I was awake and it was early. Well, it must've been early because it was barely light out. I looked to the side, finding Islo asleep. His back was turned to me and his ribs slowly rose and fell with his relaxed breath. He looked so comfortable and like he was in deep sleep.

Time to ruin that.

I kissed his shoulder, running my tongue over his skin and he snorted. He looked back at me and smiled.

"You're awake early."

"Yeah," I breathed, my hand slipping down to his hip. I pressed my hips to his ass and exhaled loudly.

"Ah," he murmured and put his hand on top of mine. "This is what you awoke for."

I slipped my hand down his undergarments, taking him in my hand. He swore under his breath and I ran my tongue over his back.

"I want you," I panted. "Badly."

"Did you dream of me?" His voice was so soft. It wrapped itself around me and made me want him even more.

"Yes, I dreamed of you. You moaned my name. Your body was slick with sweat and you lied like this. Pressing yourself at me."

Islo grabbed my hand, putting my fingers in his mouth and then guiding them to his ass. I slowly eased them inside of him and he groaned.

"Maybe this is all I'll do for you today," I whispered in his ear, repeating what he told me.

"No, I want you," he groaned back. "All of you."
I chuckled and hooked my fingers, his moan coming out strangled. "But you seem to enjoy this."

"Quinn," he whimpered and looked back at me. "I swear to all the spirits, you're killing me."
I dipped down and kissed his throat, pressing my body to his. I pulled my fingers out and grabbed the jar, dipping my fingers in. I continued to pleasure my fiancé, torturing him the best possible way.

"Quinn, please," he whimpered after a while.

I lifted myself up a little, pulling his undergarments down before discarding of my own.

"How much do you want me?" I whispered.

"With all of my heart, Quinn," he murmured back and met my gaze. His eyes were hooded, and his cheeks flushed. He looked amazingly beautiful and so vulnerable. I loved how he just lied there, waiting for me.

I put my hand on his hip again, steadying him and myself. I slowly pushed myself inside of him and he whimpered and moaned at the same time. I pushed in all the way, so we were fully connected, no space between our bodies. I let him take a moment to get used to me and then he moved himself, indicating he was ready for me to move. To make love to him. I pulled out and then slammed myself inside of him. He groaned loudly and I wrapped my arm around him, pressing my forehead to his back as I lost myself. I lost myself in every freckle, in every tremor going through his body following the movements of mine. I lost myself in his voice, pleading me to never stop. To continue doing it just like this.

I needed to see him. I had to see his face, so I pulled out and got him on his back. He immediately circled his arms around me, bringing me down to his mouth, kissing me passionately. He was squirming under me, pushing himself up as much as he could, just to get closer to me. I lifted up again, looking down at him.

"Look at me," I murmured, and he looked up, smiling at me. His eyes were hooded, his lips swollen. Sweat was glistening on his forehead and his hair was so ruffled. But he looked at me with so much love. And he looked so beautiful.

I desired him in ways I had never desired anyone. I wanted him to never look at another person again. I wanted to be his world. And right now it felt like that, just by the way he was looking at me.

"Fuck," he whimpered, his brows furrowing. "I'm gonna cum."

I lowered myself and kissed his cheek without stopping. He grabbed my ass and dug his fingers in.

"Finish. You don't have to wait for me."

He groaned loudly, his body clamping down on me. He got me to move in the same rhythm as the pulses going through his body and he was loudly moaning. Just hearing him wanted to make me blow it.

I jerked my hips harder and he whimpered, begging me to not stop. He kept moaning my name over and over as if it was a chant.

And then I finally finished, kissing him hard as pleasure rolled over my body.

"Oh fuck me," he muttered and pulled me down so I could rest on his chest. "You should wake up early more often, Quinn. It's clearly good for the both of us."

I chuckled, panting through it and placing kisses on his chest. "I just needed you."

"It's funny. I was dreaming of you too." Islo frowned then. "I dreamt this. And you dreamt this."

I was still far too relaxed to connect the dots. My head was swimming and all I wanted was to cuddle.

"Yeah, that's a bit weird," I murmured.

"Quinn, I've heard of some of your ancestors being able to read minds. Are you absolutely sure you can't?"

"I can't be sure of anything, really, can I?" I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "I have no idea what I can and can't do, Islo. Reading minds just sounds awfully unrealistic."

He smiled a little. "And making things move with just your mind doesn't?"

I snorted. "I don't know. I've... Always known I... Could. I think. But reading someone's mind? Islo, you have to realise how crazy that sounds."

"Maybe. But you wouldn't be the first to have that ability. Marin the Wise had that ability."

"Uh huh," I murmured, pretty bored with this conversation. All I wanted was to make love to my fiancé but apparently, he was more interested in the supernatural. I couldn't be bothered with it anymore. I couldn't use those powers slumbering within me without Dreki electrifying me. I didn't want to feel that again.

I just wanted to cuddle with my man. I moved up and shut him up, kissing him.

"Quinn," he murmured, but I shushed him, pressing my lips to his. He pushed me off and rolled on top of me. "Quinn," he said seriously.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, looking to the side. "I don't wanna talk about it Islo. All I want is to cuddle with you right now. Can we please just cuddle?"

He sighed and kissed my cheeks and then my forehead. "I just want to figure out what you can do. For your sake."

"And I wanna cuddle. For my sake."

He snorted and dumped down beside me, pulling me close. "Sometimes, you're so simple. And I kind of love it."

"You're just too complicated." I smiled up at him before snuggling close. He slid his hand up in my hair, massaging my scalp.

"I guess I get too focused on stuff sometimes." He shrugged a shoulder and kissed the top of my head. "Good thing you get me out of it."

"Yeah, you need to get out of your head. I bet it's rather boring in there."

"Oh you think so?" He shoved me on my back again, tickling me. "Huh? You think I'm boring?"

"No, Islo! Don't!" I laughed loudly.

Islo sat up on his knees, straddling my thighs. Then his smile slid right off, and he whimpered. "Fuck!" He fell down on the bed, grabbing his thigh.

I jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. I grabbed a glass of water and his pills, hurrying back. He took the glass from me and swallowed the pills.

"Fuck," he growled again, pressing his hand down on his skin.

I took the glass back and then crawled back into bed but got Islo to put his leg in my lap. I massaged it slowly to get the cramps to stop. He'd get muscle tremors and it would hurt like a bitch. He needed massages like this when it happened.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and pulled the blanket over himself, covering himself up.

"Don't apologise," I said softly and smiled at him. "I don't mind. I mean, I get a chance to feel up your thighs."

He smiled a little. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Don't thank me for this, Islo. Ever. I'll massage your thigh until the end of times if that is what is needed."

"Sometimes I'll need kisses too." He shot me a cheeky smile. I crawled up to his face, careful of not accidentally shoving my knee in an awkward place and kissed him. He made a very content sound, putting his hands on my hips, shifting me so I was sitting in his lap. I pulled the blanket away so there was no barrier between our skin.

He pulled me down, so I was laying on his chest. His fingers ran up and down my back and this was all I wanted.

Actually, one more thing.

I lifted up and turned on the radio and then returned to lay on Islo's chest. He chuckled and kissed me. He didn't stop. He kept twirling his tongue around mine, keeping his hand on the back of my head, forcing me to stay in the kiss. Not that I'd ever pull back. I wanted to live in this kiss.

I couldn't help but moan against his lips and he got more aggressive. His hand was on my hip, and he lifted his up, pressing me down.

"You want to go again?" I murmured.

"The last time you were in this position, I didn't think of anything but..." He moved closer and whispered in my ear. My cheeks flared up with heat and I didn't even know what to say. And I didn't have to say anything.

"Are you looking, Daddy?"

"Yes, princess. I see you." Islo smiled and waved from his seat by the fold. Isla trotted past us on her beloved horse.

I took his gloved hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. He wanted to play with her so badly but there wasn't a lot he could do. He read to her. Played with her in her room. But he couldn't ride with her. Bending his leg was still too painful.

"Quinn look!" she yelled with glee as the horse jumped over a branch in the fold.

"You look great, Isla!" I yelled back and smiled. "Have you told her yet?"

"No, I haven't gotten around to it. I'm sorry, I will but-"

"Islo," I interrupted. "Don't apologise. Please, don't. We'll figure this out. Maybe we can even delay it so long that it won't happen at all."

"I... Want you to adopt her, Quinn." He glanced down at me. "If something was to happen to me, I... I would want you to raise her. And not just because I love you. But because you have the means. You can give her a future no one else can. I want that for her. I just need her to want it too."

I nodded and gave his hand another squeeze. "I just wish it was different."

"I know, but we have to work with what we get. Life is nothing but ups and downs. Right now we're on the down. Sooner or later it's bound to go up again."

"I can't wait for all of this to be over. And just be... Here. With you. Rule my kingdom..." I stopped and realised something. "Islo. If Al is alive, what does that make me?"

"Considering you're the rightful heir to the throne after your older brother, it makes your claim much better."

"How come no one ever fought Al's claim? I mean, didn't the council know I was the rightful heir?"

"Well..." He cringed a little and scratched the back of his head. "You weren't really fit to rule. You know? So we just rolled with it. Alvina had been tutored her whole life to become queen. Despite my disagreements with her, she would've been the best choice."

"Do you still think she's the best choice?"

He smiled softly. "No. I believe in you. You're going to bring this country into a new era. And I don't think Alvina has the same vision as you. You'll do so many good things for the less fortunate."

"I'll definitely try. And I'll reinstate the council, but I've been thinking about something..."

"Yeah?"

"What if each country and tribe chose a representative to attend the council? Then I'd get input from the whole nation and just people here."

Islo smiled very widely and nodded. "That sounds like an amazing idea, Quinn."

"It wouldn't be a republic, but... At least we'd have a democracy. Right?"

"Right. And there could be elections every two years. And the representatives could only hold office for two terms. So four years in total. To make sure there isn't any corruption or favouritism."

"I love that idea. Then it wouldn't be the same old men who'd sit there year after year."

"Yeah exactly!" Islo straightened and looked so much more alive than he had since his leg was crushed.

"And Islo," I said and hesitated a little. "I'd like you to be my personal advisor. You and councillor Jura. You were both so helpful and let's be honest, I need help."

Islo moved in and kissed me, both of his hands on my cheeks. "Yes, Quinn. I'll always be here to help you. Always." He smiled against my lips and I couldn't help but smile back.

At least I knew how to get him excited and happy now. Just talk about politics.