Page 167 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

“There, huh?”

Leaning up on one arm, he cupped my cheek with the other, watching me until some part of me wanted to hide. But he wasn’t analyzing each reaction from a place of cooldistance. No, each time I moaned or gasped or tensed, his expression grew tighter, his eyes burned brighter. And my body came alive in a way it never had before, as if tiny sparks were darting along my every nerve.

“I want centuries with you.” He pressed a kiss to my mouth, his thrusts increasing in speed. “Just like this.”

He slid his hand to the back of my head, cradling it as his lips caressed mine.

“I love you.”

The words were stark. Almost solemn.

My breath caught, and my release hit like a storm, my body shuddering as pleasure careened through me.

Cursing, Demos drove deeper, drawing out my climax, until he tensed and I felt warmth, felt him pulsing within me as his arms tightened around my body, holding me tight.

“I love you too,” I gasped. He lifted his head. But now that the words were out, I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long. “I love you too.”

We dozed for a while, neither of us speaking about what would happen tomorrow. And then Demos shifted, pressing a kiss to my temple.

“Wait here,” he murmured.

When he returned, I was almost asleep, my eyes heavy-lidded.

The cool night air swept into the tent as Demos stepped inside, and I shivered, sitting up.

For the first time since I’d known him, Demos looked almost…uncertain.

I dropped my gaze to the crossbow in his hand and shot up in bed. “What happened? Are we under attack?”

“No.” Crossing the room, he held it out to me. “I had this commissioned for you before we left. I asked Tibris to bring it with him.”

My hand shook as I took the crossbow. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, it seamlessly blended both beauty and lethality.

The stock was carved from some kind of dark wood. Whatever it was, it felt sturdy yet surprisingly light in my hands. Its surface was so smooth, it felt almost like silk when I ran my hand across it, broken only by a delicate pattern engraved along the wood.

The limbs of the crossbow were flexible, but they’d been reinforced with something. I could feel the strength when I pressed on one of them. And the bowstring… it hummed softly when I plucked it, the sound almost familiar.

I brushed my fingers across the trigger mechanism. I could tell the release would be as smooth as butter.

“You’ll need to—”

His words broke off as I looked up at him, my eyes filled with tears.

I’d never been given a gift like this before. A gift that was so…me. A gift that combined beauty with necessity and had been created to make my life easier.

“You like it,” he smiled.

“It’s incredible, Demos, truly.”

He handed me a new quiver filled with sleek arrows. “To go with it.”

I took them, placing them next to the bed. “You had this commissioned in Gromalia. Before we left the castle.”

He nodded.

I watched him some more. I’d been so confused by him. So irritated. I’d understood he was hurting after seeing Tor, but I’d hated that he was pushing me away. It had felt like he’d only cared about me sometimes.

But even as we’d readied for war, he’d been thinking of me.

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