Page 53 of The Orc's Princess Bride
“That doesn’t mean he’ll stop trying.”
“I know. I’ve been thinking,” she added slowly. “Before you came crashing into the ceremonial chamber, a Veilborn priest wasthere. He told Lasseran that what he was doing was not wise. He refused to participate in the ritual.”
“Egon’s contact in the city said that there were rumors of trouble between Lasseran and the Veilborn.”
“Do you think it’s possible that they would help us?” she asked. “Sometimes the enemy of your enemy is your friend.”
“I don’t know. They may have disagreed on the ritual, but we don’t know that they are enemies. And I was taught that they are very dangerous.”
“As was I, but my father said they sought balance. There will be no balance if Lasseran gets what he wants.”
“It’s worth considering. I will have Rook make some inquiries and see if he can find out more.”
“I’ll write to my father as well. He may be more willing to discuss the subject now that I’m older.”
They stood in silence for a moment, looking at the stars as the world turned below them, the night deepening around them. She shivered, and he pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin.
“You’re cold,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”
She turned in his arms, her smile bright in the moonlight. “Yes, please.”
He carried her to their bed, but instead of making love to her, he knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his.
“I’m sorry that I was such a fool. I’m sorry that I ever doubted you. I let my fear of betrayal and my fear of Lasseran blind me to what was right before me.”
“We both carried fears,” she said softly. “I was terrified you would see me as tainted because of my blood, that you would never truly trust me. I should have told you about Lasseran from the beginning.”
“Why didn’t you?” he asked gently.
“My mother died giving birth to me, and my father kept me hidden away for a long time. I grew up hearing whispers about my uncle, about the darkness in our bloodline. Every time I made a mistake, lost my temper, showed any sign of being less than perfect, I wondered if his evil was in me too.”
He cupped her face. “There is no evil in you, Jessamin.”
“I know that now,” she whispered. “But for so long, I believed that if anyone knew of my connection to him, they would see only that—not me.”
He nodded. “And I proved your fears right.”
“You were protecting your people,” she said. “As a king must.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I was protecting myself. From the moment I saw you, I wanted you. Not just as a political alliance, not just as a queen. As mine. It terrified me, that wanting. It made me vulnerable.” He hesitated, the old pain still there. “My mother betrayed my father in so many ways, and it destroyed him. I was afraid so I pushed you away, looked for reasons to distrust you.”
“I would never betray you,” she said fiercely, and he squeezed her hands.
“I know that now.”
“You really wanted me from the beginning?” she added shyly, and he smiled at her.
“From the moment you stepped off that ship, chin high, refusing to show fear despite being surrounded by warriors twice your size. You were magnificent.”
Her cheeks turned pink with pleasure.
“And I thought you were the most intimidating, most compelling man I’d ever seen. I was determined to prove that I could be a true queen to your people, that I wasn’t just a fragile southern princess.”
“You’ve more than proven that,” he said, his hand sliding down to the small of her back, pulling her closer. “You faced Lasseran without flinching. You fought. You never gave up.”
“Neither did you,” she said. “You came for me.”
“I will always come for you,” he growled. “You are mine now, as I am yours.”
