Page 57 of Of Blood & Bone: The Young Queen

Unfortunately, Aaran misinterprets my silence. “Apologies. I don’t mean to offend, Queen Elinor, although I suspect you may hold him in the same low regard?”

I can’t hold the giggle back any longer and it jumps from my lips into the space between us. “Pray tell, what was the Grand Master’s reaction when he found you here?” I ask.

Aaran smiles and there’s a definite sense of satisfaction dancing about his lips. “I think he came as near to a heart attack as a man can come without actually having one.”

My giggle turns into a full belly laugh and ripples around the room. “Let’s hope you’ve scared him enough that he doesn’t come back,” I suggest.

“So, I was right, he’s not exactly your favourite courtier then?” Aaran asks.

“No, he most certainly isn’t,” I confirm, “but unfortunately he is a necessary one.”

He moves towards the table and picks upThe Necessity of War And Fallacy Of Peace.“Hmmm...I see this particular tome was written by a former king. It seems there’s a history of interesting males in Ardvalla.”

I don’t know why but I’m surprised he reads. I’d presumed from what the prince said about him growing up part feral in the Dark Forest that he never learned.

“You like to read?” I ask.

“Yes,” he confirms. “You seem surprised?”

I incline my head a little towards the table to hide my embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to offend you, but from what the prince told me about your upbringing I assumed you had no access to books.”

“The Devotees made sure to teach me the written word whenever I stayed and were kind enough to let me take books with me when I left. I passed many a long night in the forest with a good book for company.”

He putsThe Necessity of War And Fallacy Of Peaceback on the table and picks upThe Thorn Upon The Rose. “Are these your reading choices, Queen Elinor?”

“Yes.”

“Your taste is quite eclectic,” he observes with a slight rise of his left eyebrow.

“Thank you, there are books I read to aid me in my role as queen and books I read for my personal pleasure.”

He slowly places the book back on the table. “I imagine you get limited opportunities to indulge in your own personal pleasure,” he says in a low voice, and just like that the atmosphere goes from polite conversation to sexually charged suggestion.

I move towards the table in an effort to mask my embarrassment and make a fumbled attempt to pick up the two books. Then I feel him behind me, tall, strong and calm. His arms appear at my sides and he catchesThe Thorn Upon The Rosebefore it falls to the floor. The fingers of his other hand curl around my arm, just in front of my elbow, and at the same time he moves closer, as if anchoring me to him.

The heat from his body moves through the fabric of my dress and I feel like a thousand tiny fires have been lit across my skin. My breath hitches and I have to remind myself to breathe. He nonchalantly lifts the book up, as if he is unaffected by our new proximity to each other. “Do these doomed lovers ever get a chance to share in each other’s pleasure?’ he asks and the whisper of his breath across my cheek is akin to an angel’s kiss.

“How do you know they're doomed?” I manage to enquire in between drawing some much needed breaths of air into my lungs.

“The books have lain here since I started frequenting the library and I have taken the liberty of reading some of their pages,” he informs me, as he continues to stand with his body pressed against mine.

I can’t help the smile that teases the corners of my mouth at the thought of him reading a romance between a fae prince and a human maiden. “I haven’t quite finished reading the book, but I can tell you these ill fated lovers do indeed share in each other’s pleasure.”

“Mmmm… perhaps we should read it together,” he suggests, as his fingers softly trace invisible tendrils of desire along my arm.

“You mock me, sire,” I reply, as I try to control the spread of those tendrils to areas I don't want them to go.

His fingers still. “Mock you? Why do you think I would mock you?” he asks and sounds genuinely puzzled.

“Most men ridicule romance novels. They certainly don't suggest reading them as an activity they wish to indulge in.”

He moves slightly and then I feel his lips against my ear. ”Ah, but I am not most men,” he whispers, and his breath is hot and sinful, sending tiny darts of desire shooting through my body. Then I feel him pull my hair to the side, exposing the nape of my neck. He slides the tip of one of his fingers along my exposed flesh and I tremble at his touch.

“Sire,” I whisper, “you, above all people, know I intend to make the prince my king and I suspect you are aware that we have been intimate. I know how highly you regard the prince, therefore I'm confused as to why you would tempt me so. Why would you wish to steal me away from him?”

His fingertip continues its treacherous exploration of my skin. “You judge my actions, Queen Elinor, in terms of your own limited experiences and Ardvallan culture. Remember, I and the prince are Ellerban and we have a different approach to relationships. I do not wish to steal you away from him, I know your destiny and how you are bound to each other. However, I'm simply offering you another option. You don't need to limit yourself to just one lover. You are a queen and have the power to decide who you wish to lie with, how many lovers you wish to take to your bed and who you want by your side as you rule your realm.”

I'm stunned at his words and the outrageous suggestion therein. However, I'm even more stunned when I feel his lipsburn into the sensitive flesh of my neck. For a moment I consider pulling away and pushing him from me. However, that would mean the delicious ripples of desire licking their way along my skin would have to stop, so instead I incline my head to the side and offer more of my flesh for him to set aflame.

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