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"How did that happen?"
"King Dominick fell in love with his wife. But it's different with King Vinir, don't you think? If something is keeping him from being intimate with me ... then there might be no hope of us getting that close."
"You don't know for sure yet that's the case."
Mori laughed. "He could just be an asshole. You might need to help him warm up to you a little."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Aelwen frowned. "If he won't talk to me?"
Alexa began soaping Aelwen's hair, massaging her scalp in relaxing waves. "You're a beautiful woman, my queen. There are some things beautiful women can do that don't require words."
Aelwen breathed deeply again, letting her maid's encouragement wash over her. All three of them were right. Maybe King Vinir was an asshole. Maybe his curse was kept secret for a reason.
But Aelwen was a fae princess, and the fae never gave up. Whatever was getting between her and Vinir wouldn’t win.
She would make him fall in love with her. That would be the most surefire way to ensure Aelwen could fulfill her duties as a fae princess. Yet, deep inside her, she also knew that the only way to encourage love between her and Vinir was to let herself be vulnerable to him.
And she wasn't sure she was ready for that.
Chapter 4 - Vinir
Less than three days wedded to a deceitful fae woman, and already King Sinnegard thought he had leverage over Vinir. He scoffed and leaned back into his leather desk chair, letting the edict from his wife's father fall onto the smooth wooden desk in front of him.
How dare he already make all these demands of Vinir, as if some overpriced fae pussy was enough to pay for all the privileges King Sinnegard wanted?
Lower taxes on trade routes. A fae embassy in Vinir's capital city. Say in Vinir's dealings with the other vampire kings. As if promising for the time being not to slaughter any fae who came into his kingdom, Zacorith, wasn’t enough.
Vinir had no love for the other kings who lorded over the coveted lands of Elysium, but that didn't mean King Sinnegard had any right to influence his dealings with them. He was king of his own bloody kingdom. He should deal with his shit directly and with less subterfuge!
This was why vampires despised the fae. They chose underhanded methods to pretend they were superior beings. In fact, they were just as treacherous and bloody as the vampires, who tended to be more open with their glee about slaughter. To Vinir, they were animals, and after what they’d done to him … He snarled, slamming his fist on the desk and shoving away the memory. It wasn’t worth dwelling on, but it was enough to blockade Sinnegard and his demands for the time being.
If Vinir were any less of a man, he would punish Sinnegard's daughter for his insolence. Princess Aelwen was ripe for the taking, and if it weren’t for his blasted curse ... he mighthave changed his mind and plucked her as punishment. Would have taken out his rage and needs out on her.
But he also suspected that would be playing right into Sinnegard's hands. They wanted a baby in her belly by any means necessary, and right now, Vinir’s curse seemed to be the only thing stopping him from fucking her anyway.
Even if she was a fae.
Damn politics.
There was a slight knock on the door, drawing Vinir out of his thoughts. The door opened, and Aelwen came floating in.
Vinir's breath caught in his throat as his gaze flickered over the princess. She was wearing a long, sheer dress made of purple silk that hugged her body and left little to the imagination, and yet just the right amount. It was cinched around her waist by a belt of black feathers and had slits up each side, showing off her shapely legs. Around her neck was a choker of silver and gold, dangling down between her breasts. Her hair was piled high on top of her head in an elaborate braid, with wispy tendrils framing her face.
He swallowed hard as his gaze swept over her. When he told her that being beautiful wasn't enough, he'd meant it. He needed more out of a woman than someone who equated their beauty to everything, and he had the impression that was what Aelwen was like. She wasn't necessarily proving him wrong per se, but god damn if that dress didn't make his cock stir.
She walked into the room like she owned the place, and Vinir's throat went dry, unable to say anything. Aelwen stared at him with an intensity he'd never seen before in anyone's eyes. It went beyond mere seduction.
It took all the strength Vinir had not to stand up from his desk and take what she was offering him right then and there. His hands were shaking, knowing that if he moved too much, she would see that he wanted her more than anything else in this world, despite the consequences that might bring.
"Good evening, my queen," he said finally. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
She smiled like an angelic temptress as she sashayed across the long office to stand in front of his desk, one hand propped on her hip. "The pleasure is all mine, my king. I've been thinking about how our wedding went ... and I think it's possible we got off on the wrong foot."
Vinir arched an eyebrow and leaned back as far as he could in his chair. Half in an attempt to get as far away as he could from her without standing, and half because he was genuinely curious about what she had to say.
"You don't say?" I answer. "I thought our arrangement was perfectly clear. You're my wife and queen in title only. I don't care for you or have any interest in pretending otherwise. What is there about that to misunderstand?"
Her seductive smile faltered somewhat, but she still sauntered closer to Vinir, then sat on the front of my desk, turning to look over her side at him. Her dress rode up her thigh, revealing far too much delicious flesh.
