Ruling Sikthand (Clecanian, #7)

by Victoria Aveline

Sikthand hadn’t watched her. Suspended in time, he’d beheld her. A goddess carved from the moon itself.

Even if she left tomorrow and he never saw her face again, that vision of her would live with him until the day he joined the sky.

She had a fucking crush on her alien abductor. How absurd.

Sikthand wasn’t a male that could be loved. His position always got in the way. And aside from his royal blood, his looks didn’t win him many points.

He deserved to find some joy too. Well, his joy was watching her, and it was the only joy he’d permit himself.

During their meetings, he loved to watch her read the most. He’d study her nose, waiting for the moment it scrunched. A question wouldn’t be far behind, and he looked forward to the instant her beautiful eyes connected with his as she asked it.

“Have you memorized my schedule, Your Majesty?” she added, grinning. Pulling open his door, Sikthand hid the shudder that quaked through him. She hadn’t used that odd human address since their time together at the umbercree festival. “Yes. I’ve memorized it.” I’ve memorized it all so I know exactly where to find you when the pressure in my chest threatens to crush me.

“For the record, I liked having you there with me. And not just because I didn’t have to wear the armor.” The sensation of his insides melting into a gooey puddle blotted out all reason. Feeling a bit lightheaded, he had to focus so as not to sway on his feet.

“Don’t do anything foolish, okay?” He wanted to burst out laughing. He’d fallen in love with his future wife. He was the biggest fool of them all.

He couldn’t fight anymore. She was inevitable. If he’d ever had any power, it was hers now. He was hers now.

With each moment that passed, he had to fight with himself not to turn the cruiser around. Moving in any direction but toward Sophia felt…wrong. He was meant to be wherever she was.

“My life has been…wrought. Each day is filled with dread and suspicion and fixation.” He glanced at the floor, his brows knitting. “She brings me silence.” Sikthand swallowed down the tightness in his throat. “The clouds are not so heavy when she’s near.”

All his life he’d been told that Vrulatica was his purpose. He’d suffered and toiled for the sake of his city because that was what he’d been born to do. But he had a new purpose now. His mate. He would still rule his people, but he would do it with the most glorious female he could have imagined at his side, and his life would no longer be one of loneliness.