Page 31 of A Kiss From a Faerie King

I want to love you.The thought steals my breath as I manage to conceal that final confession.

Emrys lowers his face to the top of my head and inhales deeply.

“I’d be a poor king if I did not inform you that time moves differently here, my blossom.”

Leaning back, I look up into his handsome face with a raised brow.

“Moves differently, how?”

His claws skim down the side of my face.

“Faster or slower, depending on my mood.”

My heart pounds, and I lick my dry lips.

“How…how long have I been here?”

His smile is small, but I notice the way his body stiffens.

“By human standards, maybe…” he hesitates. “Three weeks? A month at most.”

The world around me freezes. The warmth of the ovens only adds to the heat of my body. His words bounce around in my head. Three weeks? No more than a month? He can’t be serious. He can’t mean?—

“I’ve known you a month?” I choke out.

“Only in human time,” he reminds me.

I wait for the shock to render me motionless. I wait for anger to course through me and propel my arms to shove away from him. Yet, nothing like that happens because…I don’t care. This has been the most wonderful day—month, I guess—I’ve ever had. Beyond how kind he’s been to me, I feel the rightness of us in my bones.

Knowing him for a month doesn’t feel like a shock. It feels…right.

This also clears up one of my last hesitations. We’ve known each other a month in my world, that’s more than enough time to give my body the last push it needs into this waiting pool of desire. I’ve known my faerie king longer than it takes some people to be married. There’s no need to hold back when it comes to each other.

Not that I’ve been doing that since last night.

My hands tangle into his hair. I scratch at his scalp until his rigid posture melts into my curves. His hands on me tighten, causing more moisture to pool between my thighs.

“Why did you do all of this, Emrys?”

He presses his forehead to mine.

“To prove to you that I meant what I said. You are important to me—you are the only thing that truly matters. If you choose me, this can be our life together. Whatever you want, I’ll make it yours without hesitation.”

“And if the time came when I wanted to leave, would you still permit me to go?”

I don’t know why I ask. Perhaps it is the last tendril of self-preservation moving my lips.

Emrys pulls back slightly and averts my gaze.

“I won’t lie to you, my blossom. After spending this time with you, it would be…difficult to let you go. Unbearable even. I would do anything in my power to persuade you to stay. Use tactics I wouldn’t be proud of to keep you with me.”

I hold my breath as his dark eyes return to mine.

“But,” he says softly, “even as much as I want to, I could never keep you caged. Not even if it was in a gilded one by my side. That’s why I would only ask you to make me one promise in exchange for your release.”

“What kind of promise?” I ask. His lips are close enough to feel his soft breath.

“Promise me you’ll never return to your family.”

---