“Drunk on you,” Urian whispered.
“And some weird wine,” Katherine added with a laugh. “What is it?”
“Essence of the three original courts,” Urian said. “Can only drink the one that would be a fit for you. The others will make you puke. Won’t kill you or anything, just make you feel like you want to die. Like a hangover but worse.”
“And you let me drink th—”
“Letyou?” Urian pulled away to stare into her eyes. “I do not control you, Katherine. Not ever. I will play at it when we are naked if it brings you joy. And I’ll give you control over me ifthatdoes, but aside from intimacy, no person ought to control another.”
Katherine nodded. Hearing him say that even now made her want to stay exactly where they were. Drunk or sober, he was making perfect sense.
“Okay,” she said. “I chose that.”
“That’s the problem with what we are, though, isn’t it?” he whispered. “We steal control from any but another of our kind. A mortal is defenseless. A faery can still be drunk on us . . .Gananaghsare poison, Katherine. Even me.”
“To everyone but me,” she clarified. Her hands cradled his face, making sure he was looking at her. Her thought about his insecurity was right. For some reason, he had a dose of self-hatred in him that seemed at odds with reality.
“You choose to be with me?” he whispered.
“I am not swearing to eternity, Urian, but I’m right here. There is nowhere in the world I’d rather be.”
“Even knowing what I am? Even knowing that I plan to kill my father?” Urian asked.
“Plan towhat?”
“Kill Irial.” Urian nodded drunkenly. “Pro’lly the Dark King, too. Dumbass that he is, he seems attached to Irial so . . .” Urian shrugged. “Remove them. Take the court. Make you my queen and—"
“Let’s hold off on murder plots, okay?” Katherine smiled, hoping these were drunken ramblings.Faeries can’t lie.She stared at him, and a part of her wasn’t horrified that he spoke so casually about murder.
A more rational streak said that she wasn’t going to go along with it. She had no interest in thrones.
“Make you my queen,” he murmured, between kissing her collar bones again.
“Hard pass,” she said.
“What?”
She turned and made sure she was holding his gaze. “I have alotof other things I’d rather you concentrate on. Seriously, though, do you really need a throne? I don’t.”
He blinked at her, and she noticed that she was also slurring now. Over the last few minutes, she realized that she was now almost as drunk as he was.
“Why am I feeling drunker without drinking more?” she asked.
“Takes a few minutes to hit.” Urian shrugged. “That’s why I finished yours: to keep you from passing out.”
“But youalsohad more,” she half-objected, half-asked.
“Didn’t want to kiss you with sunlight on my tongue and make you sick.” Urian spoke the words like they were perfectly logical. “And I didn’t want to drink sunlight first and have you think I was more bright rather than shadow. And Katherine?” He paused and leaned forward. “I cannot stop kissing you.”
Katherine brushed her lips against his. “You’re absurd.”
“Nope. It would be absurd not to kiss you, so I did what I needed to do.” Urian brushed his lips over her again. “When I’m king—"
“I bet kings are busy. All the time. People to command. Bills to pay.” She mock-shuddered. “Sounds boring to me.”
“You truly don’t want a throne?” He pulled back and stared at her. “Even a little?”
Katherine shook her head. “Nope. I just wantyou. Travel. There’s a whole world out there. Why would we want to stay here? Why would I want to share you with a wholecourt?”