A Touch Of Envy: Vices&Virtues by Alana Winters

Author:Alana Winters [Winters, Alana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-21T16:00:00+00:00

King Slaine

I hear Aiya climbing out of bed in the middle of the night. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She gasps, jumping from the shock of being caught. “Um...would you believe I was sleepwalking?”

I growl at her ridiculous question. Aiya can test me all she wants. It won’t change a thing. She is going to stay here. Forever. “Come back to bed. You will not escape. There’s nowhere you could go where I wouldn’t find you.”

“Can’t you see? You’ve taken me from one prison to another.”

Her words rip at my heart. Her happiness means everything to me. “I won’t trap you like Adirion. I want to see the light of freedom on your face,” I tell her sincerely, hoping she can see my sincerity.

Aiya shakes her head. She clearly doesn’t trust me yet. “Uh-huh, sure. I don’t believe you. Not for a minute.”

I take a deep breath, reminding myself that we will get there eventually. I’m not a patient man, but I’ll be patient for her. “You shall see in time.”

“Ugh, you are so, so frustrating! And why do you keep looking at me like that?”

I’m slightly taken aback by her reaction. She should be used to me showing how enamored I am with her.

“It’s difficult not to. You’re exquisite,” I tell her truthfully, unsure how to explain how effortlessly she affects me.

“In your eyes, I’m nothing more than a pretty prize, so you’ll excuse me, your highness, when I don’t find it complimentary.”

I almost laugh at her statement, but then it occurs to me that’s how everyone else sees her. It’s far from what I see. If she could see herself through my eyes, she would feel like the most important person alive.

“Incorrect. What I see is the woman who is my perfect match. Your eyes caught my attention, not only for their rare beauty but for the emotions they revealed. Sadness, hopelessness, and desperation.” I recognized the feelings from personal experience as my soul found its counterpart and began healing. I’m going to do the same for her.

“So you’re telling me this was a mercy kidnapping?” she asks dryly, laughing at how ridiculous she finds it.

“No. I’ve been lost and alone, and I recognized those emotions in you. Everything in me was calling out for you. To protect you, bring you joy, and show you the wonders life has to offer.” There is so much she’s never experienced. So many things she would have never found in Veniza.

Just when I think her anger is calming, she purses her lips, and I know she’s simmering again. “How noble of you. And what will you get out of it? A new kingdom? More power?”

None of that matters to me. All I want is Aiya. Every day. Always. “The pleasure of being your husband, your man— your everything.”

“Huh? Are you ill or something? That’s a tall order considering I know nothing about you, and you certainly don’t know anything about me.”

“Oh, no? I know more than you think, Goddess. I believe our bond frightens you.

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