the tingle of magic sparks through me.

I stare at Daire in shock. “What is this?”

“Wren has worked his magic through the book to miniaturize and disguise it. That way you can both carry and hide this encyclopedia of rune magic. He calls it the Thornbloom Codex. I wanted you to be able to hold a part of my magic. It contains everything that Wren and I can remember from what we were taught. Everything that remains from the Unseelie Fae.”

Exhilaration rushes through me.

My greedy fingers hover over the magical parchment. My thief instincts are triggered, as my fingers twitch.

Only this time, I don’t need to steal the item because my soulmate knows me well enough that as a poor orphan servant unable to study my obsession, this wedding gift is more valuable than a mountain of diamonds.