Page 19 of The Dragon King's Bride

“Kaiser, I…I—” There are so many things I want to still say to him. I’m still so angry with you. What are you thinking? But the moment he tells me he loves me, all I can think is how much I love him back. “I love you too. I still don’t think we’ll be allowed to get married. But for what it’s worth, I do want to marry you. So, for now, I’ll accept your proposal.”

Kaiser lets out a whoop of joy. He jumps up and pulls me into his arms, crashing our lips together in a frenzied kiss. I can’t help but return his elation by deepening the kiss. Our tongues brush up against one another in a celebration party of their own.

I notice Kaiser slowly backing me up towards the bed, and I break the kiss. “Wait, there’s still things we need to talk about. What did you mean when you said there are other reasons we should get married?”

“Later,” Kaiser promises. “Right now, I just want to revel in this moment with you. I’ve missed you over the last couple of days, my firefly. Is it so wrong that I just want to enjoy this moment for now? Let’s save the complicated political talks for later.”

He yanks me back into his heated embrace, and this time I don’t bother to resist him. Despite all the other things that should be on my mind right now, all I want is to be here with him.

Unlike the last time we did this, our pace this time is frenzied and passionate. I’m not in the mood for any tender touches right now. All I can think about is how much I want him inside of me.

I wrap my legs around his hips as he carries me over to the bed. I shift my hips against the hardness in his breeches, and he lets out a raspy growl before dropping me down onto the mattress. I don’t give him a moment’s rest, encircling his neck with my arms and pulling him back onto me.

We don’t bother to undress. I lift my skirt up around my hips, and Kaiser undoes the clasp at the front of his breeches. He sinks himself deep inside of me before I know it, barely giving me a second to adjust before thrusting in and out at a frenzied pace. I moan at the mix of pleasure and pain as he rocks his hips against mine.

Kaiser’s fingers find the swell of my breasts beneath my dress. The feel of his fingers grazing against my tightened nipples through the fabric makes me cry out. My fingernails dig into his forearms. At this rate, I’m going to be sent spiraling off the edge before I know it.

Luckily, Kaiser seems to be of a similar mindset. There is a slight stuttering in the movements of his hips as he reaches his climax. Seeing that he’s not going to last much longer, I reach my hand between our bodies and start to vigorously stroke my button. He comes just a second before I do. The feel of his fluid coating my insides is what sends me over the edge.

As I come down from my high, I feel Kaiser’s mouth move against my ear. “Ready for round two?” he asks, leaving a trail of kisses down my body. I cry out as his mouth reaches its destination.

Hours later, when we’ve finally had our fill of each other, we’re lying in bed together. Our fingers are intertwined, and we’re staring at the ceiling trying to catch our breath. Realizing that the man still hasn’t answered my questions, I tilt my chin towards Kaiser. “So, are you ever going to tell me how it’s possible we’re allowed to get married?”

Kaiser lets out a short laugh. “I should have realized you wouldn’t forget. The thing is, Ava, I’ve been thinking. This war between us and the Fae has gone on long enough. Both our kingdoms have suffered multiple losses, and I thought it was time we patched things up. For a while, I even forgot why this war between us started in the first place. When I remembered that reason, everything clicked into place.”

“What do you mean?”

“Years ago, not too long before you were born, the Fae kingdom’s only princess went missing. Since she was last seen near our borders, they accused us of killing her in secret. Obviously, we did no such thing, so we refuted their allegations. Yet, they never stopped believing we were responsible. Over time, tensions increased, and war eventually broke out.”

“That princess was my mother,” I gasp, understanding dawning on me.

“Exactly,” Kaiser nods. “I needed to know if Maya’s claims about your glow were valid, so I sent a messenger pigeon over to the Fae kingdom. They were ecstatic to learn about you, my firefly. We mutually decided that a marriage between the two of us would make for an ideal solution to end the war. I got my advisors’ blessings right before I sent the guard to fetch you.”

“I can’t believe it.” Tears start pooling down my cheeks, surprising me. I’m not usually much of a crier. “I’ve spent the last couple of days thinking my death was inevitable. But now, within the span of a couple of hours, I’ve learned I can marry you and I’ll have a family again.”

“Believe it,” Kaiser confirms, nuzzling into my neck. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through the last couple of days, Ava. It’s just that there were things I needed to get sorted out before I was allowed to set you free.”

“I’m sorry too,” I reply. “For lying, for not trusting you with the truth. I can’t help but think you would have figured all of this out sooner if I’d just been willing to confide in you.”

“Well…we don’t know that for sure. My father always told me everything happens for a reason. Perhaps we needed to go down the harder, more painful path in order to reach our best ending. All I know is that I don’t want to waste another moment regretting anything. I love you, Ava. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I love you too, Kaiser. We will spend the rest of our lives together,” I promise. “I won’t allow things to end between us in any other way.”

My fiancé once again pulls me into a fiery kiss. The road to reach this point may have been tempestuous, but our future shows nothing but clear skies.