The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,63

fact, it’s my new favorite.

But now, the next part of our journey begins.

The captain yells something about bringing the anchor up. Ropes get pulled. Sails billow out.

When the ship lurches forward, I steady Whitley as she grapples with the tonic Quinn gave her. As instructed, she takes two sips before putting the cork back in.

She makes a noise after she swallows. “I suppose you don’t want to kiss me when I taste like this stuff?”

“You’re wrong.” I plant my lips on hers, welcoming the medicinal essence. Because as long as it’s mixed with Whitley, it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever had on my tongue.

Her teeth nip at my mouth, and I want nothing more than to drag her down to our cabin. But Kirian and I need to have a meeting about what I learned from Astrid—using violence and force on the coven won’t work.

For kings like us, that’s a hard habit to break.

Whitley

“The ship food isn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” I muse, buttoning up Damon’s nightshirt.

Then I decide against dressing all the way. Popping out the top four buttons, I make sure the opening dips down past my breasts.

“It’s not a long voyage. Food stores are fresh, and fish are caught daily.” Damon reclines on our small bed, his arms behind his head.

The casual pose is unintentionally sexy. When he lies like that, it makes his biceps bulge. His exposed torso is left vulnerable, begging to be touched. I want to trace his abs with my tongue, bite his nipples, and suck on the V lines going down into his tan lounge pants.

Aside from the training session with wooden daggers this afternoon, I’ve barely seen him since we set sail. He spent the morning in the lowest level of the ship holed up in a meeting with Kirian, Dermott, and Tibbs.

Then Astrid insisted on having tea after lunch, but we didn’t do anymore spells or discuss the issues we need to solve. She seemed more interested in socializing, chatting about her life of solitude in the Shadowlands. Apparently, she spent decades in there, and most of her visitors were uninvited beasts looking for a witch to eat. After hearing that, I guess I can’t blame her for wanting to talk my ear off.

Dinner was a group thing, all of us eating together on the top deck. Damon and I stole a few touches under the table, but all it did was whet my appetite for him.

Then the captain wanted to finish off the evening with a celebratory opening of their best barrel of wine. In my honor.

And who was I to say no?

I have every reason to be happy right now. Quinn’s medicine is magic, my stomach is full, and tonight is the night.

The night.

Although the life of a sailor isn’t a glamorous one, there’s something romantic about the simplicity of this setting for our first time.

The narrow cabin is small, and there’s no room for a dresser. A stardust lantern hangs next to the door, illuminating the dark wood all around us—the walls, the floor, the ceiling. There’s a circular window, but the inside shutters are closed, blocking out the night sky. We’ll all be sharing a community bathroom for the next couple days, which is basically a glorified Porta Potty with cold rainwater for the shower.

Damon and I were always meant to be here. It’s destiny.

I slide my underwear off and drop it to the pile of clothes on the little shelf sticking out of the wall at the end of the bed.

Damon sniffs the air before licking his lips. “Are you tired?”

“It’s been a long day, but I don’t feel like sleeping.” I drop a knee to the unoccupied sliver of the bed. The mattress is so thin, I’ll probably have to sleep on top of Damon.

Good.

He sucks in a breath when his palm meets the warm skin of my thigh, and I lie next to him, snuggling close so I don’t fall off the bed.

I softly touch the skin on his chest, loving how goose bumps pop up and spread out. It reminds me of the way water ripples when a rock is tossed in.

And isn’t that so fitting for us? If I’m Damon’s rock, then he’s my endless sea. Just like the vast water surrounding the lands, I could explore him forever and never find a place to stop.

“What did you and the guys talk about during your meeting? You were gone for hours.” I try not