Page 131 of Reign of Light
“Tila,” I say, looking up from the folds of my skirt. “I trust her to keep things in order.”
Nodding firmly, he shifts toward me, and one hand sinks into the damp hair at the nape of my neck. A shiver courses through my body as I look up into his face.
Jaw tight, and his eyes searching mine, his voice drops to a low grumble. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t want to. Ineedto.”
Something flickers in his eyes, but his expression remains unchanged. My mouth falls open, about to ask him what is wrong, but before I can utter a sound, his mouth is on mine. Fingers fist in my hair as his lips coax mine open and his tongue sweeps inside, deepening the kiss. Matching every movement, every stroke, I sink into him, trailing myhands up his body and clutching his armor to pull him closer. Lifting onto my toes, I press my body into his. After the morning filled with despair, the desire he’s sparking to life inside me is warm and welcome, but he breaks the kiss, pulling away slightly and trailing his nose down mine until our foreheads press together.
“I love you,” he murmurs, and my stomach tumbles in response. I’m still not used to hearing him say those words, and after years of wanting and hoping to be loved and believing it would never happen, a tiny sliver deep inside me still has a hard time believing them. “No matter what happens, I will always love you.”
“I know,” I reassure him and myself. My voice is breathless from the intensity of the kiss, and I try to lean back to meet his eye, but his arm flexes around me, clutching me so tightly that I can barely move. The hand sunken in my hair slides down my neck, the warmth from his palm and fingertips burning a trail down my icy skin until it settles on my chest, flattening right over my heart.
“You hear me say the words, but I want you to feel it. In here, understand?” He presses more firmly into my chest, and from every place our bodies touch, I can feel the tension roiling through him.
“Weston, what’s going on?” Fighting against his strength, I lean back enough that I can look into his eyes, and see the dark depths of teal staring back at me with words unsaid. I search his face for an answer, but he ignores my question.
“Until my dying breath, remember?”
“I remember,” I breathe, and his lips crush mine again. His movements are more insistent, more urgent as his body towers over mine, walking me backward until the back of my legs bumps the side of the desk where Edmond and I spent so many years, preparing me for this day.
His tongue delves deeply as he crouches before me, just enough for his hands to fall to my thighs, sliding around until they grip my ass and lift me onto the edge of the desk. Parting my legs, he steps between my knees and grips my hips, sliding my body to the edge of the desk untilI’m flush against him. Heat pools in my core as he presses into me, and despite the mounds of fabric and armor between us, every movement sends a shock of pleasure through me.
I moan into his mouth when he slides a hand down my thigh, hiking my knee up onto his torso and giving him more room to get as close to me as his uniform will allow. Finally breaking away from the kiss, the stubble of his beard scrapes my skin as his lips brush over my chin and down my neck, leaving a burning trail of kisses in their wake.
“I love you.” His voice rumbles against the bare skin at the crook of my neck, and the throbbing between my thighs only worsens as I wrap my arm around his neck and clutch him closer.
“Weston,” I moan, as he slides the hem of the dress up, letting it pool at my waist.
“Yes, my queen?” His teeth nip at the skin on my neck at the same time as his thumb brushes my inner thigh, and I almost combust as I squeeze my eyes shut and force out the next words.
“Weston, we can’t do this right now.” Pain lances through my chest the second they come out of my mouth, because all I want is to be wrapped in his arms, to be full of him, and safe. To have forgotten all the thoughts and worries and emotions that came from this day, but this day isn’t over. Not after what we discovered.
His body stills, and a deep sigh heaves from his chest into my neck. My dress drops back down as his arms slide back around my waist, his muscles tightening as he crushes me to him. He inhales deeply but doesn’t let go. Skating my fingers along his head and weaving them through his hair, I stroke gently, hoping it will help whatever turmoil he has going on inside his head.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, the sound muffled from where his lips are still pressed into my skin.
“Don’t be,” I whisper, but the moment he lets go and straightens before me, a pit hollows out my stomach. This tender moment is gone, at my request, and the intensity I’ve grown to love takes over.
The captain is back.
“We need to wait until the crowds have dispersed. The rain should help clear them quickly, but we can’t risk having too many people around. Now that everyone has seen you, they will no doubt watch wherever you go. We can’t disappear in an alleyway and risk someone noticing, so we are going to have to be discreet.”
“Right,” I say with a nod.
“And we’re doing this the right way. We’re not cheating the magic. We’re not telling Pop we’re going back. We’re going to call the Guardian like we should.”
“I agree. I want to do this right.”
He leans in and presses a hard kiss to my lips again before pulling away quickly. I take his outstretched hands as he helps me lower myself off the edge of the desk, and set my skirts right before brushing a loosened strand of hair off of my face.
“Go get dressed, sweetheart. Let’s go back to Dawnlin.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Sneaking out of the castle was difficult and nerve-wracking before, back when I had someone to answer to if I was caught. Now, there is no one. I am the queen, so planning to sneak out knowing there will be no repercussions makes my stomach turn with a different uneasiness. No one can know we are gone. If we are caught, rumors are sure to spread about where we were going, and why the queen was sneaking away.
Weston used the excuse we devised about observing the mourning period and played up my overwhelming emotions from the funeral when he instructed the guards to leave me alone. Hopefully, if we’ve calculated the approximate timing correctly, we won’t be gone long enough for anyone to come looking.
