Chapter 37

"You have a sister?" exclaimed Meggie, as if to see if it was true.

"Yes…I have a sister…she's been in Inkheart all this time" exclaimed Capricorn his eyes on her as she seemed to process this her hands leaving him.

"I know this might be a lot to process…but I didn't intentionally keep this from you" whispered Capricorn watching the different emotions as they flitted across her face, first shock then disbelief until they all morphed into curiosity.

"Why are you just telling me this now?" exclaimed Meggie, rising from the bed. Capricorn watched her closely as her body faced the room as she asked the question until she just stopped. She turned to look at him and as she looked into his eyes she was simply searching for answers. Her eyes demanded those answers as she looked upon him part of her wondering if he had really kept this from her mistakenly or done it without thoughts of ever getting caught. It wasn't just that though, it was the fact that now there was another person that could tell him that she was his weakness, and it might mean she'd lose him if he came to believe it. Meggie wanted to believe that would never happen, but the part of her that feared that could never be too sure.

"Your mother already hates me" whispered Meggie, leaving the rest unsaid as she looked into his eyes leaving him to deduce the rest, she left unsaid.

"My sister will not be like my mother" said Capricorn almost defensively as he looked at her torn between seeing her point and wanting to defend his sister as Meggie seemed to judge her before the two even met. The truth was Meggie just didn't want another person to fight with and she could sense that his sister was going to be that person. They were already fighting because of her. Meggie just couldn't believe this as she looked at him; this was the last thing she'd been expecting to hear from him today.

"Meggie, I never thought I'd see my sister again" exclaimed Capricorn, his voice cracking. Those words disarmed her. They ended the fight permanently as she looked at him seeing how torn he was. Torn between her and someone that was his family. It completely disarmed her because Meggie knew his sister meant something to him. That she wasn't like his mother, but someone that he loved.

Meggie went back to him then and it was then that the fight was completely over. Meggie didn't sit next to him on the bed but chose instead to crawl into his lap. Her arms went around him, and Meggie looked at him searching for forgiveness as she caressed his face. He leaned into her touch as he always did. It made Meggie's heart stutter as she leaned close to him in her efforts to make amends.

"I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have gotten angry. I just…I didn't expect this. I instantly worried that your sister might be like your mother…that she might convince you that I make you weak. I was afraid I might lose you, but…regardless of my reasons…I'm sorry. I should have trusted you" exclaimed Meggie, trying to apologize even as she made him understand. Neither of them said anything as she came closer to him until their foreheads touched. They shared a brief kiss as their eyes met and slowly it all fell away. The pieces between them began to mend and they were as they had been. Deeply in love with each other. She felt Capricorn ease into her arms then, an uneasiness about him.

"I would never hide anything from you, Meggie…not purposefully. My sister hasn't crossed my mind for many years…not since I left the Inkworld. If I had thought about her or even thought we'd meet again, I would have told you" exclaimed Capricorn, his hands which had avoided touching her until now moving to touch the small of her back telling her that he needed to be close to her in that moment.

"I know that, my king, you and I have never left anything unsaid between us. We are king and queen. I'm sorry I doubted you and I hope you know how much I love you" whispered Meggie, taking his face into her hands to bring him to kiss her.

"Meggie" whispered Capricorn, still kissing her as his hands held her back more firmly then to bring her closer.

"I want you to tell me about your sister" said Meggie then linking her hands behind the back of his neck. He didn't say anything right away or even look at her as his head stayed secure in the crevice between her neck and shoulder. She could feel his breath against the skin of her neck then his lips as she kissed her there. Capricorn looked at her then and some of the tension had left his shoulders.

"Her name is Gemini. She's a sorceress like my mother, but better than her. Much better. I don't have to beg her to help me in my endeavors…she does it willingly because she is my sister" whispered Capricorn, letting Meggie see how vulnerable he was. His head returned to the hollow of her throat and Meggie only held him then as she realized that his sister was someone who loved him. That before she arrived that his sister was the only one who loved him. She meant a lot to him just as Meggie did herself. It made her feel all the worse for fighting with him the way she had. It was as she was thinking that that she felt Capricorn kiss the hollow of her throat telling her he wanted her to look at him. Meggie didn't though as she processed everything still only humming as he continued to kiss her there. Meggie somehow knew that Gemini would not be his mother. She somehow sensed that she would want her brother to be happy and do what she had to so that he was. It made Meggie make up her mind to do what she had to so that the two could get along. Meggie thought maybe they could have a relationship vastly different from the one she shared with Mortola. She wanted to try for that in that moment as she held him in her arms.

"What did your sister say about your plans to bring down the Adderhead?" whispered Meggie finally looking at him accepting a brief kiss before he stopped long enough to form an answer.

"She's willing to stand by me no matter what. Just like we've always done our entire lives" said Capricorn, his voice low and divided somewhere between his usual tone and the passion she usually inspired in him. He touched her face now and he looked directly into her eyes. There was something else in his eyes then, something she hadn't seen in a long time, but when she did it was something usually snuffed out by his mother. It was hope, a vigorous belief in not just himself, but everything he could do. When he spoke next, Meggie knew why that hope had found him again.

"My sister is a far better witch then my mother…with her here now, we don't need my mother. It's only a matter of time, soon, I can get rid of her forever" whispered Capricorn, his voice heavy with emotion. This was what they had wanted for so long. To get rid of the ones that seemed to want to hurt them. His mother, her father, and Meggie could only smile at him. His sister was a blessing and even Meggie knew that as she looked at him a smile of her own coming across her face. His lips covered that smile before she could completely show her emotions over the words he just said. Meggie knew he didn't want to talk anymore then as the kiss deepened. His hands were touching her then, not just the small of her back, but so much more then that. They were going underneath her robe to the skin she had bare underneath. It reminded her how much she had missed him. Missed waking up to him. Missed the very touch of his skin against hers. Most of all though, how she had missed just having the feel of him right there next to her in even the simplest way. When he found her naked underneath it, Meggie heard him growl his approval.

"Did you plan on seducing me?" whispered Capricorn making her laugh as her robe fell open revealing her breasts to him.

"No, I was going to bed after taking a bath" whispered Meggie her voice a soft purr as her legs parted to straddle him.

"Capricorn" gasped Meggie then, kissing him as her hands touched the sides of his neck as his own gripped the back of hers as if at any moment, she might fly away from him as his other hand came to fondle one round breast.

"I don't think I've ever had to seduce you anyway" whispered Meggie in that moment as their lips parted her body moving instinctively towards his. Meggie could feel him then as she drew him all the closer. She quivered as she kissed him, her arms around him as his touched her with his slow elusive touch. Closer and closer she got until she couldn't get any closer and Meggie still found she wasn't close enough to him. She needed him. Loved him as she kissed him all the deeper.

Meggie decided to tease him then as she ground her body over his in her way. She heard his growl as it mixed with the moan she couldn't contain. It made his hands hold her tighter, pressing her as close as he could until Meggie released him, and held him tight under her grip. He was ready for her and yet, Meggie didn't want anything to be over yet as she parted their lips to look down at the lustfully darkness in his eyes. She watched him and he looked right back as she moved her hand over his painfully slow. She made her touch always soft, always rough, and didn't stop until he was on the edge. That was exactly where she wanted him as she brought her hands to grip his shoulders. She felt his breath against her ear then as she rocked her body in time with his. Capricorn didn't know how to feel about any of this when it first began. Meggie had never teased him this way. Normally, he would have taken her by now, but given the time they'd been apart, he didn't want to. Like her, he wanted to savor this moment, and so he let her have her way with him. As she did so though, Capricorn couldn't deny that she was mesmerizing in her temptation.

"Tell me what you did to the firebreather" whispered Capricorn, seeing her then in his mind covered in blood.

"I left my mark on every piece of skin he has. I broke every bone in his body. Don't worry though, I told the guards to make sure he doesn't die. I figured you'd want to be there for that" whispered Meggie, her voice a lusty gasp as she described the carnage. It excited him even more as she toyed with him more. After all, he had her right here in his arms, and visions of Dustfinger near death in his head. It was enough to make him throw her on the bed and take her immediately.

"When you do come back, there's the chance he may never walk again, so the chances are very low that he'll be making any more escape attempts" whispered Meggie, her voice sultry. He couldn't take it anymore, Capricorn grabbed her tight in his arms then, and without another word, he was kissing her. His lips fervent and deep and luscious as they molded perfectly against hers. When they parted again, he thought she was done, but then she kept going. When they parted, Meggie looked right into his eyes as she detailed the moment when she'd hefted the sledgehammer.

"I took this sledgehammer and I broke every bone in his lower body. I could hear his bone cracking and shattering…it was beautiful" whispered Meggie, letting him capture her lips.

"No more talking, just make love to me" gasped Meggie then swiftly removing what clothes he still wore as she pressed her body into the hard plains of his chest.

"Yes, my queen…my beautiful queen…I don't want to talk anymore. I just want you. To hold you in my arms again and love you. I love you and I want to make love to you" whispered Capricorn, his voice swift as he met her kisses in the same moment as their eyes met. He felt her nails at the back of his neck then and he kissed her all the harder. It reminded him of how badly he had missed her. Missed her being next to him all the time. He made up for that now as he pressed his love into the softness of her skin. That was when Meggie grabbed him by the shoulders and looking at her, he found her smiling at him. He found himself pressed away from her back into the bed. Meggie hovered over him now her eyes seeming to toy with him even as she lowered her body to cover his. She smiled at him still then as she kissed him for the briefest of moments.

"I've missed you, my king…I love you, so very much" said Meggie then as if it were a solemn vow kissing him again before letting their lips part. She looked at him, letting him see that she meant it. Capricorn didn't say anything then as he opened her robe the rest of the way and letting it slip free, he watched it fall to the floor. Meggie didn't move then as she watched him look her over, enjoying her body. When his hands stroked her thighs, Meggie ground her body over his again, her breasts swaying. Meggie felt his hands on her ass once it was gone as he tried to bring her closer. When their lips parted, Meggie found herself looking down at him.

In that moment, Meggie couldn't help thinking that this moment wasn't going to last forever. She was going to wake up and so was he. They would be entire worlds apart again and she wouldn't know when she would see him again. Really see him, not using a potion or magic, but really be right there with her. It made her hands leave his shoulders to rest palms down on his chest. Capricorn didn't say anything when she did so, but only held her all the closer. She would be alone again, so would he. It pained her even as it led her to cherish their time more.

"I am madly, deeply in love with you. I never want it to be any other way" whispered Meggie suddenly her voice choked as her hand touched his cheek. Capricorn understood what she was feeling in that moment as he brought her to kiss him.

As they kissed, Meggie's hand touched his chest, and after a moment, his covered it. It took her a moment to realize that he was holding her hand over his heart. Meggie felt something inside her ease then as she knew the words he was silently saying. His heart was hers. That would never change.