Page 68 of Wicked Prince of Mirrors
Lyra grimaced. “Esmira, they are similar to the beasts that live beyond the Boundary. They are large, scaly beasts with snake-like tales and wings. Here they are tame enough to ride, and the fastest way to return to the portal which leads back to the human realm. Word has it that the King is on his way here since the city is free.”
I expected to feel elation, delight, anything other than the heaviness that plagued my soul. “Methrin, is this what you desire? You just got home, and we’re leaving again.”
“I swore to help you.”
I studied him, trying to decipher the words he wasn’t saying. But the way those violet eyes smoldered eventually won me over.
“When do we leave?” I asked.
He leaned back, holding my gaze. “Not yet. First, I want to marry you.”
25
ESMIRA
We were married in a garden of white roses, calla lilies, daisies, and silver moonflowers. It was a private ceremony at sunset, when the sky turned hues of golden and blushed a pale pink, casting nothing but light across the garden. Ivy crawled up the stone wall, keeping the rooftop garden secluded from the sprawling citadel. The fragrant perfumes of the flowers masked the fact that we were in the heart of the king’s city.
Lyra helped me dress in a gown the tailors had made that sparkled like the stars and arranged my hair in the style of the Everminati, long, loose, and flowing around my shoulders. I felt beautiful and humbled. As a princess, I’d always expected to marry a prince, but in my wildest dreams, I’d never imagined a ceremony quite like this one.
For one, I expected a large crowd to gather and the rite to be public, as much for the people as it was for the rulers of the land. But this one was private and small.Guards stood by the doors, and King Ithrani arrived in time to grant his blessing and attend. Lyra was also in attendance along with Lady Velune, Lord Pelgrin, and a few others I did not recognize. A priest spoke words of blessing over us and when Methrin took my hands, my heart felt full.
We remained, kneeling in that garden after saying our vows, committing our lives to each other. Everyone else drifted away until we were alone in that haven, the flowers growing wild around us. It was only then I noticed the gazebo surrounded by wild flowers, sheer curtains shifting in the breeze, revealing a bower, platers of food, and goblets of drink.
Methrin lifted my hand to his lips, then stood, helping me to my feet. My dress swirled around my ankles and suddenly I felt shy, alone with my husband for the first time. “Are weddings always like this?” I asked, my voice shaky.
A faint smile came to Methrin’s lips. “No. Weddings are political and, typically, a celebration will last for weeks. It’s a statement for enemies and allies alike, and an opportunity for a kingdom to display their wealth and power. But what we have is sacred, not to parade or be trampled on for a desperate show of power. We don’t have anything to prove to the world. Our love, our vows, are for each other. Besides, I wanted to give you something, a single day where the future is not at stake. Ever since you freed me from the mirror, we’ve been on the run, hunted, always moving. There hasn’t been a moment for peace, and I wanted to give you a memory of joy before we return.”
A lump swelled in my throat and I pressed my palms against his chest, feeling the comforting thrum of his heartbeat. Lifting my face to his, I breathed in hints of oakmoss and vanilla. “I always thought you were quiet, but when you speak you say the most beautiful words. I never realized how much of my life as a princess has been a performance for others, all escalating to a marriage, the height of performance. But with you I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to be anyone other than who I am and it’s a new feeling. I’m not used to these sensations. You’ve given me so much, and to think at first I thought you were my enemy. I didn’t recognize how much you’d been misunderstood.”
His violet eyes darkened, and he bent his head closer to mine. The scent of him so intoxicating I closed my eyes, breathing him in.
“You don’t know what it was like in the depths of the mirrorverse,” he murmured, his lips brushing my skin. “I thought I’d never see light, never see the sun again. All portals, all worlds were closed to me. I thought I’d go mad, trapped in a world of mist and shadows. It was easy to believe I’d found my eternity, my hell. You not only freed me, you saved me from that bleak future. And then, you were unexpected. Every day I see your strength. You handled the darkness, the madness, much better than I ever did.”
“Because I had you,” I whispered. “You guided me through the darkness into light. You also saved me.”
And then I couldn’t speak anymore because his lips were on mine and a fire of passion burned within, all-consuming. I held tight to him as he embraced me,tilting me back in his arms, kissing me as though we were long-lost souls who, after years of pining, had finally found each other.
He tasted like freedom, like hope, like a sweet future just in reach. I thought of the temple, the Destroyer determined to take me, the king of monsters there for my soul, and how it felt to rip myself apart. I recalled lying in the moonlight, dying, before Lyra healed me. By all accounts, I shouldn’t be here, married to an immortal prince, standing in a garden of purity, kissing him as if my life depended on it. Yet something else bubbled within, a deep gratefulness overflowing. So, I banished thoughts of the future and focused on the present with him.
Methrin’s violet eyes were dark with desire as he pulled back. The fading golden rays of light caught the edges of his black hair, shining on it like a crown. “Shall we?” he asked, and gestured toward the gazebo.
I smiled at him. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to spend this night with you.”
He made a sound low in his throat, like a growl, and swung me into his arms. I laughed, hands gripping his shoulders as he whisked me behind those sheer curtains.
Inside was enchanting, a bed of pillows, food and wine, everything we needed for a night of pleasure. But I was less interested in my surroundings and wholly focused on him. Methrin laid me gently on the bed of pillows, and I pulled him down beside me. We kissed until we were breathless, taking our time, slowly undressing each other. The act in and of itself wasn’trushed. It was slow and tender, a union of mind, body, and soul. It felt like worship as we appreciated each other, sinking into bliss again and again. As the darkness gathered and the stars shone bright, all thoughts of the future no longer existed. All that mattered was Methrin and I.
26
ESMIRA
The next evening, a moon drake waited for us. A leather saddle straddled the enormous beast, complete with a bridle around its lizard-like snout and reins that hung over the pommel of the saddle. Although the saddle was big enough for two to sit comfortably, it still looked small under the impressive scale of the beast. It’s long, scaled tail swished back and forth, glimmering in the moonlight like pearls.
Its beauty was breathtaking, its strength, undeniable and its wings stretched three times as long as its body with claws on each fold of those leathery wings. However, it also looked similar to the beast Methrin had killed when I’d run away from him into the hands of the Venators. How long ago that all felt.
Methrin touched the small of my back, sending pleasant shivers up my spine. “Ready?”
I nodded, feeling odd dressed in leathers and pantsof all things. I’d never worn pants before, but apparently it was impossible to fly on a moon drake wearing a dress. A warm cloak covered me, almost making me sweat in the warm summer night, while Methrin’s cloak hid the sword. The Shadow Slayer. His oath had been fulfilled and King Ithranti gave us his blessing, still warned us to leave without attracting attention while he sorted our political matters.
