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I paced the small camp we made outside of the Hobgoblin caverns. The king’s words still rang in my ears sending throbs of shock to every nerve ending. Every time I glanced to the night sky, I shivered. According to the troll king, I had less than a week before I became one of those ghastly things.
“Maggie, sit down,” Henry said and patted the log next to him.
“You lied to me,” I hissed.
He ran a hand down his face and closed his eyes. “Blackie got us exactly what we needed without having to sacrifice your magic.”
“That doesn’t matter. You told me you thought they got all of the poison.”
Henry opened his mouth and then closed it. His gaze dropped to the ground. He nodded. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Tell me the truth. We are together no matter what. Isn’t that what you have always told me? That despite what life has thrown at us, we would survive?”
He climbed to his feet and crossed to where I stood. “We will survive this.”
Even though he sounded sure, his eyes betrayed him. Loss lived in his irises. Even with Blackie and the rest of the dwarves still pleading our case for some other solution, I knew just as well as Henry that I was doomed.
Doomed to play right into Queen Odette’s evil plan and lose everyone I loved.
He pulled me into his arms and brushed his lips against mine. “Somehow, we will survive.”
I wished I could believe him, but my heart told me a different story. If I stayed, I would probably be the one who killed my love. I couldn’t stand the thought of Henry’s blood on my hands. But he would never let me leave without him. My only hope was to sneak out while he slept. And there was only one thing that made him sleep sounder than if I used magic.
With my mind made up, I kissed him with all the urgency pooling in my belly. I wanted him to understand just how much he meant to me. And words didn’t seem powerful enough. As my hands unclasped from around his neck and slid down his muscular chest, the kiss deepened. When I slid my hand around to cup his ass, he pulled away from my lips.
His eyes searched mine. “You’re injured.”
I lifted a single shoulder. “Not enough to stop me from making love to you once more before I’m too far gone.”
He cupped my cheek with his hand. “Maggie,” he whispered with such love that my heart squeezed. His thumb caressed my lips and his eyes shifted from grey to green the way they always did when the mood struck. “Are you sure?”
I smiled and closed the distance, covering his mouth with mine. Our tongues intertwined in a slow dance of need. He pulled me beyond the fire and onto the blankets that littered the floor. Once within our little private enclosure, Henry dropped to his knees and pushed the hem of my nightgown up, ducking underneath the fabric, surprising me with gentle foreplay.
His ministrations with his fingers and tongue left me breathless. He erased any sense of pain with a longing so deep I nearly moaned. When he pulled away and stretched out on his back, unclasping his trousers, I lowered on top of him.
His length filled me, and his hands slid up my thighs to rest on my hips. Each slow stroke created an intricate web of pleasure through my body. Languid motion like the slow roll of the ocean captured us. Bliss coursed through my veins in warm pulses.
I stared into Henry’s eyes, memorizing his captivating gaze and the small smile playing on his lips. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead as we kept the slow pace despite the need bringing me to the brink. I wanted this slow ecstasy to last long enough to sear it to my deepest memories.
His eyes closed, and he tilted his chin back, the muscles in his jaw and neck tensed. His hands gripped my hips tighter, his fingers digging into my flesh. The wave hit me and I cried out, lifting my gaze towards the heavens. He followed me into our momentary paradise.
I trembled with my release and with every aftershock until I fell forward, draping myself over Henry. He kissed my cheek.
“Are you okay?” he whispered in his all-too-husky after-sex voice.
“Yes,” I pushed myself back onto my knees and uncoupled from him, then shifted so I lay down next to him.
Henry buttoned his pants and rolled towards me. He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I yawned. The physical exertion took more than I’d anticipated, and my eyelids slid closed. The soft caress of his thumb on the back of my hand lulled me. When his thumb stopped moving, I forced my eyes open.
Despite how exhausted I was, I needed to leave when I knew Henry wouldn’t immediately wake. His breathing evened out, and I slid my hand out of his. He shifted, his hands closed into loose fists, and he tucked one under his cheek.
I studied his sleep-relaxed face and sighed. I clenched my teeth against the sudden sheen of tears that ballooned out of nowhere.
When his eyes started moving under his closed lids, I knew it was time to sneak out of our little camp. I pressed my lips together, refusing to let any sound of discomfort from moving slip out. Getting up was much more difficult now that my muscles had stiffened.
I finally got to my feet and took an unsteady step towards his horse. Thankfully, Henry had untied Rio from the cart earlier, and all I had to do was unravel the rope from a tree limb and lead him away from the camp before I mounted his bare back.
Rio waited patiently for me to climb up on him. It took me a few failing tries out in the open. Then I spotted a fallen tree and led the horse to the space next to the biggest of the limbs. This time I succeeded in mounting the beautiful stallion.
I clicked my tongue and grabbed two fistfuls of his mane, steering him away from the camp. I glanced over my shoulder and prayed Henry would forgive me when he woke, but I doubted it was that simple.
Prince Charming would likely become the Prince of Darkness raining hell on anyone who crossed his path when he realized I was gone.