Page 42 of The Stolen Kingdom

Valda couldn’t tear her eyes off her.

She looked down at herself, wondering if the clothing she was wearing was good enough to bask in Maris’s presence. But instead of armor, or the dirty, blood-stained clothes she had grown used to, she found herself clad in clean linen pants and a soft cotton blouse. Her boots were gone.

She was barefoot—and warm.

The room glowed, illuminated with candles, making it look bigger and shinier than she remembered.

Her eyes settled back on Maris, and her breath caught in her throat. Maris was looking at Valda, her blue eyes wide with surprise, as though she hadn’t expected to see her standing there in the living quarters.

Valda’s hand moved to her chest, as she felt the pull of their bond. Maris wanted her—Valda could feel it—but something was holding her back, stopping her from saying it aloud.

Valda frowned.That wouldn’t do.

She was tired of Maris denying her need, not just to Valda but to herself.

“G-good evening, Your Highness,” Maris said, her voice shaky as if testing whether she could speak.

Back to formal titles? Or was she being playful?

“Good evening, Seashell,” Valda said, and her breath faltered when Maris walked towards her. The Skylian robes suited her perfectly. They concealed just enough to leave Valda longing to see more, yet revealed enough to satiate the raging hunger she felt for her mate.

“What are you doing here?” Maris asked, her frown deepening the closer she got to Valda.

“I… I live here?” Valda answered, tilting her head slightly, amused at the question.

Maris blinked, her gaze shifting around the room as if taking it in for the first time before settling back on Valda. “Right. Youdolive in Oberon Castle…” she muttered, her hands fidgeting nervously. “When did we come back?”

Valda straightened her back, glancing around the room. “I’m not sure…”

Her gaze roamed the chamber. It looked just as they had left it when they departed for New Agenor. There was no trace of their fight back in the castle, no evidence of forced entry, as if the events that had separated them never happened.

“But I am glad we are here, aren’t you?” Valda asked, a hopeful smile spreading across her lips. Tentatively, she reached for Maris’s hands, her thumb brushing over the back of one. She gently drew Maris closer, leaning in to press her lips against her mate’s forehead.

Valda’s heart swelled when Maris wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face against Valda’s chest.

“I am…” Maris said, tightening her embrace.

Valda cradled her lover, her arms encircling her as she kissed the top of Maris’s head. The soft aqua curls tickled her nose as she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of the sea that clung to her mate.

“I can’t stay, though. I have a meeting,” Maris said, and she pulled away from Valda, denying her the warmth she missed yet again.

“A meeting?”With whom?Valda frowned, and before Maris could take a step further, Valda clamped her hand around her wrist and held her firmly. “Wait.”

Maris looked from her eyes down to her wrist and back to her face again. “Have you forgotten I am a queen too? I have places to go, people to see.”

“People?” Her head canted. “Who are you meeting with?”

Maris laughed before she pried Valda’s hand from her wrist. “I have a meeting with Eyphah.”

Valda’s entire demeanor hardened.

“We need to talk about a security breach near the lakes. There have been some sightings of strangers in that area, and I want to make sure everyone is well protected.”

“You are inmycastle, Seashell. Why would you want to go back to the settlement?” Valda asked, before swallowing hard. “I don’t want you to go.”

Maris frowned before her eyes roamed the room. Her face contorted in confusion, as if she’d only just realized she truly was in Valda’s chambers in Oberon Castle.

Valda walked to Maris’s side with one broad stride and touched her lower back. The silk of the robe was soft enough for Valda to take in how delicious it felt over Maris’s body.

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