*THIS NOVEL IS A SEQUEL TO WILD CARD & CANNOT BE READ AS A STANDALONE*
There is a legend that one in four royal advisor-mages will betray their monarch, overthrow them for power.
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Gwenore, the new Queen of Acewood, is on a throne most would kill...
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I never knew it could be like this.
Such sensations that warped through me and anchored me onto the mattress. Such pure pleasure coursing through me at the simplest touch.
I barely slept all night, so wrapped up in how it felt.
How it was to be with another man. With Ysac.
The night of the grand escape—Otho, Luned, and Jack—I'd been too on edge to sleep with him. After that kiss we'd exchanged, all the heat boiled up inside me and I was nauseous. No way would I spend my first night with him huddled over a chamber-pot struggling to keep my guts in.
That, and all the turmoil of the day sat with me much longer and with much more intensity than I'd have expected. Discovering Mother was still alive, after all this time, living in disguise here in Acewood? And watching her leave my life again seconds after reuniting with her?
It wasn't enough time. It pleased me to know she was alive, safe back in Springport; but it wasn't fair that I wouldn't likely see her again.
Traveling through the mirror took a lot of power and required too many sacrifices. And we didn't have the king of magic to make it work.
I'd made my choice; I was staying in Acewood.
The next day, after Gwenore—Queen Gwenore—announced her regency, then her upcoming coronation, the weight in my belly didn't dissipate. If anything, the word queen made me sicker, as I envisioned my mother in Springport having a similar speech.
I didn't think hers would go down as well as Gwenore's had. Queen Gwenore had subdued them all with an offer of a party. According to Ysac and Princess Tilda, celebrations were the best way to woo and entice any courtier of Acewood.
The words woo and entice didn't help my bellyache, either. They reminded me too much of Astrida, who was still on my case, still obsessed with me. I had to devise a solution to avoid her at all costs.
I wouldn't lie; I spent most of the rest of the day avoiding Ysac, too. Avoiding my feelings. Unsure where we stood after our torrid kiss, and what kind of grand gesture I'd showed by deciding to stay here instead of returning to my home realm.
But Ysac caught me in the evening, as I snuck off after dinner. He'd been busy training with soldiers—one of his new roles as appointed by the queen. I'd hoped to hurry to my quarters and lock the door so I could think of him, unbothered by anyone, but...he found me.
"Hey," he'd said, gripping me by the arm and tugging me into a tight embrace. His erection was up close and personal, and a twinge of desire grew in me. An erection I'd pictured one time too many in recent days, wondering what it'd feel like, taste like. "You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"
I gulped, nestled in his arms. I was so safe, so happy, but at the same time so incredibly nervous around him. Women? I could seduce them with a wink and a smile, and seconds later they'd be naked in my bed, legs spread for my satisfaction. But...Ysac? This dashing young man with the most magical purple eyes and luscious golden hair and skin so smooth it made me shiver?
