“Either way, we’d get married?”
“Either way,” Hal said, feeling a squirm of fear in his belly that this requirement might kill the deal.
“Either way, I’d get Spiritgate and the mines?”
“Either way.”
“And what do you get?”
“I get you,” Hal said. “I get a friend—something I really need right now. I get a sparring partner, of sorts. I get good counsel—something that’s impossible to find at court. I get the truth when everyone around me is lying. I get this.” Gently, he cradled her chin between his two hands and kissed her. Her lips were warm, still tasting of wine. When she opened them, he extended the kiss, drawing her close, her breasts pressing into his chest, his body on fire from hips to shoulders.
When they broke apart, she stood, flushed, breathless, speechless.
“Nobody does that, Matelon,” she said, swallowing hard.
“Does what?”
“Marries for love.”
“I would cite the example of your parents,” Hal said. “If it’s against some sort of rule, we should ask forgiveness, not permission. We can plead inexperience.” He took hold of her hands. “Now. With your permission, I would like to kiss you again.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you saying—that your kisses are so powerful that I’ll lose my head and agree to whatever you propose?”
“Not at all,” Hal said. “I’m giving you fair warning that kissing is a feature of these proposals, and you may need more data in order to decide whether you want to sign on for it.”
He could tell that her anger was fading. In fact, she seemed to be having trouble maintaining her scowl.
“I’m also saying that I’d like to kiss you again.”
“Fair enough,” she said.
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a yes, you arrogant flatlander,” she said. She gripped his lapels and pulled him in for another, fiercer kiss that left his lips bruised and tingling. Pressing her hands into his shoulder blades, she rested her head beneath his chin until her breathing normalized.
They stood like that for a long moment.
“Hmm,” Lyssa murmured, kissing his neck and nibbling his ear until he thought he might explode. She pushed him down on the settee and back against the pillows, kissed him again, then said, her brow furrowed, “More data, please.” She pulled his shirt free from his breeches, burrowed her head under, and planted a series of incendiary kisses on his chest and stomach.
Eventually, the two of them rolled off the settee, landing hard on the rug, coming close to spilling the jug of wine.
Now he was on top, pinning her. “If we cannot come to terms,” he growled, “we must not give up. We must, of course, continue negotiations until we do.”
It turned out that their negotiations required many more kisses, flinging of clothes, wrestling, and the rest of the wine. Later, as they lay entwined on the rug in front of the fire, Lyss said, “Blood and bones, Matelon, I had no idea that you could be this persuasive.”
“Hal,” he said softly. “I think you can call me Hal.” He stroked her hair, leaned down, and brushed his lips over her ear. “Are there any particular points you want me to go over again?”
“No.” She smiled faintly. “Well, yes, but I think we’d better get some sleep before tomorrow.”
“I am, as always, your obedient servant, Your Majesty.”
“Lyss.”
“Lyss.”
She lay silent for so long that Hal thought she might have fallen asleep. Then she said, “Hal?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m older than my mother was when she married, but I’m still young.”
Hal nodded. “I know.”
“There is still so much to do, so much rebuilding, so many decisions to make when trying to heal the queendom and take care of my people. It would be especially hard to announce a betrothal so close on the heels of Jarat’s plan to marry Julianna and absorb the queendom into the empire. People who have sacrificed blood and sweat and property to keep the queendom free would be understandably rattled, no matter how we tried to explain it. Ardenine kings are not well regarded in the north.”
“I understand. I didn’t plan on pressing my suit this soon, but, well, you started it.”
She laughed. “I did.” She stopped again, as if debating whether to go on. “We have so much in common, and yet we’re so different in temperament—like we complement each other.”
Hal said nothing, not wanting to interrupt the queen’s conversation with herself.
“And—and your kisses—they—I mean, there’s that.”
“Yes,” Hal said. “There is that.”
“Maybe a marriage between us could work,” she said.
“Maybe it could,” Hal said. “It may require some time to reach an agreement.”
“And negotiations,” Lyss said. “Lots and lots of negotiations.”
She laughed, and they began kissing again, so it was some time before they slept.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Augusten Burroughs
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CINDA WILLIAMS CHIMA writes fantasy for teens of all ages, including the Heir Chronicles and the Seven Realms series. Her critically acclaimed books have appeared on numerous state awards lists. She lives in Ohio with her family, and she is always working on her next novel. Find out more at www.cindachima.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY CINDA WILLIAMS CHIMA
THE SHATTERED REALMS SERIES
Flamecaster
Shadowcaster
Stormcaster
Deathcaster
THE HEIR CHRONICLES
The Warrior Heir
The Wizard Heir
The Dragon Heir
The Enchanter Heir
The Sorcerer Heir
THE SEVEN REALMS SERIES
The Demon King
The Exiled Queen
The Gray Wolf Throne
The Crimson Crown
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COPYRIGHT
From THE SEVEN REALMS SERIES by Cinda Williams Chima.
Endpaper illustration © 2009 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Disney·Hyperion Books. All rights reserved.
DEATHCASTER. Copyright © 2019 by Cinda Williams Chima. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2019 by Alessandro Taini
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons
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Digital Edition March 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-238105-7
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-238103-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-06-290591-8 (international edition)
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Deathcaster Page 54
