Chapter 2
DORMIUS
Ihad always kept the world around me at arm’s length.
As a child, the guys always seemed to naturally gravitate toward one another.
The six of them would play together outside of the palace, run through the halls, and constantly stir up trouble for the priests and priestesses at every chance they could get.
But me? I stayed quiet most days. It wasn’t because I didn’t like them or didn’t want to find a place to fit within their little “chosen family.” I just felt… different.
I had no other way of putting it.
That only intensified when we were told the “chosen queen” had been born.
Once she was grown, my knowledge of her true purpose left a sick feeling in my stomach upon meeting her.
The innocence radiating from her at the Unveiling almost left a crack in my heart.
From my seat in the throne room, I could see the way she looked at Dez.
He had used his influence to calm her nerves, unbeknownst to her at the time.
But even without it—without the natural allure he emanated to those around him—she saw something in Dez.
If she hadn’t, Morrigan never would have forgiven him so easily.
I wouldn’t have been gifted a grace that sweet.
“My lord,” Stefan, one of my guards, called out, yanking me from my distant thoughts. “Lord Kaiden has requested your presence at dinner tonight. He sent word to the others as well.”
Turning his head over his shoulder, he carefully eyed the lingering guards that stood along the wall, before leaning in and lowering his voice.
“Are you alright?” he asked in a quiet whisper.
I shook my head, hoping to rattle my brain enough to clear my thoughts of everything Morrigan related… if only just for a little while. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not.” With careful discretion, he slid his hand near the arm of the throne, allowing it to brush gently against my own. The contact sent a chill down my spine, and my eyes flitted across the guards’ faces around us. “You’ve barely eaten anything all week. You need to—”
I stood abruptly, interrupting his words and brushing past him. “I’ll be in my study.”
Before he could say another word, I exited the room and waved off the guards who attempted to follow.
Speaking so openly in front of them would raise too many suspicions.
With Morrigan gone, everything felt so… upended.
The people stirred with unease, wanting answers that they were all rightfully owed.
We were supposed to protect her. Keep her safe. Keep her…
By the time I reached the door to my study, I was feeling dizzy from breathing so heavily.
I could have done something more. I had agreed with Kaiden when we all decided to ignore the conditions of the gods’ so-called “prophecy.” When we unanimously decided that we couldn’t subject a girl—an innocent girl—to be a… a…
The door opened and Stefan slipped inside, closing it quietly behind him.
“I should have done something, Stefan,” I panted, placing a cold hand against my forehead. “I knew what they were doing. I knew they planned to move forward with it. I should have told Kaiden. I should have told her—”
“Hey,” he whispered gently, placing one of his hands against the back of my neck. “You can’t blame yourself for their actions, D. We both know that you never would have done it. And even if you did tell her, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Cain is a monster.”
“We could have protected her!” I yelled at him. His blue eyes stared back at me, their softness unwavering. “If I had told Kaiden, maybe he would have stopped the senseless bickering with her. He might have taken her sooner. I don’t know… But I know that I should have done something!”
He pressed his lips together, giving me a moment to breathe, before speaking again. “It’s not your fault, D.”
“I should have helped her.”
When his forehead touched mine, I let out a staggering breath and felt my shoulders drop.
“It’s not your fault,” he said again.
I didn’t know where this patience of his came from. He always knew how to settle the storm that swirled in my mind.
“The seer will take you to the tunnels, and you’ll get her back.”
“And when we do?” I asked, nerves fluttering in my chest.
Warmth spread across my skin as his hand slid from behind my neck to my jaw, lifting my face to look up at him again. One of his brown locks fell, brushing the top of his brow. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.” His nose brushed mine, making my lips tingle in anticipation. “I’ll… always… be here.”
Before I could respond, his lips were on mine, and my feet moved until my back hit the bookshelf. This was what I needed. Him. His touch. His kiss. My hands slid into his hair as I opened for him, letting his tongue touch mine with a heat that scrambled my mind just enough to make me forget.
“I love you,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire as his hand slid down my chest, undoing the buttons of my shirt. “Nothing will change that. No blood bond. No queen. I am yours.”
I quickly fumbled to remove my shirt before ripping his open, running a hand down his chest—craving to feel every inch of him. “Yours,” I breathed, and bit his bottom lip just enough to draw the smallest drop of blood. “I will always be yours.”
Once his hand slid down the front of my pants, I gasped, but Stefan’s other hand found my lips and muffled the moan that slipped out. “Prove it to me,” he whispered, his lashes lowering as heat crept into his cheeks.
His fingers wrapped around my already-hardened length, and my eyes rolled back as he began to move. Tonight, I would have to put the mask on again. I’d have to find Morrigan, bring her back, and I’d tell her everything. I could only pray to every one of the gods that she’d understand.
But for now?
I placed my hand on the back of Stefan’s head, gripping his hair as his hands fell from my lips. He lowered slowly to the floor, his eyes never leaving mine until he knelt before me.
“Open your mouth,” I told him.