Page 138 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean you might not regret this one day. And didn’t you tell me once you couldn’t risk the magic of The Aurora going somewhere else?”

“If I’m no longer the Primary, there is nothing stopping me from killing him. If I step down willingly first, then the Torch will not punish us. And if we don’t stop Zerra and my father, there will be nothing left to protect.”

She blows out a breath and presses her forehead against my chest before looking back up. “How did we end up with villains on every side of us?”

I smirk. “I never thought I’d end up fighting for everyone. But that day we escaped my father in Heart, I knew then I was protecting you not for myself, but for every single being on the continent.”

I touch her cheek, and she lays a hand over mine.

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

“I don’t care. I wish I could open my brain and let you see that I don’t care about a crown. I have never cared about a crown. I care only for you.”

Then I lean down and kiss her, hoping that I’m conveying everything my words are saying. I don’t care. Maybe when I was younger I liked the idea. Even a few months ago, if you’d asked me the question, I might have told you I wanted it, but Lor has changed me in ways that I can never return from. The crown isn’t important. What matters is family and friendship and this burning flame I carry for her in my heart. One that I won’t let be snuffed out. The Empyrium aren’t taking her from me, and Zerra certainly isn’t, and we’ll find some way through all of this.

My mouth finds hers, our lips fusing together in a slide of warmth. Her tongue grazes the seam of my lips, and I part them. We kiss, luxuriating in the decadence of its slow perusal, discovering one another over and over.

I’ve never been so grateful to live a nearly immortal life. I have never been so relieved to know that should we survive any of this, I will have so many years to explore every layer and facet of this incredible woman who, despite everything, has chosen me.

“I love you so much,” I murmur as I pull her in closer, my hand sliding down her back and over the delicious curve of her ass.

“I love you too,” she whispers.

And once we’ve bonded and Lor ascends to her throne, then we’ll have another eternity to enjoy each other in the Evanescence. Even then, none of it will ever be enough.

I maneuver her to the edge of the bed, but at the last moment, she spins us around and pushes me down.

“Sit,” she says, a smirk curling on her face. Then she falls to her knees and places a kiss on my chest. Her hands slide under the fabric of my tunic, exploring the map of my body, her fingers curving over the contours and planes as I respond with a shiver.

“Remember when I wouldn’t let you touch me in the Keep?” she asks, and I chuckle.

“How could I ever forget?” My hands slide into her hair before I tip her face up to mine. “I remember everything, Lor. Every moment. Every smile. Every seemingly insignificant look. Every second has become a part of me, and I will do anything to hang on to this.” I give her a smirk of my own. “And that was still the hottest fucking blow job of my life. Even the particles of dust I become someday will remember it.”

She laughs. “Hottest? Surely I can top that.”

My face splits into a smile. “Care for a challenge?”

“Always.”

She leans down to kiss me before tugging up the hem of my tunic.

“Take this off,” she says. “I still like looking at you.”

I do as she asks, pulling it over my head and tossing it to the side.

“Last time, you refused to do the same.”

“I did,” she muses, and I’m almost positive she’s about to defy me just to make me suffer, but she stands up and then slowly peels off her clothes. I can’t take my eyes off her as she reveals every inch of her warm brown skin.

I love every curve and line. Every tiny mark. I study the scars left on her body, deciding at that moment to let go of the anger I feel every time I see them. When I look at her, I will see only the evidence of her strength and resilience. The proud way she holds herself and the loving passion she brings to everything. If she chooses to wear them as badges of honor, I can view them like that too.

I lick my lips as I think of the sweetness of her pussy as she allows me to drink in the flare of her hips and the softness of her thighs. Her round breasts that are the perfect size for my hands, and then her lips and her eyes and the nose that I love to kiss. The birthmark on her hip that I’ve just realized looks like a heart. How have I never noticed that before?

When our gazes meet, she smiles before approaching and falling before me again. Her hands slide up my stomach and chest, sweeping over my shoulders.

Then she reaches for the ties on my pants and slowly pulls them open. She hasn’t touched me anywhere below my navel yet, but I’m already so hard I have to grit my teeth. She takes her time, humming as she drags out each lace with agonizing slowness.

She shifts close enough that I feel the barest brush of her breasts against my cock, and I choke on a moan.