Chapter Seventeen
KYELLA
“Where are we going?” I asked, curiosity tinting my tone.
Part of me was excited to see what they had planned, but another part of me was done with surprises for the day. I was exhausted, physically and mentally.
Today had already been a rollercoaster of emotions—experiencing everything from the awe on the shoreline of my new home, at the Tridian Empire’s naval strength, to the betrayal and hurt at the idea of Myrin not wanting me to go across the Cursed Divide to fight in this war.
None of those moments compared to the intensity of emotion that hit me when Myrin revealed her plan.
Even now, strength and determination seemed to pulse under my skin.
I didn’t have the proper words to explain how much her words affected me…
Although, I had tried my best when I explained the proposal to my three vampyres.
Myrin was right. Not only were they willing to follow me, but I had their unwavering support as well.
I had watched their reactions closely when I told them of Myrin’s plan—what she wanted from me and what I had demanded in return—and they hadn’t questioned any of it.
They spoke about what we needed to happen moving forward, not about whether I was fit to be a leader.
Their belief filled me with a reserve of strength I planned to cling to for the moments I doubted myself.
I was certain there would be plenty of those.
If my powerful vampyre lords and the Empress herself were willing to believe in me, then I could believe in myself as well, even in the moments where I might wonder if I had what it took.
“We want to show you something special,” Dakath answered my question, his fingers squeezing gently where they were intertwined with my own.
Elijah was ahead of us, leading us through a lush, forested landscape located beyond the walls near the back of the castle.
We’d been walking for nearly twenty minutes and had yet to come across any person or thing, leading me to believe the land was possibly owned and maintained by the castle.
A million little questions raced through my mind, but instead of asking them, I tried to relax into the moment, realizing that it was rare that the four of us were completely alone like this.
Kolvar walked next to us, humming lightly as the early evening light began to push through the trees, shadows decorating the space.
There were so many things I’d come to love about the Tridian Empire, but what I appreciated most was that everywhere my eyes roamed, there was evidence of life.
Lush farmland interspersed with trees surrounded the castle, and the wood we walked through was flush with trees.
“Do you spend much time here?” I asked curiously, looking around and trying to get an idea of where they could possibly be taking me.
“Yes,” Elijah answered as he glanced over his shoulder, eyes sparkling with a soft heat as he pushed a large tree branch out of our pathway. “We’ve come here to get away from the castle and relax since we first became friends.”
Oh. It was a place that was special to all of them. My heart thumped in my chest softly.
“Dakath was the first to find it,” Kolvar said, and I looked up at the man in question.
“I came across it when I was younger, when I needed a place to think about everything I’d been through,” he confessed before a small smile tilted his lips. “For a long time, I stopped coming here. But once, while we were training, we happened upon it and realized it was the perfect place to relax.”
“I’m excited to see it,” I said, squeezing his hand.
I bounced just slightly as I fought the urge to quicken my pace.
It was clear they were taking their time, and I didn’t want to rush them.
Dakath chuckled when a short moment later, Elijah came to a stop and glanced back at me.
I detached myself from Dakath’s grasp, and I reached Elijah’s side in a heartbeat.
That was when I first set eyes on what could only be described as paradise.
Was this even real? It couldn’t be.
“What is this place?” I whispered in awe, stepping forward on a path clear of foliage. I stared around me in awe, I was breathless with the realization that I hadn’t ever been exposed to anything this spectacular in my life. This was perfection.
I stood on the edge of a natural hot spring watching steam gently billowing up from the crystal-clear surface of the large pool.
It looked deep, but I had no idea how far it went down.
My eyes widened at the circle of large rocks surrounding the pool, catching on one section where the water spilled over the edge in what I assumed was a waterfall.
“There are three smaller pools below the main one here,” Elijah explained as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
Three more, just like this? I blinked away my surprise as a realization rocked me—it wasn’t only the pool that made this place special.
No, it was that the spring seemed to exist within its own bubble of reality.
We were shrouded by massive pine trees, stretching around the pool of water and dipping into a small ravine.
Trees large enough to prove that they had stood the test of time.
The atmosphere created a sense of a serene escape that was amplified by the distant sound of a rushing river at the bottom of the ravine.
I felt greedy, looking over each and every detail, but I wanted to memorize everything about the moment.
“I have no idea how this isn’t more crowded, this is…extraordinary.” I turned back toward the other two men to see Dakath watching my expression closely, smiling with the same affection in his gaze that I saw in Kolvar’s when I turned to him.
“It’s our secret, and now yours as well.” Kolvar winked before his expression turned slightly more serious. “We assumed that you may need a bit of a break, as it’s been an intense day.”
Yes, it had been a long, intense day, but following my conversation with Myrin, I felt more energized than before.
Part of me had wanted to head to the training field immediately and demand my men run me through the paces, but I would never refuse quality time with them.
With the upcoming war, I knew our time would be stretched more than usual.
I didn’t have time to waste being coy or shy, so I stepped away from Elijah and slipped off my shoes before smiling up at them.
“The water looks amazing. Let’s get in.”
“I’m going to do a quick check to make sure no one is in the area,” Dakath rumbled to the others before disappearing.
I knew he would be back, so I allowed myself to be distracted by Kolvar pulling off his shirt.
A soft chuckle came from Elijah’s direction when I attempted, and failed spectacularly, to hide my reaction. Yeah, I wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Can you help me with my dress?” I asked Elijah, and he nodded sharply.
His body tensed, but his gaze was filled with smoldering heat.
Stepping behind me, he undid several ties on my dress, and the material pooled around my shoulders before sliding down my body.
I didn’t bother to cover myself as it fell around my ankles.
Stepping away from the man, I pushed off my panties, and a low groan left Kolvar as Elijah froze in place.
I offered him a coy smile before turning and walking to the edge of the hot spring.
The sound of clothes rustling behind me left my toes curling at the possibility of being deliciously, unabashedly undressed with all three of these men.
Any doubt about their feelings toward me disappeared with the realization that our lives were about to change drastically.
Not a single day was guaranteed. I needed to be more forward.
I needed to tell them how I felt and what I wanted from them.
I didn’t want there to be any doubt or misunderstanding between us.
I needed to make it clear just how strongly I felt for these men. What they meant to me.
Before I did any of that, though, there was a question that had been buzzing around my head.
Once my body was completely submerged in the hot water, I turned toward them.
The water surrounded my shoulders but my feet rested flat on the stone floor of the hot spring.
I let my arms float lazily on the surface of the water as I turned toward my men.
“Can I ask a question?”
Kolvar was undressed, stepping into the water.
I nearly faltered as my gaze was drawn to his impressive cock, already hard and ready.
My center tightened in anticipation, but I knew I had to get this question out.
Trying to calm myself, my gaze darted back up to Elijah who had only taken off his shirt.
I bit my lip as my eyes dipped toward the outline of his hardened length.
“You can always ask whatever you want,” Elijah rumbled before dropping his shirt to the ground.
Kolvar appeared in front of me, pulling me against him and dropping a soft kiss to my lips before turning my body until my back rested against the hard planes of his muscled chest. His warm, rough hand slid around my waist, and despite the fact that I was sure he could sense my need, he didn’t make a move to touch me.
“When I told you what Myrin said today…You didn’t question it. You didn’t question why she would want me as a leader,” I whispered, my brow dipping in confusion. “Why?”
Kolvar let out a rumble before pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “Because we agree with her.”
“You what?” I snapped my head back to look at him, but he held me firmly against him, not allowing any more movement from me than that.