Page 149 of To Kill a King
Aliya wrapped her fingers in his tunic and shook her head. This was all far too good to be true. “I knew you were following me, and they left a Whisperer in the woods to kill anyone tailing us. I thought your death was my fault, too.”
The heat faded from where his hand lay against her chest as the stars faded from his skin. “Tsara made me wait to go after you, so we ended up being out of range.” Elessan slipped two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up until she met his star-filled gaze. He lowered his mouth to hers, lips meeting in a gentle brush. “I can’t believe I found you.” He smiled, flashing his fangs at her. “The war is over.” Elessan threw a glare over his shoulder at the king lying crumpled in the corner. “We’ve won. The realm is yours.”
She blinked twice. “But…the elves…”
Elessan shook his head. “The elves marched on Lions Grove. For you.”
Right. Aliya raised both eyebrows and threw him a look. The elves had been raiding the borderlands her entire life. They were enemies of the realm, not its allies.
He smiled, clearly enjoying this joke, and dropped his voice. “The dwarves, too.”
Wait, what? She studied his face, looking for any indication he was lying. “You’re serious.”
Elessan nodded. “It was a stunning battle. You should’ve seen it.” He pulled back and bowed. “The city is yours, Your Majesty.”
Aliya frowned and slapped him on the shoulder before pulling him upright. “Stop that!” If everyone started bowing and scraping to her, she might just have to kill them all.
“I know this isn’t what you wanted.”
She sighed, a heavy weight settling on her shoulders as she glared at Malkov’s body. “No. But it’s what the realm needs. I pretty much decided when I was kidnapped. There was no turning back once I emptied Malkov’s dungeons.”
“You did what?”
She flashed him a quick smile and told him about orchestrating the jailbreak, freeing her father’s guards and Malkov’s magical prisoners. And about the large iron door in the dungeon. She was careful not to mention her father.
He smiled, his eyes gleaming with more than moonlight. His hands rested against her jaw and neck. “It seems you were busy while I was away.”
She reached up, catching his hands and threading her fingers between his. “Will you stay here? In Lions Grove, with me?”
“Of course.” He stroked her cheek with one finger. “As long as you need.”
Something released inside her and she sighed. If he was beside her, being queen wouldn’t be so bad. It might even be survivable. “How about forever?”
Elessan chuckled and brought her fingers to his lips for a kiss.
“Svialto! Did you find her?” Tsara’s disembodied voice rang through the room.
He stood, removing a handheld mirror from his pocket. He opened his mouth to answer but froze and turned to her. “Aliya, um…” He waved his hands at her, from her head to her feet. “Before I answer Tsara’s call, maybe you want to look more like she expects?”
Aliya looked down at herself. Her pallid body glowed with a pale blue-green phosphorescence that melded with the sparkles of the stars dancing across him. Her hairless skin, stretched to the point of tearing over legs and arms that were too long for her shortened torso. Her stomach froze while she burned with shame. She was in her natural form. Aliya covered her face with her hands and turned away. How could she have let him see her this way?
“Hey.” Then his hand was on her shoulder, spinning her back around to face him. “What’s wrong?” He tugged her hands, inviting her to uncover her face.
She allowed him to spin her around, but kept her face buried and downcast. “I—I never wanted you to see me like this.”
“Is this what you look like without the shapeshifting?”
She nodded, keeping her head turned away. “It’s my natural form.” The shape so hideous she hadn’t worn it since she was five.
“Aliya.” He pulled her hands from her face into her lap. “Look at me.”
Best to get the rejection over with quickly. It would hurt less that way. Biting her lip, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“You are the most beautiful person I have ever met. Inside and out.” He ran his fingers down her arms, snagging her hands and pinning them against his chest. “I’ve never cared what you look like, but you…” He gazed at her with wide eyes, drinking in every detail of her face, her skin. “You're the most stunning being I’ve ever met.”
She blinked, certain she was hearing things. “You think I’m…pretty?” She studied her translucent skin, glowing with phosphorescent light in the dim room, and frowned. This form lacked a well-defined nose, the prominent cheekbones or the hourglass figure everyone seemed to consider attractive. She studied his face, again finding no evidence of dissembling. Men were so weird sometimes.
He nodded. “I wouldn’t mind seeing more of you like this.” He held up his arm, with the fading stars dancing on his skin. “Just as I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t mind seeing me on full moon nights.”