Page 34 of A Kiss From a Faerie King

“Unless the prophecy could be fulfilled,” he says softly, his hand cupping my cheek.

Gently, he tips my face back up to the sky and I gasp. It’s Emrys and I, made out of glowing stars. Hand in hand, we walk towardsThe Great Oakand slip inside. The stars twist and shift, and the scene becomes more erotic. We are both naked—our bodies moving with each other while the tree around us glows brighter.

“As the prophecy goes, the king must take a human into the heart ofThe Great Oakand claim her. To restore its power by infusing his back into it. Only then couldThe Great Oakbe revived by the offering of two souls and the primal magic that is made when they fuse together.”

The stars glow bright once more before spreading out. The story ends, and they resume their typical place in the sky. Turning back towards Emrys, my eyes search his. Raising his hand, I notice a laurel of wildflowers. They are a riot of colors—blues, oranges, pinks, and whites—and smell delicious. Emrys smiles as he sets it on my head.

“The prophecy,” I whisper.

I feel the flower crown settle there. With a gentle tug, the crown does not budge from its place on my head. Power flows through me and feels like Emrys—exciting and heady. It’s not painful. It feels right. Permanent. As if I’ve always belonged here and always will.

“I’ve waited a long time for you, my blossom. All of my realm has, but they will continue to wait until you are ready. I won’t complete this prophecy without you. It is you who hold the power,” he whispers.

I lick my lips. “You’ve never taken anyone insideThe Great Oak?”

He shakes his head. “Never.”

“And you want to take me?”

“More than anything,” he confesses. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I want to own and keep you. I want to possess you. Laying claim to your soul during the ritual will be the greatest honor and the most wonderful pleasure. I want nothing more than to bind your soul to mine because you’ve owned me since the moment I saw you.”

I stare into his earnest eyes. I can feel the sprites and faeries humming around us—willing us together. Who am I to deny them? I want to keep this realm safe, but more than that, I want Emrys. I want his kindness—his devotion and desire. He’s given me my freedom and stoked my pleasure, and now I’m ready. To be a permanent fixture of this land and to do it by his side.

If I’ve owned his soul since the moment we met, then he most assuredly has owned mine.

My mind whispers that this has to be some sort of trick, but that voice sounds an awful lot like my mother and father’s. I shake myself gently. No more will I think of them. No more will I let myself be ruled by their expectations and rules. I will be just as free as my king demands me to be.

The king who I love.

The realization makes the silence between us stretch. I love him. I do. It’s too fast, but it’s true. I should tell him, but not yet. First, I want to show him what he means to me—what he’ll always mean to me.

Winding my hands through his soft hair, I twist until I’m straddling his lap. My legs lock around his back as I bring our mouths together. The kiss is soft and claiming. It’s the first one of the rest of our lives together. Pulling back slightly, I touch our foreheads together.

“Take me toThe Great Oak.”

10

LAURELLE

Emrys carries me like I’m made of delicate glass.

His steps are quick and sure as we pass through rows of sweet-smelling flowers. Sprites fly up around us—cheering and offering congratulations. A few faeries throw white petals that cling to our knees. I’d say they seem more excited than me, but that would be a lie. My body hums with anticipation.

We cut through a row of thick trees beyond Emrys’s palace. A few leaves tickle my cheeks, but Emrys’s hold stays locked on me. I snuggle into his warm chest. Any nerves I have fade, and only eagerness swirls in my stomach.

Soon, I will have him, and soon we will be one.

While the prophecy is important, it isn’t the only factor driving me and Emrys together. I want and care for him, and because of that, I want to help him save this beautiful, magical realm. The fact that he’s never taken anyone else in here tells me all I need to know. If his depth of feeling for me wasn’t clear before, it surely is now.

Pushing through the dense foliage, we emerge in a moonlit clearing. It’s easily triple the size of the one the faeries and I danced through a few nights ago. This one is sequestered away, hidden to conceal an ancient secret. The sprites fly towards it and lounge on the branches of the surrounding trees.

A new sensation tickles my body. It pulses with energy—a different sort of magic zips through the air. A dense fog obscures the center. The damp wind tugs at my thin dress. Still, Emrys presses on until the cloudy air recedes, and my breath stills in my lungs.

It’s magnificent. Even compared to all the things I’ve seen,The Great Oakis beyond compare.

Glowing with a pure golden light, the massive tree reaches into the sky at a shocking height. It’s made up of hundreds of strong branches—all of them decorated in golden leaves. It feels warm despite the cool evening air. Its trunk is wider than a castle wall. Sprites and faeries swarm it, allowing their glowing bodies to add even more light to its impressive structure.

My eyes snag on a few bare branches, and my heart dips.

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