Page 149 of Golden Queen
"Lord Vidar was not an Aldur? I thought he was your father's brother?"
"No, my father had only a sister. And Yadala turned out to have no interest in ruling in Darkwatch. So, my father named her husband, Vidar, as Lord of Darkwatch in her place."
"But she could have ruled?" I asked. "As Lady of Darkwatch even if she had been unmarried?"
"Of course. In Darkwatch, there is no distinction between men and women in terms of title or rank. Women are valued just as highly as men." He tightened his arm around me, and I had the first moment of abject misery since we arrived in the brothel.
The dream came back to me with a fierceness I did not expect, carrying a pain I found hard to bear. I had forgotten it—the happiness, the love, the life I could have had in Darkwatch if everything had been different. It fled from my mind in the moments after waking.
He looked down at me with a worried expression. "Are you okay, Sera?"
The question surprised me. I had made no outward sign of distress. I didn't think I was shaking. "I'm fine," I lied. "Why?"
He studied me for a long while, as though looking for something amiss, but then he relaxed. "I don't know. I just…" He ran his hand through his dark hair, pushing the strands back only to have them fall directly into place over his forehead again.
I loved his hair—the way it always seemed out of sorts, but in an absolutely perfect way.
He was still studying me as I reached up and slid my fingers through it. I thought I had always wanted to do that. Maybe since the beginning of time, before creation had even dreamt of this dark-eyed god, there had been my desire to tousle his hair.
"I got the strangest feeling," he finally finished.
"What do you mean?" I asked absently. My thoughts were thoroughly preoccupied with the way his hair slid through my fingers and how good it felt just to have him in my hands.
"I had the impression that you were sad, but—" he smiled, "—now you're so happy I can almost taste it."
I wrinkled my brow and gave him a disbelieving look. "What in the world does that mean?"
"I don't know," he admitted as the smile faded from his features a little.
"So, is this an ability you have? To taste people's emotions? Like Rae can see into people’s minds?"
"I don't think so," he said. "I’ve never had a sage’s abilities before. And it wasn't precisely a taste. It's hard to explain, but It’s like I can feel what you’re feeling."
I moved on from his hair, trailing my fingers down his jawline and over the cleft in his chin—raking a nail down the faint hint of where I knew that comma-shaped dimple would appear beside his mouth when he smiledthatsmile. "You have all the elemental magic and then some, right? So who's to say you don't also have a sage's ability?"
"Fair point," he said, thoughtfully.
"So, perhaps whatever it is that gives you more power than most people—"
"Onlymostpeople?" He raised a brow, feigning wounded pride.
"Well, I don't know how powerful you are comparatively," I pointed out, laughing.
He gave me a pretentious smirk. "Very powerful, comparatively, Sera darling."
"You're trying to impress me."
"You set me up to do just that."
"I suppose I did. I do like the idea of you being better than everyone."
He laughed, but my words were all too true. I loved the idea of his power—beneath my hands, him looking at me with that dark, worshipful gaze. It oddly felt like it gavemesome kind of power to be on the other end of that look. "Tell me about your magic," I said, giving him my own worshiping look as the exploration of my hands continued down his neck.
He took a breath, catching my hand as it slid down over the broad plane of his chest. "I am powerless when you touch me like that."
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them so tenderly, so sweetly, that it made my heart ache with fierce longing for that other world—that dream that could never be.
He narrowed his eyes—as though he sensed the pain that had lanced through my chest. I was suddenly sure that he had.
