Prince's Poison (The Aermian Feuds Book 7)

by Frost Kay

  Gav laughed when their friends and family began to whistle and cheer. Mira hiked up her dress and swung onto the horse, giving him a glimpse of pale thighs. His body heated, and he studiously focused on Isa as his wife situated herself before reaching for his daughter. Gavriel handed her up and then climbed onto the horse. He wrapped his arms around the two most important women in his life, and his heart skipped a beat when Mira leaned back into his embrace.

  “Let’s go home,” he whispered.

  Chapter 22

  Gav

  He tucked Isa into her bed and gave her a kiss, then stepped aside so Mira could do the same. His heart squeezed as he moved to the door and watched his wife play with Isa’s hair and gently trace her face.

  That was love.

  Gavriel walked into his room—their room—and ran a hand over his face. Sage, Mer, and Jas had decorated the room with candles and flowers and stocked it with treats and wine. A fire burned in the hearth, casting warm light around the room.

  He gravitated to the bed and ran his fingers along the fine green silk bedding that Lilja had given him as a gift earlier that day.

  It was a chamber fit for newlyweds—for lovers. Mira and he were married only in name.

  Hopefully, not forever.

  He inhaled slowly to calm his nerves. He hadn’t been this nervous since he’d kissed Emma when he was fourteen years old. Why did expressing his feelings terrify him?

  Because you want her to love you back.

  The door to Isa’s room clicked shut and he turned around, leaning his hip against the post of the bed as Mira faced him.

  Her blue eyes took in the room and a wry smile lifted her pink lips. “Sage and Jasmine’s mischief, I presume?”

  “None other,” Gav rasped.

  Mira glided to the table filled with goodies and poured two cups of water. She picked them up and handed one to him. He watched her as she peered at the bed over the rim of her glass.

  “The bedding is beautiful,” she murmured.

  “A gift from Lilja. She claims it will change how you sleep.”

  “Really?” Mira raised a brow and grinned before rubbing the silk between her fingers. “It certainly is soft.” She released the bedding and sighed, peering up at him. “This is awkward for the both of us, but I don’t want it to be. Can we just pretend we’re having a sleepover like we did when we were little?”

  Gavriel smiled. “We’re not so little anymore.”

  “Some of us still are in mind,” she quipped. His wife strode away from the foot of the bed, taking her cup into the bathing room. “I’ll get changed for bed. Maybe we could play cards or something for a bit?”

  “I’d like that,” he called as the door closed behind her. Gav moved to his dresser against the wall on the right and pulled open his top drawer, retrieving his cards and tossing them on the bed. He always had a deck somewhere close by.

  Next, he pulled off his boots and socks, followed by his vest. He hesitated when it came down to his shirt. Would she think he was propositioning her? Gavriel rolled his eyes at himself and yanked the shirt over his head and tossed it into his wardrobe. His gaze sought the new cuff on his right bicep. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. He was now bound.

  A loud thump came from the bathing room, followed by a curse.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked, traipsing over to the entrance to the privy. The door swung open, and he burst into laughter. Mira stood before him with her dress caught around her chest with her arms above her head.

  “I thought I could do it,” she grumped.

  “Come here,” he sniggered. She obeyed, and he gently began to work the lace sleeves over her hands and then managed to pull the dress over her head. His fingers tightened on her wedding gown as she shook out her hair, standing only in her fine shift. He spotted the hint of lace undergarments beneath.

  Stars above, she was stunning.

  Mira gave him a silly look and combed out her golden hair with her fingers. “Did you find some cards?”

  He nodded and forced himself to look away. Gav laid her dress carefully over a wingback chair near the fireplace and pretended he was warming his hands when, in all honesty, he just needed something to do so he didn’t turn around and carry his wife to bed. That would come later. First, he needed to tell her that he loved her.

  “Where do you want to play cards?” he asked.

  “We can play on the bed.”

  Gavriel bowed his head and thanked the stars she couldn’t see his expression. “Okay.”

  Mira brushed by him, and fabric rustled as she climbed onto the bed. He spun around and edged around the foot of the bed until he reached his side that faced the door. Casually, he climbed up and crossed his legs before picking up the cards like his heart wasn’t trying to beat out of his chest.

  “I haven’t done this in a while,” he said, dealing their cards.

  Mira mirrored his position as she picked up her own cards. “Play a game or spend time in bed with a woman?”

  “Both.”

  “You’re in luck. Me either.”

  He glanced up from his own cards and shook his head. “You’re sharp just like Sam.”

  His wife scoffed and laid down a card. “Don’t compare me to that cretin. I’m better than he is, and you know it.”

  Gavriel picked up her card. “My apologies, Wife.”

  They both froze and Mira stared hard at him. Her gaze traced his face, lingered on his chest, and finally settled on his left bicep where Emma’s cuff rested. He’d never taken it off. Gavriel swallowed hard and reached for it.

  “It’s time to take it off.” Mira dropped her cards and halted him. He lifted his head, her face inches from his. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t take it off,” she murmured, her gaze finally meeting his. She smiled softly. “Emma is a part of both of us and she gave us both the gift of Isa.”

  “It doesn’t bother you?”

  “No,” she answered, her sweet breath wafting across his face. “Wear both cuffs.”

  He slipped his hand out from beneath hers and cupped Mira’s cheek, his thumb smoothing across her cheekbone. “Thank you.”

  A blush crept into her face. “It’s nothing.”

  “No, it’s not.” It was now or never. His right hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck, and his left arm curled around her waist, pulling her against him. Her hands braced against his chest as she straddled him, her shift bunching up between them. “Mira…”

  “I know there’s tension,” she said, swallowing hard.

  His gaze followed the column of her neck, and his mouth watered. He wanted to taste her.

  “I think it’s time for bed,” Mira said a little bit louder. “Don’t you want to get some sleep? It’s been a long day.”

  Gavriel focused on her face and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Why would I want to sleep when I’m holding my world in my arms?”

  Mira sucked in a sharp breath. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

  “I’ve never meant anything more.” His gaze sharpened and he moved closer to her, his body nestling against hers. “I care about you so much it hurts. It snuck up on me.” She gasped and his breathing got harsher when Mira didn’t push him away. “I know you’re scared to ruin our friendship. So am I. But things have already changed, and we can’t go back. Give us a real chance, Mira. You have no idea how I long for you.” He paused, gaining courage. “How much I love you.”

  His wife whimpered, and her eyes filled with tears. “You love me?”

  Gav leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “I do. I don’t want to just be companions. Will you let me be your husband in more than name? Will you have me?” His pulse roared in his ears as he waited for her response. This was it.

  “I always knew you’d break me,” she whispered, a trembling smile on her face. “How did I ever think that I wouldn’t fall for you?”

  Time seemed to stop as he processed her words. “
Do you love me?”

  “I tried not to,” she answered.

  “I need to hear it,” he rasped.

  “I love you.”

  Three little words gutted him.

  “Can I kiss you?” he breathed against her lips. “Please, my love.”

  Mira nodded and softly kissed him back. He gave a growl of approval at her hesitant response. His hands were everywhere. Stroking her hips, her back, the soft curls of her hair. He maneuvered her backward until she was trapped beneath him, her fingers tangled in his hair.

  His hands shook with desire, need, and love. He carefully caressed her lips with his own. Each moment his body pressed to hers felt like a dream, like she would vanish like a ghost. Mira softened against him, granting Gav even deeper access.

  Her whole body leaned up into his embrace, and he tenderly pulled away, kissing her eyelids before resting his forehead against Mira’s. He peered down into her mesmerizing eyes so full of emotion and love that he felt like he could drown in it.

  “How did we get so lucky?” he choked out. “I don’t deserve you.”

  Mira smiled and cupped his face. “None of us deserve love, that’s why it’s such a gift.” Her expression turned serious. “Are you really mine?”

  Wicked hell. “From now until eternity.”

  She pulled him down for a kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Then what are you waiting for, husband? Make me yours.”

  His fingers skimmed along the outside of her thigh and gripped her bare waist. “With pleasure, my love.”

  Chapter 23

  Mira

  One week later

  Gavriel pulled her into the surf, the warm waves lapping at her calves.

  “Come on! The water feels great,” he coaxed, a twinkle in his eyes.

  She shook her head. “I know what comes out to play in these waters.”

  “Don’t be afraid, ma fille,” Lilja called, farther out in the ocean, Isa in her arms. “They are like cats.”

  “Cats,” Mira muttered. “I will never think of the Leviathan as cats.” She shivered, thinking about the last time she’d taken a swim. She’d never been more terrified in her life.

  Gav looped an arm around her waist and towed her deeper into the water. She wrapped her arms around his neck and peered up at him while he watched Lilja teach Isa how to go through the change. Mira had worried about telling Gavriel about Isa’s heritage, but all her anxiety had been for naught. He took it in stride.

  He glanced down at her and pointed to his neck. “Do you think I will sprout gills soon?”

  Mira rolled her eyes. “According to Lilja, if it was to happen, you would have already.” She cocked her head and played with his damp hair. “It also explains your unusual eye color.”

  “I wonder why Isa and I were the only ones to inherit them. Tehl’s mother and my mum were sisters. By all accounts, we have a similar heritage.”

  She smiled. “I wondered that myself, but according to some of the scrolls Lilja lent me, when Sirenidae blood is mixed, the traits can skip generations, which means…”

  Gavriel’s eyes widened. “That any children Tehl and Sam sire could also be like Isa.”

  “Exactly.”

  Isa bobbed in the waves like a seal and swam their way. Gav hoisted her up, and Mira wrapped an arm around the little girl, studying the faint purple scale pattern along the tops of her thighs and neck.

  “Look how pretty you are,” Mira crooned, tickling her daughter’s side. Isa giggled and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek.

  “Come swim with me, Mama?” Isa asked.

  Mira eyed her daughter. “I will come swim with the condition that you don’t invite any of your beasties to come swim as well. My heart can only take so much.”

  The little girl nodded and threw herself back into the waves. Mira released her husband, but he snatched her arms and pulled her back for a deep kiss. Her cheeks heated as they pulled apart, and Hayjen cheered from the beach where he sat with Mer.

  “Don’t go too far, my love.”

  “Never,” she whispered back.

  Mira took off after Isa, her soul finally at peace.

  She’d finally found her home.

  It wasn’t a place.

  It was her family.

  Epilogue

  Mer

  Mer held her head high as she glided through the assembly toward her grandfather. He sat on a huge chair carved from abalone, his long silver hair floating around him. The stares of her people pricked her skin like a thousand needles—some angry, some sad, some betrayed.

  Today she’d receive her punishment.

  Somewhere in the crowd were Lilja and Sin. Her aunt and brother-in-law wanted to accompany her, but she turned them down. Mer needed to accept the consequences of her actions. Plus, she didn’t want to appear weak.

  She stopped before the dais, her feet settling gently in the sand. Her pulse rushed in her veins as she gazed up at her grandfather impassively. Shame threatened to rise up but Mer shoved it down. Her actions hadn’t been shameful when she’d helped their allies. The only thing she regretted was hurting her grandfather. Even now, she could see pain lurking in his pale magenta gaze.

  He stood, trident in hand and she knelt in respect; sand billowed in a cloud around her knees.

  “Mer, royal daughter of the tides, you have been convicted of traitorous crimes against our people. Are you ready to accept your fate?” her grandfather said, his deep voice cutting through the depths of the ocean.

  “I am,” she responded, her voice ringing clear and strong.

  “For your crimes, you are to be cut off from your people indefinitely.”

  She swallowed thickly and tried not to cry. Mer already knew she’d be banished but hearing it cut her to the soul.

  Her grandfather continued. “You will be marked as a traitor so all will know you for what you are.”

  Mer bit the inside of her cheek. She was to be branded and her hair cut. No Sirenidae would ever again acknowledge her.

  “And finally,” he said.

  She bowed her head, bracing herself for the final blow. Was her punishment not enough?

  “The council and I have taken into account your royal blood as well as your good deeds in the past for our people. Even though you will not be welcomed here, we will not toss you out into the world without protection. We’ve found a solution suited for your royal status.”

  Mer lifted her head and tried to calm her breathing as she locked eyes with her grandfather. His expression held no sympathy.

  “You are no longer a widow. You have been married by proxy to a future king that we deem suitable for you.”

  Her mouth gaped open, and it felt like she was drowning. Marriage? “Whom?” she rasped.

  “You are wed to the Crown Prince of Methi. Prepare yourself. You will meet Prince Raziel after your marking.” The world dipped out of focus and her hands shook. “Do you accept your punishment?” her grandfather asked.

  Mer slowly stood, her long hair rippling around her. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse and accept the death sentence. She’d never accept the man who murdered Ream as her husband.

  Think through the pain.

  She nodded once.

  Killing the Methian prince had been on her list since Ream’s death. This gave her the chance to get close to him.

  Mer lifted her head and smiled serenely at her grandfather.

  “I accept.”

  Continue the Aermian Feuds with the Banished Queen Series:

  Traitor of the Tides

  Have you started COURT OF DRAGONS?

  As a daughter of the Dragon Court, Wren knows three truths: never show weakness, pay the tithe, and never trust the dark elves.

  A Court of Dragons is the first book in a new fantasy romance series, inspired by the tales of Beauty and the Beast with Reylo viking vibes. It's perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash, A Deal with The Elf King, and The Bridge Kingdom.

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  PRINCE’S POISON

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