his eyes fades as the man I’ve come to adore comes back to me. He strokes my hair and peppers kisses on my face.
“I wish we weren’t about to battle The Damned. Our time together feels too short,” he grumbles. It’s endearing to see a strong, powerful, fire making king pout.
A flash of a black-haired toddler with blazing blue eyes and a wicked smile dances in my mind.
Foolish woman.
Happy endings aren’t for cold, nearly dead queens.
His mouth presses to mine in a soul-stealing kiss.
A foolish woman can pretend, though.
As he kisses me until I’m dizzy, I allow images of children with a man like Ryke to flit through my mind. I may not have a long life ahead of me, but I have the power to wish for one. And until I take my last breath, I’ll keep wishing.
Ryke
“We must leave now,” Danser says, the edge in his voice sparking me to action.
“They’re upon us already?” I look up at my most trusted man briefly before inspecting my sword again.
“They are.”
“Queen Whitestone?”
“She already bid her sister goodbye and is getting fitted for armor.”
I arch a brow. “How did their farewell meeting go?”
“It was a tearful affair,” he grunts. “Yanna whispered some things to the queen that I wasn’t privy to hearing.”
My spine stiffens. “The queen is okay?”
“Perfectly so.”
Exhaling a sharp breath, I sheath my sword and pull on my cape. Danser and I are already wearing our battle armor. His metal helmet reveals his dark eyes and mouth. My own helmet is fashioned into more of a crown with high, black, jagged spikes on top so that my men can tell their king from the rest. Danser and my other men all stand out against the white walls and the queen’s army.
“You shouldn’t go,” Cavon growls, echoing down the hallway toward us in tandem with footsteps.
“And you shouldn’t command your queen,” Elzira hisses back. “The Eyes of the White need me leading them.”
“I can lead them,” he bites back, uncaring of his place in her world, which is beneath her boots.
They come into view and my face breaks out into a wide grin.
Beautiful.
She’s an incredible vision.
And mine.
Rather than her fancy dresses or white, Elzira is fitted in tight black trousers, black boots that go to her knees, a black shirt, and a black cape more her size. What has my cock rising to the occasion is the metal plate over her torso with the shape of a flame carved into the metal. Her white-blond hair hangs down in front of her shoulders, a stark contrast against the black. The woman is beautiful in her natural glory, but this day she is extraordinary. Black and gray shades line her eyes and make the blue seem to pop. Her cheeks are rosy with natural color and her once blue lips are the color of blood.
If only we had more time…I’d love to see those lips wrapped around my cock.
As though she’s caught me inside my head, Elzira smirks, her eyes flashing wickedly at me. “Your highness,” she greets, her voice a seductive purr. “I hear we must leave right away.”
“You’re not going to let her go, are you?” Cavon demands, his green eyes burning into me with hate and accusation. “She is weak. Ill. Dying.” He utters the last word so that only the four of us may hear.
Lightning quick, I strike out at him, grabbing his neck. I summon my fires until his eyes flash with panic.
“Don’t speak to your queen as though she is fragile and weak,” I growl, snarling at him. “You are to carry out her commands without question. She is a force and our best chance against the horde of The Damned.” Turning my head, I smile at her. “Does she look weak to you right now? Or does she look like the woman who is going to make every single last one of her enemies, both crazed and fully fucking aware, bleed at her booted feet?” I snap my eyes back at him. “Your queen is not weak, nor is she stupid. Like a good queen, she makes strategic moves that you could never fully understand, Green. Question your queen again and I’ll send your head rolling like I did her worthless servant. Are we clear?”
Cavon’s green eyes practically glow. “Of course, your highness.”
I release him and he rubs at his throat. Black singe marks ruin his otherwise perfectly white outfit. It pleases me to know I ruined him just a bit. One day I’d love