Page 68 of The Royal Curse

There were a few more murmurs of conversation from the hallway, and then Salvius’s footsteps retreated.

“I forgot there was someone out there,” I muttered, covering my eyes with my hands. It didn’t help. “Oh, gods. I won’t be able to hold my head up. I sounded like, I sounded like a slut.”

“Mmm,” Andreas said, and kissed me softly, his mouth lingering. “I’ll be able to holdmyhead up. Every man here’s going to envy me. You sounded incredible. Delicious.”

The edge of laughter in his voice was just too much. I pulled my hands away and glared up at him—and yes, he was grinning, eyes gleaming.

“How nice for you,” I groused, and his grin widened.

It was infuriating. But—he hadn’t moved, had he? No jumping out of bed, no frantic efforts to make sure no one knew what we’d been doing. In fact, he’d lain here calmly, on top of me and still inside me, and as good as admitted it.

“Last time we were interrupted—you panicked,” I said. “You were ashamed of me. But now you—and you haven’t even said you love me! If you—”

“I love you,” he said evenly, eyes fixed on mine, so bright and intent. “More than life or breath. More than enough to tell everyone you belong to me, if that’s what you want. Last time, I didn’t want you to be embarrassed. That wasn’t for my sake. I was just as much in love with you then as I am now.”

“But, but,” I sputtered, as a warm, quivering sensation I’d never even imagined bloomed in my chest. It felt like bubbles. It felt like joy. A smile had spread across my face, so wide that my cheeks were hurting. “How could you think I’d be embarrassed to be with you?”

Andreas raised his eyebrows. “Getting fucked by your personal guard? I can’t imagine why that would embarrass you, Your Highness. Besides, you were. Don’t try to deny it.”

Gazing into those eyes, I couldn’t possibly try to deny anything. Lying would be impossible.

And besides, I didn’t want to. I never wanted anything between us but the truth again.

I still had to take a deep, shuddering breath and force the words out. “I was, but not because of you. Because of what I am. Andreas, you know what everyone thinks of twilight mages, and dawn mages in particular. It’s—I’ve used the potion because I didn’t want—I hate what I am!”

That came out too harsh and too vehement, and tears stung the corners of my eyes.

I’d never said that out loud before. I’d hardly even allowed myself to admit it directly in the privacy of my own mind.

Andreas leaned down and kissed the words from my trembling lips, soothing me, loving me. “You saved my life with what you are,” he said softly. “Even if I didn’t already love you, you’d own me for the rest of the life you gave me just for that. I’d follow you around like a faithful dog until I died.”

My chest felt too tight, too heavy, like it might crack in half. I put my hands on his shoulders and dug my fingers in, never wanting to let him go.

“You can do that anyway, if you want to,” I choked out. “Please.”

He shook his head, laughing a little. “Right,” he said, his voice thick. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to get rid of me, sweetheart. I didn’t exactly fall in love with you at first sight, but no one else ever compared to you, either.”

“At first sight?” It was my turn to laugh. It released something in me, something hard and frozen, and I could breathe again. No one else had ever compared to me. He loved me. He truly loved me, and I could breathe. “Even my little sister thought I was too hard on you when we met, and she usually takes my side in everything. No one could’ve fallen in love with me like that. Not even a saint.”

I had a sneaking suspicion thatI’dstarted falling in love withhimthat day…but having nothing but the truth between us from now on didn’t mean I had to tell him literally everything in my mind, did it?

Andreas bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment and then meeting mine again. “That wasn’t my first sight of you. You were—I’m sure you don’t even remember. I know you don’t, or you’d have said something, I think. But you saw me at Bossale, when you reviewed the fortress a few years ago. I saw you, anyway. I never forgot you.”

Bossale. He’d been part of the garrison there when I visited? Impossible, because surely I’d have remembered someone like Andreas.

But I hadn’t. To be fair, I’d spent much of my life trying not to notice beautiful men, because I knew I couldn’t have any of them.

“You really noticed me?” I hated the needy, hopeful tone of my voice, but…Andreas had noticed me. He’d thought about me foryears. I wanted to hear more. Much more, infinitely more, preferably while he fucked me again.

Andreas grinned and shook his head. “Not a chance, Your Highness. No fishing for compliments. I fell in love with you while you were turning up your nose at me for doing my job, and that’s bad enough. I don’t need to humor you by telling you about pining for a prince I knew I’d never even be able to touch. You’re—fuck,” he gasped.

I smiled up at him smugly and clenched my muscles again, squeezing his cock where he’d only started to slip out of me, still half erect. Gods, he was getting hard again. I could feel him lengthening inside me.

“Humor me a little bit?” I rotated my hips. “You can touch me as much as you want. Commit all the treason you like.”

“Fuck,” he said again, sounding breathless, and thrust once, shallowly, stirring my insides and making me whimper. “Is it treasonous to say I love how wet it sounds when I fuck you with my own come?”

I gaped up at him in wide-eyed shock as that hit me in the pit of my stomach, my cock hardening so quickly I went lightheaded. “How can you say—gods, Andreas—”

---