Queen of the Undying (Wings and Whispers Book 2) by Aimee Clinton

Author:Aimee Clinton [Clinton, Aimee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

31

Why Won’t He Be The King I Know He Is?

Aliza

In the bathroom of the cabin there was a tiny, age-spotted mirror. My reflection was mercifully cloudy, but that did little to hide the truth I was confronted with as Idris buttoned me back into my rumpled dress.

I was a mess.

This little excursion had been rather spontaneous, and I hadn’t prepared for it in any way. It turned out that fae males were just as useless as human men when it came to stocking their bathroom cabinets, and I’d been forced to attempt the taming of my bedhead with a tiny little comb.

I’d failed.

My fuzzy cloud of hair looked like I’d slept in a hedge. When I returned to Tir o Gaeaf in yesterday’s gown, with hair like a nest and the other brother on my arm, it would be immediately obvious what had happened. If only I didn’t have a part to play; under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have cared a bit. I might even have been unbearably smug.

“There.” Idris fastened the last button, laying his hands on my shoulders and peering into the mirror. “Are you ready?”

“Do I look it?” I gave a wry smile.

“You look exactly how a female should look the morning after claiming her male.” He kissed my neck. “Beautiful. Glowing. Like you’ve just clawed your way out of his bed for a moment.”

I turned to face him, looping my arms around his neck and standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. “What if I want to claw my way back in?”

I expected a grin or a suggestive remark. Instead, his expression grew serious. “The choice is yours alone, Aliza. I know I asked you to play along, but nobody will force you to do anything you don’t want to do, least of all me. I gave up my crown, I won’t force you to pick it up.”

My leaden heart sank to the pit of my stomach. “Why don’t you pick it up?”

He stiffened. “It’s not mine anymore.”

“It could be, though,” I insisted, seizing on his weakening argument. It had always been about how he didn’t want it before, now it was only that it didn’t belong to him. But it did. I wouldn’t steal it from him if there was even the slightest chance he might want it back.

His face paled and he gave his head a tiny shake. My momentary flare of hope fizzled out, replaced by a heaviness that dragged at my body.

“Okay.” I turned away, pretending to examine my reflection. I smoothed my trembling hands down my wrinkled skirt, for all the good it did.

“Aliza—”

“No, it’s fine,” I said, my voice overly bright as I swept from the bathroom. I threw myself into the nearest chair, focusing extra hard on cramming my feet into my shoes. “I shouldn’t have said anything. We should get going. I have five kingdoms to save.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I rose to my feet, but they had little to do with the pain in my pinched toes and everything to do with that head shake.

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