Page 56 of Crown of Briars
I stepped forward. “Sybelle, just to be clear, consummationisrequired to seal our marriage. But I do not intend to force itupon you. Ever. When you are ready to consummate, then we will. That is all.”
She blinked at me. “And what if I am never ready?”
I offered a wry smile. Clermont had expressed the same concern. “Let’s give it some more time before we make such decisions. But, if you truly do not believe you can stomach being with a creature like me, then perhaps we will discuss nullifying the marriage and sending for a different human bride.”
She looked at me with an incredulous expression. “You cannot be serious.”
“Much as it might shock you, wife, I have morals. There are lines even a demon like me will not cross.”
“Oh, for the last time, I donotthink you are a demon! Stones, Varius, you are astrangerto me. That is all. Why must you judge everything I say and twist it into some kind of prejudice against your kind? I would be having these same feelings even if you were a human.”
For the last time.As if she had repeatedly told me so.
She had not, in fact. Not once.
But, assuming she spoke the truth, her words eased some of the tension inside me. Because I realized that, just like her, I was most apprehensive about this entire situation because we were strangers. Setting aside the notion that we were different species, we were merely two royals thrown together in a marriage arrangement that neither of us asked for.
Perhaps we were not so different after all.
“Where I come from, the nobility often marry without love or affection,” she said. “It is a business transaction and nothing more. That’s what I thought this was. So the idea of consummating is not that unexpected. I have prepared for it. My whole life has been spent training to be your wife. For years, my father taught me to be diligent with my wifely duties, to ensure my husband was satisfied as often as he demanded.” Her voicecaught on those last words. “It will take more than a few moments to discard the notion that has been drilled into me for so long.”
A new sense of anger kindled in my chest, a burning hatred for the man who raised her to be nothing more than an object to be used and discarded. Again, I drew closer to her, noting how she didn’t flinch away from me.
“Let me set one thing straight,” I said, my voice low. “In my court, things are different. We do not demand that our wives pleasure us even when it sickens them. Many nobles are fae who have never been married. Even the females. And they have just as much freedom as the males.”
Sybelle gaped at me. “Truly?”
“Truly. Decades ago, long before—well, before all this started, the court was ruled by females. From queen to queen, the crown was passed down.”
“Stones,” she breathed, pressing a hand to her chest. “To my kind, that’s unheard of. Why did it change?”
I smirked. “One queen had all sons.”
She laughed, a light but melodious sound that warmed my blood. “Well, I can see why that would alter things a bit.”
“The kings before me might have forced their wives to comply,” I went on. “I will not pretend that the royals of my family were saints. Many of them were despicable, and the training you underwent was likely in anticipation of such behavior. But I vow to be different from my forefathers. And I promise to you right now, Sybelle, that Iwill nottouch you unless you invite me to. I will swear it in blood, if you wish.”
I hadn’t planned to make such a vow, but I couldn’t take it back, even if I wanted to. Clermont would have been affronted at such a declaration, but it felt right. Sybelle needed safety and comfort, and I would give that to her.
If the curse required me to become the type of male who would willingly rape females, then my kingdom had long sincebeen doomed. Nothing and no one would ever make me cross that line.
Sybelle stared at me, eyebrows raised and lips parted. Her breath hitched as she gazed at me, and I wondered what she was thinking. At long last, she spoke, her voice as soft as a caress. “You are not at all what I expected, Varius.”
I frowned. Echoing her words from the library, I said, “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.”
She laughed again. “It is.” Her expression sobered, and she added, “I feel like I should say, though, that I never once thought you were a wraith or a monster. I am more frightened of the unknown than anything else. And right now, I am not frightened of you.”
I nodded, grateful for her words. “Thank you for that.” I clasped my hands behind my back, dreading my next words. But it could not be avoided. We had dodged it for too long. “I must ask something of you, though.”
“Oh?” Curiosity burned in her gaze once more.
I heaved a sigh. “I need your blood.”
“You need my blood,”I repeated slowly. “Why?”
I should have been afraid. But honestly, I was more intrigued than anything. A week ago, I would have feared the horrible Wraith King wanted todrinkmy blood. But I knew better than that.
“For the shadows,” Varius said, his words stilted.
