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She grumbled incoherently for a moment before releasing a long sigh.
“I have somewhere I want to take you.”
A yawn nearly unhinged her jaw, and she blinked blearily at me through the fog of sleep. “Where?” Her voice was thick and hoarse from how I’d made her scream my name over and over the night before.
“You’ll see. Get dressed, and we can take a nap when we get back,” I promised, running a finger along her bare shoulder.
“Ugh,” she moaned, reaching her arms overhead and stretching like a lazy cat before bringing her balled-up fists to her eyes and rubbing.
I stroked her long locks one last time before throwing the covers back, earning my usual string of curses as I exposed her to the cold. Rushing to the closet, I threw clothes her way, and she dutifully pulled them on beneath the righted covers before slipping from the pile of blankets.
Before she got far, I wrapped her in my arms and uttered the spell that would bend space to move us to the shop of my favorite jeweler. He sourced the purest stones from the mines buried deep in the mountains of the Iron Realm, and no one could match his skill in crafting the finest jewelry from them.
The shop was among dozens of others in the lavish part of Radence, where the richest of Iron Fae and Félvér lived and purchased their necessities. Each storefront gleamed as if it had been recently polished, and not a hint of ice coated the stone beneath our feet, already cleared for the patrons that would not arrive for hours.
“I never got you another ring after the one–” My teeth clenched around the words, as guilt and shame rendered me voiceless and unable to finish the sentence.
But my mate was more than aware, and I felt her concern and forgiveness down our bond. She spun in my arms, chestnut hair spilling down her back as she tipped her head up to look at me. Our gazes collided with the force of an avalanche, and I saw the truth of the words she whispered in my mind in her shining eyes.
“I am so glad you allowed me the space to make my decision. That was what ultimately led me back to you. You have never truly trapped me, not since the first day.”
“You are too fiery to trap. I could never have broken your spirit. It would have killed me to do so.”My words held as much truth as hers, for I didn’t know the meaning of love before she burst into my life with the ferocity of a wildfire, sucking all the oxygen from my lungs in her inferno. After seeing her shine so bright as she fought with me, still wearing that glamorous gold dress, I knew, deep down, that there was nothing that would please me more than watching her help me burn the world down and rebuild it anew.
I guided her to the lacquered red door of the shop, then rapped sharply on it, waiting patiently for my jeweler to appear. The male, still dressed for sleep, opened it with a huff.
“Ah, King Ruslan, please come in,” the male bowed, his irritation melting away as he held the door wide for us to enter.
“Thank you for waking so early, Ambros,” I greeted him, gesturing for Izidora to walk in front of me. Her jewel-like eyes went wide as we entered the male’s cave of glittering gems.
“Anything for my best customer,” he chuckled. “Now, what can I get you today?”
“Another ring for my mate.” A smile tugged at my lips as she wandered to a shelf filled with deep red rubies. The entire shop was a veritable mine, with rough-hewn stone walls, wooden shelves holding gems of all colors, shapes, and sizes nestled in finely crafted settings. Ambros’s work was not gaudy and over the top, as many jewelers defaulted to with gems of these sizes; he preferred a more delicate touch that allowed the stones to shine through.
Ambros winked at me. “Are you certain she does not have Dragon blood?”
“I must be rubbing off on her.” I couldn’t contain the joy that sparked through me, and my usual ruthless, cold countenance was nowhere to be found as I leaned casually against the counter, crossing my arms and waiting.
Ambros joined my mate in perusing the shelves of wares until she held a small fortune’s worth in her hands. Watching her eyes light up as he explained the properties of each stone was worth every piece of gold it would cost me. I was lost in my adoration of her, and it wasn’t until she nudged my mind that I focused on the words she spoke.
“I can’t decide which one I like best. Can I have them all?” Her laugh shone brighter than all the stones in this shop.
I feigned chest pains as I gaped at the pile in front of her, but then I grinned, “Anything for my sprite.”
On tiptoes, she kissed my cheek, and Ambros set to work, Izidora watching in fascination as he manipulated stones and metal with magic, weaving and binding and bracing them together until seven rings lay on a purple velvet cloth in front of him.
I selected a rectangular ruby surrounded by a halo of pointed diamonds and slid it onto my mate’s finger. “This is my favorite.”
“Then I will always wear this one.” She beamed up at me and I captured her mouth with mine, inhaling her rosy scent, laced with a hint of plum. Her lips were soft and pliant against mine, and we melted together like it was more natural than breathing.
There was no way I could love anyone else as I loved her.
Ambros cleared his throat, interrupting our moment. Glancing up from my mate’s flushed cheeks, I fished out a bag of gold for my favorite jeweler, and then he handed me a velvet-lined case holding all of Izidora’s new rings. “Come back soon with your mate, King Ruslan. She has good taste.”
“Expensive taste, too.” I winked at her, and she rolled her aquamarine eyes, though she didn’t bother denying it.
“See you soon, Ambros,” Izidora threw over her shoulder as I tugged her along behind me. His chuckles followed us into the frigid morning air, and once we’d cleared the door, I pulled her flush, my hands all over her body, needing more of her, needingher closer. The fresh mating bond called for me to fuck her into oblivion, to erase every other male from her mind.
She gripped me with the same fervor, fusing her body with mine in every way, and I wasted no time moving us back to our bedroom at Roc Palace. The bed had not even cooled from our earlier departure, and with one powerful throw, she was on her back on the soft mattress, a breathy laugh escaping her.
