“That’s her.”
I turned to face him. “She’s beautiful.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Indeed, she was, and she would have adored you. Mainly for managing to put me in my place from time to time.”
I lifted a brow. “Oh, from time to time?”
“That’s what I said.” He grinned. “Let’s not forget all the times the other half of us must be put in place herself,” he whispered wickedly in my ear.
“How rude of you to remind me of such things on our wedding night,” I teased.
Jace let out a breathy laugh, the one that made my knees weak. “There she is.”
“How does it feel to be a Valderre?” I whispered. “Did you ever think this would be possible?”
“That I would marry my sworn enemy and take her last name to sit at her side upon her throne? Oh, of course,” he teased.
“We will need a crest,” I said as I leaned into him. “Tradition holds that it contains an element from our predecessor. My father’s crest contained the antlers of a black stag in remembrance of his father. He grew to love the creatures just as much.”
Jace met my stare and smiled. “We will create a crest that symbolizes both you and your ties to your father. I’ll see that it will be branded on your army’s armor and posted on our flags the day you reclaim your crown,” he promised.
My heart galloped in my chest. How was it possible to love someone as much as I loved him?
After wandering about the rest of the living room, he gently gripped my hand and tugged me into him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands rested on my hips and he placed a kiss on my nose.
“Now, to show you our room for the evening.”
He led me to a room at the far end of the hall, and when the door was pushed open, a large bedroom materialized in the dim light. It was simple, with just a few bureaus and a large bed in its center.
Jace closed the door behind us—the click of its lock echoed off the walls. When I turned to him with a lifted brow, he said, “We know how much Gage loves to barge in once the sun rises.”
“Very true,” I said with a laugh.
He stepped up to me, gently taking my chin between his fingers, and lifted my gaze to his. His lips pressed against mine, and they parted for him as if commanded, deepening our kiss instantly as we explored each other for the first time as husband and wife.
Guiding me toward the bed in the middle of the room, his fingers worked their way up my spine, unlacing the back of my gown with ease. Once the back of my knees hit the edge of the mattress, he steadied me before I fell.
“The sight of you in this dress is nothing short of breathtaking, and as I watched you walk down the aisle wearing it, my heart nearly stopped. The gown is beautiful.”
His calloused fingers brushed against the skin of my shoulder while he carefully pulled the laced sleeves of my dress down my arms. The fabric fell at my feet, leaving me standing before him entirely bare—aside from the crown that rested atop my head.
“Butyou, my Lia, are exquisite,” he breathed, his voice tinged with desperation.
I lifted my arms to remove the diadem, but his hands reached out and halted them. “Leave it,” he demanded. “For when I take you for the first time as my wife, I want you to feel just as the queen you are.”
A shiver worked its way up my spine as he tenderly guided me down onto the bed.
Jace explored every inch of my body for hours, providing both a mixture of eager, loving kisses and greedy, insatiable ones, forever keeping me on my toes.
We made love as man and wife countless times into the night, surrendering ourselves to each other and realizing that no matter how deep our connection dove, it would never be enough.
Chapter fifty
Elianna
My eyes fluttered opento realize that darkness still blanketed the room. I pivoted under the covers to turn and face the window and noticed dawn wasn’t far off, the moon’s glow dimming.
I closed my eyes to fall back asleep once more, but couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. An overwhelming sense of having eyes on me sent my heart racing in my chest.
