A royal bloodline gets divided by rebels' attempted regicide, casting Alvina from her throne and into hiding, as Quinn, the bastard brother, is forced to take her place.
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Alvina was supposed to be queen, but when her coronation is abruptly stopp...
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I felt hands around my throat. Worms were digging into my eyes, and I couldn't breathe. I could hear him humming a song in my ear, and I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
"Quinn." Islo's voice fought its way through the haze, and I gasped so violently I sat up. "Just relax. Breathe slowly and deeply."
I turned around and circled my arms around him, resting my forehead on his shoulder.
"Did you have another nightmare?"
"Yes," I panted, pressing him closer to me just to remind myself I was here and not dead in the ground, gasping for air. There was plenty of air here. Islo was here.
"It's going to be okay. Come on, lie down with me." He pulled me down on top of him, his head hitting the pillow softly. His hair billowed out around his head like a dark halo, and I lowered myself after taking in the sight, my cheek hitting his chest.
"You're so warm," he murmured and ran his hands over my back, undoing the knots in it.
"That feels nice," I whispered and moved my arms up, so they were flush with his sides.
"You've lost weight. Are you eating?"
"Yeah, I've just been... Stressed."
"To say the least." He snorted and pressed his fingers into the small of my back, pressing me down on him. Then, his hands cradled my hips, and he moved me into a better position.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sneakily getting you to think about something better." His voice had turned very breathy, and he lifted his hips up a bit.
"It's definitely working," I murmured and kissed his throat.
Before I could even think, he had us turned around, so he was on top of me, between my legs.
"You are so pretty." His mouth trailed a path over my collarbone before he moved down to the middle of my chest, running his tongue over my skin.
I inhaled sharply, watching my ribs almost protrude my skin. I had lost weight. I had always been a little on the heavier side, but not anymore. Just another thing Aki had stolen from me.
No more. I was gonna get my body back.
I grabbed Islo's face and pulled him up, kissing him deeply. I pushed him off me and got him to sit against the headrest of the bed. My stomach rolled as he looked up at me with hooded eyes and a very satisfied smile on his full lips.
I sat down in his lap and started kissing his throat. He groaned and grabbed my hips, before one hand snuck down my undergarments, grazing over my ass. His fingers slowly found their way to where I wanted them. I groaned as he slowly pressed his fingers inside of me. My own hands were busy outlining his torso, softly running over his ribs, his stomach, his chest... I loved touching him. Some of his freckles were moles, and they disrupted the softness and the perfection of him. And I loved every single one of them. His imperfection just made him more perfect to me. The fact that he had strong arms but a soft stomach, skinny calves but kind of wide thighs... He was just not the picture-perfect man, but he acted like one. The way he held himself was what did everything to me. His confidence was the real attractive trait.
