51. FIFTY-ONE
FIFTY-ONE
Mina
Elena fans herself by the balcony doors, fair skin tinted pink from all the time spent outside the past few days.
I cannot wait to join them tomorrow. Autumn in Coryntha is as hot as summer during the day, but a chill creeps in from the ocean at night, teasing me from my makeshift prison.
Perhaps I’ll add some night drills this week as an excuse to stay out and enjoy it.
She and the others have been attending events on my behalf and seeing to the gala preparations. I know I’ve been sick, but I still feel bad they had to pick up my slack.
“The council already agrees with me. Why shouldn’t we celebrate both occasions?” Elena asks, irritation slipping through her argument again.
Victoria stares at the ceiling and takes a deep breath.
“In the past few months, have you seriously learned nothing?” Victoria sits on the edge of the bed, waving at me. “Please tell her I’m right.”
“Oh, my husband would definitely hate for his birthday to be the highlight of the gala next week.”
I don’t even think Darius would have mentioned his birthday to me if Alexi hadn’t outed him. Even with all this sick downtime, I still haven’t decided on a gift. What do you get the man who has everything?
Elena slaps her fan shut against her palm. “Birthdays aren’t for the people they belong to. At least not for a ruler. The people want to celebrate your marriage and their emperor. To deny them would be unwise.”
I glance to Kailani.
“Both points have merit, but people have been talking.” She lifts one shoulder, her tone bored. The poor woman’s clearly been the peacekeeper in my absence.
Coryntha’s gala is already set to be the largest event on our tour. We’ve planned a fishing tournament and trade craft competition leading up to the big day. Favor for Darius is high here, even if he hates the attention.
“You said the council agrees with you?” I ask Elena. “You discussed it with them before me?”
She glances down, looking a little ashamed at least. We’ve grown closer since the grotto, but clearly her allegiance still lies elsewhere.
“You were sick. I didn’t want to bother you until I knew if the idea was even possible. Lord Duponte and Lord Barista polled some of the citizens and they were overwhelmingly in support of celebrating the emperor’s birthday.”
I sigh. As much as Darius will hate it, we don’t have much choice. The people who were polled will spread the idea if they haven’t already.
“Fine. I’ll get the emperor on board. I’m putting you in charge of the additional preparations though.”
Elena smiles and returns to fanning herself. “Thank you. I’m happy to see to the details.”
“Did you all settle on a theme?”
Victoria and Elena immediately launch into another argument. I arch a brow at Kailani, but she just shakes her head with a laugh. “I’m glad you’re doing better.”
Elena takes the seat across from Kailani at the small table. “We should throw a costumed gala.”
Victoria rolls her eyes. “We already attended a masquerade-type event in Hartfield. Papier-maché masks are hardly new and exciting.”
Elena casts her a withering glare. “Did I say a masked gala? Everyone can come in costume. A character. A persona. Give everyone a chance to take a break from the daily grind of the city and escape. I’m sure it would lower their guard and take some of the pressure off His Majesty having to make small talk. ”
A costume ball? It would be amusing to see how wild people’s imaginations are. Coryntha is so rich in diverse lore.
“Sounds like we have our event then. Elena, utilize Victoria’s knowledge of the city to have a full proposal ready for the emperor and council tomorrow afternoon. Once it’s approved, the five of us will have our hands full.”
“Four of us,” Elena corrects. “You’ve had more new soldiers join here than any other city. We’re more than happy to handle the preparations so you can focus on them. Right, ladies?”
They agree, but mirror my surprise.
Elena hates the idea of female soldiers enough to have voiced her concerns to the council on more than one occasion. Why the sudden change of heart? Perhaps if I focus on training, she can take full credit for the gala’s success. Or maybe she wants to use this to try to garner favor with Darius.
She tucks a blond strand behind her ear and blushes. Maybe she really did warm up to how things are now after our spa day. If Elena can change, there’s hope for all of Veloria.
I flash her a sweet smile. “Thank you for your consideration, Elena. I’m excited to see what you all come up with.”
Battling over party credits is of no use to me anyway. Darius doesn’t keep me around for my event-planning skills, and a true ruler knows when to delegate. If Elena wants that achievement to be hers, then I’ll happily oblige.
Elena practically glows as she rattles off ideas for the decor. Jaime brings us some tea, and I relax back into my pillow, grateful for the company. They fill me in on everything I missed the past few days and debate the merits of using the beach for the gala.
Easy chatter lulls me into a yawn. The sky turns a lovely shade of yellow that washes the room in a nostalgic glow.
I close my eyes and picture my family. Their faces used to hold so much pain, waiting for their vengeance, but now I imagine them smiling. Father most of all. I wish they were here to meet everyone. To meet Darius. They’d break down his stoic walls in no time at all.
When I open my eyes, the room is dark save for the soft glow from the half moon. I don’t remember falling asleep. Jaime must have ushered the others out without waking me. I reach to the ceiling, stretching out my back like a cat.
A large shadow catches my eye. It lies still on the couch across from me, breathing deeply.
I slide onto the wooden floor and tiptoe over to where Darius is fast asleep.
His mouth hangs open a little, giving his face a youthful softness.
I sink onto the plush rug and enjoy the calm that washes over me whenever he’s around.
“I’m trying to decide if I should be flattered or alarmed.” Darius’s voice cuts through the darkness, and my heart stutters in surprise.
“I could be trying to decide how to suffocate you in your sleep,” I tease.
I yelp when he snatches me off the ground and pulls me on top of him. “Oh? Do you need help with suggestions?”
“What did you have in mind? A pillow was too uninspired in my opinion.”
The waxing moon highlights his slow smile. I trace the curve of his lips, greedy for the expressions he saves just for me.
“It depends,” he says. “How are you feeling?”
He caresses my cheek, and I involuntarily lean into the touch. His brown eyes are warm and searching, trying to find any signs that I’m still unwell.
“Much better. I am even a bit hungry since I missed dinner.”
“So did I.” His thumb traces a path to my lips, leaving warmth like a strip of sunlight in its wake. He grasps my chin and gently pulls me down for a chaste kiss. “Luckily, the only treat I’m hungry for is still here.”
“Oh?” I challenge, a little breathless.
Darius laughs, gripping my ass as he thrusts up. I fly forward, knees landing haphazardly on either side of his head.
“What are you doing?!”
“Showing you my preferred method of suffocation.” The jest in his voice is a stark contrast to the desire hidden in each word. My stomach hollows with a new kind of hunger as he slides my nightgown up slowly, inch by painstaking inch, never breaking eye contact.
He skims a thumb over the apex of my thighs and groans when he discovers me bare. He jerks forward with a hot, languid pass of his tongue that makes me melt. I grip the couch with one hand for stability, trying to ease up, but Darius digs his fingers into my ass and grinds me further onto his face.
He licks and sucks, savoring me like a rare dish. The heat of his tongue is momentarily forgotten as his hands work their way up my nightgown, cupping my breasts. He massages them gently before rolling my nipples in a sharp pull.
I moan, rocking against his face in earnest, a delicious pressure building low in my stomach until it breaks on Darius’s name.
He slowly sits up, sliding me down his hard muscles before hooking my ankles behind his back. The hot length of his cock presses into my thigh as he carries me to the bed. My core clenches. It’s been far too long since I’ve felt him inside me.
Darius is gentle in a way he’s never been before, carefully removing my gown and his clothes, stopping only to admire me in the pale light. My stomach flips and warmth spreads through my chest at the open affection and love in his small smile.
We survived a crucible of our own making and came out better for it. No more walls, no more hiding behind a contract.
I motion him forward with the crook of my finger.
He hesitates at my opening, studying my shallow breaths with a fraction of concern.
Before he comes to his senses and saves the rest for later, I grab his hips and pull him closer.
He slides inside me with one quick thrust, and we release a tandem sigh.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
I laugh as he leisurely pumps in and out, savoring the moment, careful not to squish me.
“You’ve seen me every day,” I counter.
“I plan to see you every day for the rest of our lives, and that’s still not enough.”
Our usual rough, carnal nights are replaced with a tenderness that strokes a different kind of pleasure inside me. Sweat shines on Darius’s shoulders, moonlight casting the forming beads in silver.
The chilly breeze caresses my nipples before his warm tongue kisses away the cold. My skin is a study of fire and ice. The sensation makes me a little dizzy as the pressure in my core builds.
I pull Darius’s lips back up to mine, needing him closer. I rock into him, taking his cock deeper as I play with the silky locks at the back of his neck.
“Mina, I won’t last if you do that.”
He pulls back and the moon highlights every scar on his torso. I trace the same one I did in the baths at the beginning of our honeymoon and wonder how I ever thought I’d be able to stay away.
He shudders, a sly smile confirming he remembers the same thing. “Not touching you that day was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“You had more self-control than I did.”
He laughs and pulls me with him as he leans back on his heels.
I’m straddling his thick thighs, tucked against him in a tight hug.
Our heartbeats are a symphony, beating in time with one another.
One arm stays banded across my back while his free hand works its way into my hair and tugs until my neck is exposed.
He teases the column of my throat with soft kisses. I clench around his hot length still inside me. I try to rock against him, desperate for relief, but his hold is too strong.
“Hands on my shoulders, Mina.” I comply as he gently licks from my collarbone to my ear. “Hold on tight. I’m going to show you just how badly I wanted you that night…” He kisses along my jaw. “And every moment since then.”
His lips find mine again, and I melt against his tongue. “I love you, Mina.”
His hips snap up, bouncing me on his lap. My nails bite into his shoulders, my reply lost in a cry as he hits a delicious spot deep inside me. The angle is too good, his words too sweet.
“Darius, I—” A pulse deeper than an ocean wave rolls through me, filling every nerve ending with bliss. Darius pumps into me relentlessly, past both of our releases until we are breathless.
I bring his hand up to my mouth and pepper each finger with a kiss. My lips linger on his ring and a swell of possessive pride courses through me.
“I love you,” I whisper. “Forever and always.”
He nods, resting his forehead against mine. “No matter what fate has in store for us.”
Trapped in his warm arms, I feel better than I have in days.