Madison Faye

“You’re mine, Princess,” he growled. “All mine.”

I’d run off with her alright, and I’d found something I never thought I’d ever find again. And now I was running back to her.

The sword, still on my maniac downstroke, whacked him on the shoulder, making him grunt as the thing spun out of my hands and clattered to the ground.

I was suddenly very glad the thing wasn’t even remotely sharp.

“Hell of a welcome, Princess,” he growled.

“That I’m in love with you?”

Time froze.

“Yeah, Princess, I think I did.”

I blinked, my lips moving without words and my head slowly shaking from side to side.

“What?”

“I love you, Isla,” he said softly. “I love you suddenly, fiercely, and without even knowing where you came from.

“I’ll protect you always,” he said softly. “Always. I’ll stop anything from getting to you.”

“But not you,” I whispered, turning in his arms. “Don’t you ever stop you from getting to me, because I love you too.”

She came back to Torsund with me a queen, and the whole damn kingdom seemed to light up the second she stepped foot into it. The people were crazy about her, the palace staff adored her, and I loved her as hard as I could.

Because tonight, I was going to make this princess mine and only mine. Find her a husband, huh?

Fuck that.

She’d been mine the second I saw her. Tonight, I’d make sure she knew that.

“Princess Imogen and I are engaged,” I said flatly.

He blinked. “Wait, what?”

“We’re engaged,” I bullshitted again. “So I would appreciate it if you kept your fucking eyes off of her.”

Hell, I was shocked at the words that’d just come out of me. But fuck if I didn’t know it was true the second I said it. I would marry this girl.

I thought about what I’d just said. I thought about making her my bride, and making her mine. I growled inside at the thought of her belonging to me, and me having her and her only.