Page 26 of Boundless
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked softly. "Did I do too much at once? I'm so sorry, pet, I should have checked in more—"
"No! No, y-you were wonderful. I just...I don't even know. I feel...s-so much."
"Then it might have been a bit much, and for that I'm truly sorry, love. Do you want to talk about it, or do you just need soothing?"
He snuggled deeper against her, wedging his leg between hers and breathing her scent in deep. He loved the feel of her skin against his, so soft and smooth and warm. "This is wonderful. This." He wondered what it meant, that she'd called him "love". Had it been a mistake? She'd called him "dove" a few times. And it was too early for thoughts like that, wasn't it? They'd only known each other for two days, and even if they were already married ithadto be too sudden. Didn't it?
But the more he pondered it, the more he thought that the great big balloon of warmth that swelled in his chest every time he thought of her, when he talked to her and got to be close to her, might have been just that.
His breath froze in his lungs. Sweet Delenaa, he loved Daega. He actuallylovedthe woman he'd been forced to marry for a peace treaty. And there was so much roiling around inside him right now, so much boiling through him and clamoring against the inside of his teeth that he couldn't name, that he decided to let these words, at least, free.
"I love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the skin above her heart, still beating wildly behind her ribs.
She clutched him tighter, burying her face in his sweat-damp curls with a sound midway between a sob and a laugh. "Oh, sweetness," she groaned. "I don't know how I've earned the favor of the gods, but you are without a doubt a gift straight from them." She pulled back a little, cupping his chin in one hand and tilting his face so she could meet his eyes. "Of course I love you. You have my heart in those wee bonnie hands of yours." She slid down the bed so they were eye to eye, kissing him deeply, clutching him tight, making the tears gather more thickly along his lashes. When she pulled back she wiped away his tears with a knuckle. "But if, in the morning, when you've settled more, you find that perhaps your feelings have dimmed, I want you to know that that's fine, that's normal for intense sessions, and I won't be upset in the slightest."
He shook his head, cupping her face to kiss her again. "They won't change. All of the things that I'm feeling right now...they can't be anything else. You're s-so wonderful, Dae. Like a dream come t-true. You make me feel calm, make me feel safe, like I'm—" he swallowed around the lump in his throat, begging it to let him speak. "Y-you make me feel like I'menough," he rasped, another sob tearing from him.
"Your bastard of a father—" she growled, still holding him close and safe. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering herself. "I swear Len, he isliterallythe most awful person I've ever met and your people will be so much better off once you're in power."
He laughed, rolling his eyes, but her expression was dead serious, and after a moment he sobered. "You really mean that."
"Aye, of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
A thousand reasons why he would be a disastrous king burbled up, clamoring to come out, but for the first time, he wondered. Would he actually be so bad? He need only maintain peace, and with Daega at his side,surelyhe could manage that? He was good with numbers, well-versed in philosophy and political theory, and Daega was calm and friendly and had a strong sense of justice that would help guide him toward the best solutions when his knowledge of theory came short. And the fact that she was warmer, more easy than him with strangers, would be a huge asset in communicating with the people he ruled.
All he could do was blink at her in wonder.
"Ha!Got you good with that one," she crowed, grinning at him. "Now come here so I can rock you like a wee babby. My sweet love."
He laughed, going gladly back into her strong embrace.
CHAPTER NINE
Political Machinations
LEN
THE MORNINGsky had barely begun to gray when Len was roused from his slumber by a terse knock on the door. Somehow, the knock had a tone to it that made him think it was Jespirr. He sighed, pressing a kiss to the curve of Daega’s shoulder as he released her and peeled himself from where he’d been plastered against her back. Slipping on his robe, he opened the door and was unsurprised to see the stiff older elf waiting on the other side.
“My prince,” Jespirr greeted him, “His highness the king requires an audience. Right away, I’m afraid.”
Len bit back his sigh and managed a weak smile. “Certainly. L-let me dress and freshen up. Where w-will I be meeting my f-father today?”
“His chambers, Prince Lenlethael. I’ll notify him of your imminent arrival.” Jespirr excused himself with a nod of his head, disappearing into the shadows of the deserted hall. Len nodded a greeting to his guard and slipped back inside, padding to his bathroom.
Freshened up, Len proceeded to get dressed, selecting a preposterous crimson outfit that he knew his father liked. While he was changing, Daega roused, shuffling over so that her hooves scraped at the rug fibers loudly.
“Where are you off to so cunting early?” she yawned, stretching her arms over her head, jutting her small pert breasts into the air—she was still naked from the night before—and extending her small wings until they shivered. “Is it your father again?”
He nodded, sighing as he finished buttoning the intricate doublet. “Yes. He s-sent Jespirr to get me.” Daega slipped behind him, her arms going around his waist and her lips pressing delicate kisses to the side of his neck.
“Are you going alone this time?”
“I…I think it’s best.” If she was trying to distract him she was doing anexcellentjob. “Last time he was f-furious. And it will l-look better for our ruse if we’re seen together l-less.”
She hummed, pressing her face into the spot where his shoulder met his neck. “Aye. But I’ll be worried the whole time you’re gone about what he’s doing to you.”
He smiled, cupping the side of her face. “Thank you,” he murmured as he stole a kiss. His face heated, but he forced himself to say what he wanted to. “I still love you, y-you know. Nothing—nothing changed.”
