Page 113 of Happily Ever Witch
“We’ll play whatever colors you’d like, when I get back.” Esmeralda paused. “IfI get back.”
“Oh, you’ll be back. I can tell you’re ever-so-much harder to behead than the usual Heart Queens. I’ve been in this house since the Carpenter built it, you know. No one understands Wonderland better than me. I’ve seen many a wannabe empress, in my time. You’re the only one who may have a chance at unifying the crown.”
That was gratifying to hear. “Any tips on how?”
“Try to be less like you and more like Cinderella.”
“Right.” Esmeralda said again and headed for the door. Letty’s depraved nutcase of a stepsister wasjustwho she wanted to emulate. Cinderella had wanted to enslave the Westlands, for God’s sake! And her manicure was always horrible. “I’ll be going, now.”
“Happy Tove!” The Cheshire Carpet called after her. “Remember the eighth square.”
Esmeralda wasn’t even going to bother asking about the eighth square. She’d just get a twenty minute gibberish lesson. She needed to get the hell out of the Heart Kingdom, before SirGalahad showed up. She had a feeling Camelot’s best knight ever was not going to like her taking off on her own. It went against his whole “hero” mandate.
But she wasn’t leaving without one last look at Trevelyan.
Taking a quick detour, she headed back into the royal suite and stared down at her True Love for a moment. Trevelyan was lying on his stomach, naked and relaxed and beautiful. Esmeralda let out a sigh, irresistibly drawn to the big idiot.
The night before, he’d been playing with her still-blonde tresses, while they talked in bed. “I miss the black.” He’d told her, curling one long strand around his thumb.
“I’m keeping this hair color, for now.” Esmeralda liked to change her appearance often, so the platinum was working for her. Glamours were her favorite kind of magic, because she felt like she had total control over them. “I might go red next. Maybe blue.”
“Green.” He’d suggested with a persuasive nod.
That had amused her. “Green.” She’d agreed. She’d been lying on his chest and she’d tilted her head to kiss one of the tattoos. Watching the inked flames move fascinated her. “You still owe me a turn, by the way. You never did tell me something true, Trev.”
“Alright. Well, I think your magic is working without your knowledge.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, I think when we have sex your powers are,” he’d made a vague gesture with his free hand, “somehow making it allmore. It’s incredible! I have no idea how you’re accomplishing it, but don’t ever stop.”
Esmeralda had stacked her chin on her hands, so she could look into his face. “Interesting.” She’d tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “You really think this is ‘more’ than usual sex?”
“Of course! I’ve had a lot of usual sex and this isn’t anything like that. This ismuchmore. This is…” Dark eyebrows had suddenly slammed together. “Wait, you don’t think it’s more than usual sex?”
She’d lifted a shoulder. “I mean, it’sfine… I guess.” She’d given his chest a consoling pat. “You’re trying your best. That’s all that really matters.”
His head had tilted.
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.” Esmeralda had tried very hard to keep a straight face when she offered that assurance, but he’d caught on to her teasing.
Trevelyan’s chuckle had been dark and smoky. “We should practice more, then. See if I can’t move things beyond ‘fine.’” He’d leaned up, like he was instinctively going to kiss her and her heartbeat had accelerated. Then, he’d suddenly pulled back, recalling she’d told him not to. “Sorry. I…” He’d frowned and shook his head. “You believe me, though? About your magic making sex between usmore.”
“I can certainly see how you’d think that.” She’d murmured, instead of answering directly. Becauseof courseTrevelyan would look for magic in something that was far simpler. Still, no one could learn by somebody else just giving them all the homework solutions. They needed to solve the problems themselves.
…A hint now and then wouldn’t hurt, though.
“Hey, why do you think the dragons are always so close to extinction?” She’d asked in a “gosh-I’m-just-musing-about-life” tone. “You’re one of the most powerful species in the world.”
“We’rethemost powerful.” He’d corrected instantly.
“Okay. So, why do the super-powerful dragons keep getting enslaved by weaker groups?”
“We’re outnumbered by our enemies. If the forces were equal, there would be no contest.”
“Too bad there isn’t a way to fix that. Like… for instance… if you guys sometimes helped other people, they might be willing to help you, too. With allies, you’d be even stronger.”
He’d made a face, completely missing the point. “I’m not helping any other dragons and I know those assholes wouldn’t help me. You recall Haigha trying to kill us, don’t you?”
