Page 82 of Kingdom of Spirits
Fara waved a goodbye and scurried out, mumbling something about the kitchens and some fresh bread.
Striding forward on his long, long legs, Marius gave Tahlia what could only be described as a dark smile. She loved every bit of it.
“You gave me a terrible scare, little salty.”
He sat on the side of the bed and she turned to her side to face him.
“I was only getting you back for all that creepy possessed stuff you threw at me.”
Wincing, he reached for her arm. His warm fingers curled around her cool skin, and she swallowed. “I’m so sorry, Tahlia.Truly. I should have been far more aggressive with outing Ophelia as the villain she was.”
“Yes, you should have. But I should have spoken up and demanded to be heard, too.” She traced a line across his knuckles and the scars he’d gained from fighting over the years. She wanted to learn about them all. “But she’s gone for good. Right?”
“She is.” He leaned forward and tucked her hair behind her ear. The graze of his thumb on her cheek threw sparks down her neck.
Leaning into his hand, she breathed him in and let a tear fall down her cheek. He cupped her face in the way he had pretended to back in the forest in the land of spirits.
She savored the moment, reveling in the peace that emanated from him. “It’s so good to be able to touch you.”
“I confess. I’m still nervous about doing so,” Marius said.
“But the curse is broken. All is well.”
His jaw worked, and he looked out the window. The reflection of the clouds flew across his slitted irises. “It is. But it was…”
Tahlia rubbed the back of his hand. “It was awful. Yes. All of it. Except for that wild magic the goddess gave me.”
She told him the tale of the threads and the strange vision of Mother Twilight during the fight.
Marius was shaking his head and the hint of a smile pulled the corners of his mouth. “You grow more amazing every day, my love.”
She sat up and he quickly moved to help her get comfortable with more pillows than anyone could possibly need at her back. Then she couldn’t take it one more second and she wrapped her arms around him in full. More tears burned their way down her cheeks. He buried his face in her hair.
“My lady. I love you so,” he whispered, his breath hot on her ear.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly but thoroughly, his lips floating across hers and his thumbs stroking the pulse point under her jaw. His tongue darted into her mouth and her heart skipped. She pushed into the kiss, shoving her hands into his Fae-white hair.
“You can’t stand that I’m properly groomed, can you?” he asked, chuckling against her temple.
“No, I can’t.” She laughed. “I’ll always be the one to muss you up, High Captain.”
“Oh, you’ll have to call me commander now, I’m afraid.”
She pulled away. “Really? How long have I been out?”
“A few days, but we had to act quickly. A few of the more power-grasping Bloodworkers attempted to press their case and try their hand at leading the order. We had to put a quick stop to that madness.”
“How did you manage?”
“Well, it began with Fara attacking the main player in the attempted coup.”
Tahlia barked a laugh. “Of course it did.”
“Once we pulled her off, I knew we had to act swiftly. Fara was only doing what all of us wished to do. That female knows no fear when it comes to defending you.”
“And you now, too, I bet.”
“Yes, said Bloodworker made a derogatory remark about our upcoming ceremony. By the way, you need to choose where to hold the ritual. King Lysanael and Queen Revna have invited us to bond at the menhir near the Gwerhune, but they said there is also a sacred standing stone on the land the king gave you upon winning the tournament.”