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ChapterTwenty-Three
Perry wished he hadn’t mentioned Baba Yaga, the blood vows, or Petra the psycho goblin.Vori already had enough bad news with her life’s landslide of changes from supermodel to goblin queen.The sun sank low over the barren wasteland, making Kradnovtl seem even more of a ruin.Seeing what her home realm had become had been devastating enough.But no, he’d had to open his big mouth and add to her problems.
He needed to rewind things, to see her smiling again like she had earlier when talking about their future.“You have time to decide what to do about Petra.Most would’ve ordered her dead immediately.You didn’t.You played it smart, level-headed.”
“Did I?”The wind whipped through the stripped trees, sweeping Vori’s hair across her sharp cheekbones and creamy skin.“Or did I make it worse?”
He couldn’t stand to hear the indecisiveness in her voice, not after she’d balanced directness and diplomacy for hours.“You gave yourself the chance to weigh your choices and make the right one.She’s locked away for now.”
“I’m not letting her out, no matter what you argue, counsel.”She leveled a cool gaze at him.He’d take it over the worry and uncertainty stamped on her face a few moments ago.
“You’ll hear no arguments from me.The woman wants to murder me, my dad, and who knows how many more if you let her out.Leave her in the cell.You’ve got plenty of other problems.”
“You think I haven’t noticed?When they’re not worried about me becoming my father, they’re asking if I’m pregnant.You wanna field their questions about our sex life?”Her tone snapped at him like a deadly dose of his own powers.
Damn it.Why couldn’t he control his runaway mouth around her?For years, he’d made sure each comment in courtrooms was precise, composed.Yet here he was mucking up even more important conversations.“I didn’t mean—”
“They’ve already suggested I take multiple lovers.Queen Clio said the same.”
A dark need to electrocute all possible suitors who might steal his goblin’s affections twisted through him.His powers flared, and he crossed his arms to hide stray sparks.He was still getting used to being a sudden permanent resident of Kradnovtl and playboy to the queen.
But she was his.
Or he was hers.
“What doyouwant?”See, he didn’t sound super jealous.Or did he?In the end, this was her call.“You can’t solve the realm’s problems in a day, but you can let me kiss away some of yours.How about we try what you mentioned earlier about stealing some time in our suite?”
“Who needs a suite?Or a bed?”Her amethyst gaze made him melt.Forget the smoldering sex appeal she sold as a supermodel; Vori in real life made him sweat, made him want, made him crave.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“We’re not overanalyzing this.”She curved her lips into an evil grin.“The whole point would be to have neither of us thinking for a few minutes.”
She thought he was only good for a few minutes?Damn, that was a blow to the ego.“You don’t have much faith in my skills.”
“You’re not down for a quickie?”
“I didn’t say that.What if your guards follow?What if someone sees?”The last sent a spark of his powers racing beneath his skin.
“The possibility of getting caught is half the thrill.You feeling adventurous?There’s a hot spring not far from here.Or at least there was.”
Water and open air and naked Vori.“I married an exhibitionist supermodel queen.Could you be any more perfect?”
“It’d be better if I didn’t come with an entire realm as an entourage.Or a psycho killer in the dungeon, blood vows to Baba Yaga, and people asking if we’ve made a baby yet.”
He’d had a catastrophic freak-out about all those things earlier.But the risk of losing her was even scarier.“Making little heirs comes with the job description.I knew that when I signed on.Male witches only have two jobs in life—protect and procreate.The rest?We can figure out together, but you told me to stop thinking.”
“I did, didn’t I?Although it’s difficult to flirt with a crowd following us, watching us like some weird reality television.”She glanced toward the court delegates.
“Ditch them.You’re done for the day, and you’re the queen.”
“Tell them we have consort business?”
“Say whatever you want, including that I’m going to strip their queen down so I can lick and suck and tease orgasm after orgasm out of you.”He traced a finger along her low-cut neckline, the amethyst gown he’d picked.It matched her eyes.One simple touch that wasn’t even skin-to-skin shouldn’t trigger pulse-racing and heart-pounding excitement, but oh, it did.
The way she leaned toward him, her eyes wide and lips parted told him that his promises had gotten to her, made her burn at least a fraction of the scorching heat thrumming through him.
Raising her voice, she announced, “My consort and I need to, uh…”
