Page 97 of The Beast King's Bride

“I lose.”

“She made the riddle and the curse,” I realize out loud, “in a way that there is practically no way to win.”

“It would be a miracle,” he whispers. “I’m not worthy.”

“But the throne accepted you?”

A dark brow lifts. “Yes.”

“If the throne deemed you were worthy, why won’t you accept it yourself?”

He is quiet, so quiet.

“Talen… Stories become real when you believe in them.”

“What do you mean?” he whispers.

“Take me with you. I’m the cure, right? The Empress accepted the truth of that. Show me to them. Ride with me. Convince the people that you are taking care of them.”

“Am I to lie to them, then?”

“Give them hope. And shut the greedy lords and ladies up to buy some time.”

“For what?”

“We’ll search more. Find the cure.”

“Ash…”

“You can’t lose hope.”

He draws me to his side, wraps an arm around me. “Yesterday you spoke of kindness. But it is you who are kind. Kind to me after I brought you here by force. Kind to my people who have haunted yours through time. Staying when you could have run. Your heart… It’s the most beautiful part of you. Though I must say, your body mirrors that beauty perfectly and I am going to show you just how much I want you…”

“Talen.”

He laughs at my scolding tone. “I cannot help wanting you.”

“And I want you, too, but we also need to talk.”

“We are talking.” He leans in to kiss me.

“But the patrol. I—”

“I don’t care,” he says softly, “if the Empress makes me her slave for eternity or kills me. I don’t give a damn if I can have this day with you. Just… stay with me.”

There’s no more talk of patrol as he lays me down by the fire and makes slow love to me, again and again, until I shudder and pull him into my arms.

But we can’t hide in his room forever. I wonder how much time we have left, what Jassin was discussing with him earlier.

There has to be way to lift the curse and I will find it.

I tell Talen of my plan.

He isn’t entirely convinced.

“First,” I say, pacing in front of the twin thrones in the throne room, “we have to appease the people, stop the rebellion. Write letters to the high born and to the towns be read in the squares declaring that the curse will be lifted given some patience, since the human world has sent a woman who can do such things. Namely me.”

A lie, but what we need is time. Time to unravel this riddle. And if the Fae cannot lie outright, surely they can put lies in writing. Right?

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