And if ever yoube broken
And gasp on the ground,
The word may be spoken,
And salvation found.”
He tilted his head so that his lips brushed my cheek as he whispered, “There’s more to the song.”
“But that’s the Path of Princes,” I said, leaning back so I could narrow my gaze and meet his. “The whole of it.”
He smirked. “So it is. But the rest is the Way of Kings.”
And my lips fell open and I felt as if I could not catch my breath as he sang to me, sweet as any songbird,
“From the Kiss of your Enemy,
Your Home Restore,
Bring each one to Justice,
Fairness Adore.
And if ever you be broken,
And troubles abound,
Know vow is Unbroken,
For your King is Crowned.”
“But how,” I gasped. “How did you know.”
“I’ve always known,” he whispered, leaning in to rest his forehead on mine. “While others walked the Path of Princes, I was walking the Way of Kings and you were walking it with me.”
“It might have been nice to know,” I said wryly, finding it harder and harder to resist his charms as he kissed down my neck and buried his lips in the flesh where my chest met my shoulder.
“Mmm,” he murmured.
“But now there will be no more surprises?” I asked
His head whipped up in that odd lightning-fast way he sometimes had.
“Well,” he said, smirking mischievously, “maybe some surprises.”
And then he spun me gracefully around to show me what was fluttering down from the sky and onto the island — our old Grouse House. A black raven was nestled in the thatch and it croaked at me balefully.
I gasped. “I thought that was lost forever.”
I turned enough to see his glowing smile directed at me.
“And I thought you said you could have no home. I thought a life with you would be sleeping in tangled tree roots and eating wild berries.”
“The Bramble King has no home,” he agreed. “But who is to say that the Bramble Queen may not have one? Perhaps, my dearly beloved Queen of my heart, you may see fit to invite me within, to share your sup and fire … and perhaps even your bed.”
He paused and I loved how he held his breath to hear my answer.
“Oh, so now is reward time,” I said dryly. But it was hard to be cool and dry on the outside when on the inside my pulse thundered and my blood ran hot.
