come in handy if Storme tried something nefarious. Instead of talking, we had a round of fantastic makeup sex and went to sleep in Kardri's behemoth of a bed.
The next morning, I woke up and stretched, feeling more optimistic than I had in a while. Kar was passed out beside me, the covers gathered around his waist and his midnight skin blending into the black sheets so that it seemed as if he were melting. He was so beautiful that he needed to be painted or carved in stone or something. His image should be recorded in every way possible. But at the same time, I liked knowing that only I got to see him like this. This beauty was for me alone.
I sighed and looked away from my ridiculously handsome lover to survey his bedroom. It was even more masculine than mine, done in stark black, maroon, and gold. The bed had thick posts carved in swirls like a unicorn's horn, with a golden frame connecting and rising above them to hold the black silk canopy. Plush, wine-red carpets in intricate designs covered the floor and a set of leather chairs sat with a table between them, all three before a grand fireplace with a glossy black mantle. A chessboard waited on the little table, its pieces made of carved stone, half of them white and the rest black.
The bed, chairs, and table were the only traditional pieces of furniture in the room. Along the wall across from the bed, a line of very nontraditional furniture waited, and I use the word furniture loosely. They were items kin to that kinging stool Kar had left in Stalana, but far more elaborate. My eyes had widened when I first spotted them the night before, but despite enjoying his kinging chair, I hadn't been brave enough to accept his offer to try one of those kinky devices. And we'd done just fine without all the hoopla.
I sat up, looking toward the glass doors that led to the expansive terrace garden. The plant life was so dense that only small patches of sunlight made it through the canopy of branches and vines. I had the strangest feeling that if I walked through that doorway, I'd enter another world. Feeling adventurous, I slid out of bed and opened the doors, then walked into the garden naked. With the thick greenery guarding me, my nudity didn't matter, and I liked the feeling of freedom it gave me.
I strode over glossy, green tiles, through a lush jungle of wide-leafed plants, exotic flowers, and heavy fruit. A path was formed by precisely set planters and pots, their glazed finishes adding to the exotic feel. The air was humid but in a good way, and I breathed in scents I'd never smelled before—sweet, peppery, and floral. Ahead, the path curved and the hanging branches of vine-wrapped trees parted enough to give a glimpse of the sky.
I wandered past beds of lacy ferns while colorful birds squawked at me from the branches above. The sound of bubbling water lured me even further, to the center of the garden where a fountain was set within the floor, made to look like a natural pool. I ran my hand on a mossy boulder beside it and smiled at the golden fish swimming across the bottom, completely unaware that they weren't in a jungle at all, but several stories up in a fae city.
“Do you like it?” a deep voice vibrated over my skin—Kar's morning voice.
I turned to find him walking up to me in a loosely tied robe, his glorious hair wild about his shoulders.
“It's heaven,” I said with a grin.
“Through there, you can enjoy an amazing view of the city.” He smiled wickedly as he looked over my naked body. “But you'll have to put this on first.” He lifted a silk robe. “I don't feel like sharing you.”
“I suppose I can cover up,” I said as if it were a hardship. “For you.”
“Thank you, you're so kind.” Kardri rolled his eyes as he held the robe open.
I slipped in it and belted it. With me relatively decent, Kardri took my hand and led me toward the far end of the clearing. A path hid behind a huge pot of banana trees, curving back, then straightening. It took us to a lookout cleared of all but a few small plants. A bench waited there, but Kardri took me straight to the stone railing and leaned his thick forearms on