Page 108 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“Would you like to pet her?” he asked.

“Are you serious?” I tried to hide my excitement, keeping my voice to a whisper.

Tharan smiled, whistlinga beautiful melody.

The mare raised her head and came trotting down the path into the ravine where we lay. Arion whinnied in excitement.

Tharan sat at the edge of the cart, holding out a carrot.

She hesitated, but Tharan said in a calming voice, “She is a friend.” The mare gently took the carrot from his hand.“You can pet her now if you’d like.”

I slid the glove off my hand and ran it down her long, muscular neck. Soft as a baby bunny, her fur, almost translucent, glowed a radiant shade of white.

Tharan cooed over the mare, petting her gently on the neck. “I call her Aurora, for she is the dawn of a new age for the unicorns.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “She’s pregnant?” I asked.

“She is,” Tharan said, rubbing the mare on the head. “I have been running a breeding program in secret for a decade.” He gave the mare another carrot. “Magic makes the blood thin, so I’ve had to mix them with regular horses. The process is not exact, resulting in a unicorn a quarter of the time. It’s a slow process, but my herd has grown from ten to nearly thirty.”

Arion whinnied at the mare. “It seems like Arion has taken a shine to Aurora,” I said. “Maybe you could breed him into your line.”

“I think that could be arranged.” Aurora trotted over to Arion, the two nuzzled each other.

My heart filled with love. “I can’t wait to tell Amolie about this. She’s not going to believe it.”

We laid back down in the wagon bed watching the clouds sail over the stars. My heart torn in two. I could not deny my feelings for Tharan, but I also felt like I was betraying Caiden.

Tharan clicked his tongue. “Care to share what you’re ruminating on?”

“How do you know I’m thinking about anything?” I scoffed.

“I can feel your thoughts turning over in your mind likeyou’re trying to put a puzzle together.” His hand brushed mine again.

I hesitated, unsure of how vulnerable I wanted to be with him.

“You can trust me, Aelia.”His hand squeezed mine.

I exhaled slowly. “I’ve fallen in love with every man who’s ever shown me the slightest bit of attention. It’s as if I’m a desert thirsting for a single drop of rain. I felt that way with Caiden and Gideon, and now I’m experiencing those same emotions with you. I feel guilty, as if I’m betraying Caiden, even though he doesn’t know who I am. But I remember. I remember everything. Part of me doesn’t want to let him go, but I know I must. I need to move on. And then there’s you. You’re so perfect and understanding, and you make my knees go weak, but I’m worried I’ll never be enough?—”

Tharan cut my rant short by pressing his lips to mine.

The breath left my lungs as arousal grew within me. We kissed as though we had known each other for years, each one anticipating the other’s movements. I didn’t want to stop, but I knew we had to.

“I’ve thought about our kiss every day since that night in the Court of Sorrows.” He ran his thumb along my cheek.

Words escaped me. I pressed my lips to his once more, letting his heat consume me.

“We shouldn’t,” I whispered.

His eyes searched mine for answers. “Why not? We’re both adults.”

Twirling a piece of his auburn hair around my finger, I tried to find the right words. “I must protect my heart. You are the Alder King. You will marry a highborn magus woman. This will only end in heartache for me.”

Tharan’s gaze softened. “I can marry whomever I choose.”

He leaned in for a kiss, but I stopped him before our lips could touch. “Don’t be foolish. We both know how this ends.”

He pulled me into his warm embrace. “I know you’ve been through a lot. We can take it slow if you’d like. Be friends for now. It’s clear by the way you kissed me you want this too. Let me show you who I am.”

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