Page 106 of Shadow Queen
“You want it, yes?” she asked.
He swallowed. “Surely you know the answer.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’m sorry I haven’t thought to discuss it with you until now. But… why haven’t you asked me for it?”
He turned his head and looked out the window. “I should have negotiated it with our marriage agreement, but the truth is I wasn’t even thinking of it at the time.” He paused. “Soren pressed me to discuss it with you after. But, as the days passed, the harder it became.” He grew silent for a time before continuing. “I feared the answer, that you wouldn’t give it to me. Not that I’m so desperate to get it back now, but… are you unable to deny me… the way I’m unable to deny you? I… don’t think I want to know.”
Norah reached down and ran her fingers through his hair before resting her hand on his cheek. “It’s yours, husband.”
His eyes grew thick with emotion, and he put his hand over hers, bringing it to his lips and kissing her palm.
They lay naked together in the beautiful quiet.
“There’s something else I’ve been reluctant to press you for,” he said. He ran his hand over the skin of her stomach, swirling his fingertips so that prickles rose on her skin, and then he widened his palm against her flesh again. “A child.”
Norah’s pulse quickened. They certainly hadn’t been tryingnotto have a child, but they never spoke of it, never made it an intentional effort. And she wasn’t sure how she felt. She wanted children, eventually, but was she ready? She still didn’t feel in control of her own life enough to now be responsible for another. But with a husband who loved her, and whom she loved in return, she started to feel a stirring for something more. A child between them sounded less and less of an obligation, and more of a beautiful life.
Norah put her hand over Mikael’s on her stomach.
He shifted and moved up, rising over her and covering her with his body. “It’s now the most important thing, Salara. I need an heir to settle the nobles. Unrest will build as time goes on. And”—he paused—“it’s what will keep you safe when I’m gone.”
His words rippled through her. When he was dead, he meant. She shook her head. “Don’t talk like that.”
“We need to talk about these things. The nobles won’t follow the North Queen alone. But an heir will keep you on the Kharavian throne, even after I’m dead. An heir will keep the peace, keep the alliance. It will keep you safe, even if the North turns against you.”
“Mikael, stop,” she said, her eyes welling.
“Kharav needs an heir. We need an heir.” He bent to kiss her lips. “And I want a son, a child, with you.” His eyes brightened. “I would be a good father, Salara. I would love him.”
Norah had never imagined Mikael as a father. She had never tried. She wasn’t sure why. There was no doubt that Mikael would be a good father. The thought made her smile. It made her happy. Then why was she hesitant?
She wasn’t.
She threaded her fingers back into his hair and nodded.
Mikael grew serious. “Do you mean it?” he breathed. “We’ll have a child then?”
The thought filled her with an unexpected joy. She caressed his cheek with her hand. “Well, it’s not exactly like we haven’t been trying.” She raised a teasing brow. “Do you not know how children are made, husband?”
He smiled. “I meant, isn’t there planning—a specific time?”
“Mmm…” she moaned as she pulled him closer. “How about all the time?”
“That’s an excellent plan,” he rumbled as he covered her mouth with his. He moved between her thighs and slipped his arm underneath her, running his hand down and lifting her hips to him.
Norah gasped as he sank inside her. She didn’t think it was possible to need someone the way she needed Mikael, with a deep and desperate hunger. He consumed her—her body, her mind, her spirit. And still, she needed more.
They moved together, as one. Mikael wove his fingers into hers and pushed her hands above her head. She let him take what he needed, because their needs were one and the same.
Norah wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper, begging him with her body. The rush was sudden and fierce, and it took her breath. She bucked against him as she lost herself.
Mikael’s body hardened as he neared, and Norah settled to just watch him. She pulled her hands from his grasp and ran them down his chest, feeling the muscle tighten under his skin. He was beautiful, every piece of him. She drew her hands up to his face and pulled him down into a kiss, but he was too taken to kiss her back. She smiled as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth. A rumble built in his chest, and it grew to a thunder. Mikael came with a growl as he buried himself inside her. He dropped his head beside hers, and she could feel his panting breath on her cheek, in her ear. His whole body shook, and she savored it.
He nuzzled her neck as his body calmed. “When I’m inside you, nothing else matters,” he breathed. “Nothing.” He stayed a moment longer. Then he pulled himself from her and shifted his weight to the side, resting his head on her breast.
“I want you again,” he said, with his eyes closed and his breaths still heavy with fatigue.
Norah gave a small laugh. “You don’t have the energy.” She looked at him as she brushed her fingers through his hair. She loved this man. How could anyone not? If they didn’t, it was because they didn’t know him.
