The Hunchback's Reluctant Bride ✔

24 | We're Fine

Wyrn loved nothing more than waking up beside the princess each morning. Was there anything better than this? He watched her peaceful face for some time before finding the nerve to trace her brow.

A part of him wished they'd never leave this moment. Because the idea of waking up ten years from now and not feeling this way upon seeing her filled him with dread.

There could be no better feeling. When he took hold of her left hand and pressed it to his chest, she eased forward to follow him rather than move away.

And then there was the rest of her. More than once, he ran the back of his hand down her left shoulder and arm in a lazy fashion. The sight of her bare bosom made him smile.

"And to think, I had the nerve to insult these."

He brushed one nipple with his thumb then pulled her closer when she reacted.

It was official. He could admit it. He was happy.

But it felt fleeting, like an illusion he feared hanging on to. The more he longed for it, the more he dreaded its loss.

A tear fell past her nose, ruining the moment.

"Princess?" he whispered.

But instead of opening her eyes and answering, she buried her face in his neck, muttering, "Forgive me. Please."

Wyrn puzzled over her meaning for some time.

Perhaps she meant having not opened the shield. All the better if she hadn't. It was anyone's guess what would happen to his body without it. But he'd been willing to risk it last night for her—he was willing to risk so much for her.

Most days he didn't notice his back. Others constantly reminded him of it.

He felt cold now without a shirt because it was such a rare thing for him. Though he had been disappointed at first, how could he blame her? She was a princess cast in with his kind, a people who attacked hers for sport.

No. She needed not ask for forgiveness. That apology was unnecessary.

The moment he exhaled, he admitted one thing to himself—one thing he could no longer deny. He loved her.

It was stupid and impossible, but he was happy and in love. But that went without saying; they had attracted fairies after all.

Today when Wyrn dressed, his back felt heavy. And that wasn't all—it was hot.

All throughout the morning as they readied themselves, she would not look him in the eye. While he, on the other hand, could look nowhere else but directly at her.

She flinched, holding her face often.

A shadow of a scream came from the great beyond. "Give her back! Give her back, you—"

The voice faded and Wyrn took his wife by the hand. Today, they'd be married. Properly.

And no one could break that bond. Not even The Living Goddess herself. Nothing and no one.

Wyrn could hardly wait.

Bonn and Shaza were the next to emerge from their homes, Bonn hobbling on his good leg. Whenever Shaza tried to aid him, he shrugged her off.

Wyrn stopped to watch them.

Till now, he'd never begrudged them their relationship. In fact, there'd been days he'd been envious of them. A man married to a succubus must have been sated nightly.

But now, with the princess's grip in his own, Wyrn wouldn't trade her for all the pleasure beings in the very earth.

So, he understood his brother finally, and why the man had never officially made Shaza his wife, despite these many years together.