Page 117 of Of Curses and Courtship

“I vow it.”

When he kisses me softly, his mouth lingering near mine, it feels as if it is for us, too. We’re marrying for the good of his people and this land I’ve come to love. Our love is for the people now, for the greater good, but there will be moments like this that belong only to us.

Moments like this.

I weave my fingers into his hair and hold him close, pressing my mouth to his with fervency. One more thing that can be just for us. We speak without words. He knows what I’m asking for and doesn’t make me say it aloud.

Other nights, he may tease and coax me into begging, but won’t now. His hand slips below my gown, opening my legs, and his body presses to mine.

“I love you,” he whispers, slipping two fingers into my cunt.

His thumb rolls over my clit, and a wave of pleasure washes through me—as if I am the ocean itself.

“I’m marrying you because I adore you.” He presses his face into my neck and bites down, marking me, never worried about who may see. “I never could have married someone else. Curse or no curse, I would have married you. You will be my queen.”

With each promised word, he thrusts and curls his fingers into me, and I bite my lip to hold back a whimper. The stone rail beside me holds my weight as he pushes me, so teasingly, closer to the edge.

And then his touch is gone, and I know why. We don’t have long for him to give me what I truly yearn for.

He pushes down his breeches just enough to free his cock. It springs up readily, already hard, and my arousal pulsesbetween my thighs. The weight of his bulging length presses against my core, so teasing.

I need him, even if there’s more to be said. It can wait.

My fingers graze the side of his face, and I peer deeply into his eyes, searching for answers I’ve needed all along. “Even though I’m a halfling, though I’m the one who is meant to bring final ruin to your already cursed land? You still love me.”

“I love you not despite it, but because of it. I love you for all you are—and I don’t wish to make you doubt it.”

“You have never made me doubt it.” I press my forehead against his and hold his cock, guiding him through my wet folds, pressing his tip against my throbbing clit. “Can you make me feel it? Please, Emyr?”

“I will give you everything you ask for, My Queen.”

When he slides into me, giving me so much more than pleasure, he does as I ask. I am loved. He loves me.

I muffle my sounds of pleasure against his neck, and he whispers sweet words of reverence as he fills me with his seed. One moment. Just for us.

When we return to the ballroom, his arousal is spilling from me and sticking to my thighs; a reminder of him, even as the crowd separates us again.

EMYR

It’s a relief to return to my bedchamber at last. A greater relief was when Ophelia returned to the ballroom, dripping with my seed. No one knows, but she is mine, and most importantly, I am hers.

Nothing will come between our wedding. No curse. No fae. No mortal. Nothing.

She has her bedchamber now, something I fought my parents about. They claimed she can’t stay with the maids, but I know how much Helena means to her. It matters little to them; my complaints fell on ignorant ears, as they oft do. My parents may never be pleased about me marrying a maid, but they’ll finally be silent when our marriage breaks this dreaded curse.

It doesn’t surprise me that sweet Ophelia will be the one to return our palace to the sun, regardless of what any prophecy says.

Ophelia lies in my bed, sparkling like the moon herself. Soft candlelight flickers against her face, lighting up her hair and sweet expression. Shadows dance across the walls, but they’re not so terrifying when she’s with me. While her lids are shut, the smile on her face tells me she’s not yet asleep. I run my fingers over the soft skin on her arms and her wings, watching the bumps that appear across her flesh.

“What are you doing?” she mumbles. “I’m fatigued. Must I retire to my bedchamber to get a proper night of sleep?”

“No.” I bury my face into the side of her neck and inhale. “Don’t go.”

“Did the party not drain you?”

“No. I’ve been doing this for most of my life.” I lift my head to find her vibrant irises staring back at me. “Did your family ever throw such parties?”

“A few, but they were not as extravagant as the one tonight, nor the others I’ve worked at here.” She shifts onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. “Near the end of my stay with my stepmother, I was no longer there as a guest. My stepmother had me attending to… well, the duties of a maid.”