Page 15 of The Beautiful Blade

Despite my teasing, Charlotte climaxed quickly. I knew every flick of tongue to get her where she wanted to be, which was writhing over me. When her hips began to buck and her wings broke free of her dress, I kept my tongue working, this time deeper inside her core. It drew out the pleasure, ensuring that her next climax would be deeper and longer. It meant I could take my time and suckle every petal of her folds as she dripped that sweet nectar directly into my mouth, smeared it on my face, and left her imprint on my soul.

The stable door creaked open.

The sound was a shard of ice through the haze of our shared heat. I froze, my body stiffening as light spilled into the stables. Charlotte pulled away, her eyes wide with alarm as we both scrambled to sit up. My legs protested the sudden movement, nearly giving out beneath me as I stumbled off the straw mattress.

A woman stood in the doorway, her figure backlit by the faint glow of the moons. Her dark robesbillowed around her. The garment was embroidered with shimmering constellations that shifted as she moved. A silver sigil glinted on her chest, marking her as a Sky Keeper Mage, one of the powerful envoys entrusted with maintaining the celestial balance of Lunaterra.

Her sharp eyes, the color of storm clouds, swept over the stables. They landed on us with an expression that was all disdain and no shock. Her lips curled as if she had already judged us unworthy.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

The mage stopped at the nearest stall, leading her pegasus into the area. Its wings, speckled with the colors of twilight, quivered as she guided it inside and secured its reins with a flick of her fingers. The creature settled, though its luminous eyes stayed fixed on me, almost accusing.

“The queen will not like this,” said the mage, her voice cool and measured.

"My mother isn't here."

"I meant the Lioness Queen, Your Highness. Though your fiancé occasionally slacks his lusts, it is uncomely for the bride to do so. Personally, I think that a double standard."

I didn't know much about the Sky Keeper Mages of Solmane. They were not like the priests and holy menof other nations and religions who swore off women. Sky Keeper Mages took their pleasure but made no commitments.

Charlotte stepped forward, her shoulders squared and her chin lifted in defiance. “You will say nothing of this.”

“Unlike your stable toy, I don’t work here, Your Highness. Your orders mean nothing to me. I come to check on the future queen's… progress.”

“Then take your report back to the Lioness Queen and the Beast Prince Adom that I am advanced in all my studies and await the appointed time of our nuptials at the next Hunter's Eclipse.”

Charlotte moved in front of me. It's what she always did whenever there was a hint of the two of us being found out. She put her glowing self on display so that others would forget my presence. It wasn't working this time.

“Forgive me, Highness, but for some reason I doubt that you will show up for your appointed nuptials on time. I get the sense that you might lose your way to the capital."

Charlotte's body went taut like a bowstring. Her hand clenched into a fist at her side. Then slowly, deliberately, her fingers uncurled. When they did, the blade was in her grasp, gleaming with a cold, deadly light.

"You're right," she said, her voice the polite fairy princess' who was all manners and decorum. "I won't make it to my wedding. I've made other plans for that day."

Before I could fully register what was happening, Charlotte moved. A blur of lavender skin and shimmering wings, she lunged at the Sky Keeper Mage, flipping the dagger in her hand and striking with the hilt instead of the blade. The move was so quick, so precise, it was over before I even had time to react.

The mage staggered. Her staff clattered to the ground as her eyes rolled back. She crumpled in a heap at Charlotte’s feet.

I blinked, my mouth opening to say something—anything—but no words came.

Charlotte’s fiery gaze snapped to me, her breath coming fast, as though the act of violence had ignited something within her. She knelt, slipping on her shoes with a speed born of urgency, and grabbed my hand.

"It’s time. We’re running."

I should’ve hesitated. I should’ve thought of a better strategy—like not running on foot with my weak body, which would inevitably fail me. Or something like saddling the strongest pegasus in the stables and flying out of Evergrove. Because make no mistake, I had every intention of following Charlotte wherever she went, or wherever she was taken.

Where I was calm and logic, Charlotte was all fire and instinct. We raced toward the stable doors instead of the stalls. Every rational thought in me screamed that this was a terrible idea, but my mind, my body, my entire being was so used to following her that that's exactly what I did. I followed my wild fairy princess right into the open arms of danger.

Charlotte threw open the doors, and we came face to face with a dozen soldiers. Their polished armor glinted in the light of the First Moon, their swords drawn and ready. Charlotte did not let go of my hand, not even as the soldiers reached for us and tore us apart.

“Don’t touch him! He is mine! You let him go this instant!”

"That's enough, Charlotte." Queen Indira stood a few paces away. Her gaze swept over us, her expression one of thinly veiled disgust. "I thought you'd be over this childhood dalliance by now."

She knew. She'd known. My knees threatened to give out, but I held firm. Mainly because I was being held by soldiers with muscles bigger than my head.

Charlotte’s demeanor shifted so fast it felt like a physical blow. Her face blanked into the cool, imperious mask of royalty. She tilted her chin, her gaze hardening as she looked down her nose at me.

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