Chapter 77
Amani and I made our way into the grand hall.
At its centre was a towering ice-white statue of almighty Boreas, a trident gripped in his thick hand. On the opposite side—at the hall’s very end—was a giant wooden double door, which I could tell was the location of our meeting.
I swore the air around us turned thick and heavy. It forced my lungs to work twice as hard. My muscles stiffened, causing my pace to lag. Each step I reluctantly dragged felt as if the world’s gravity intensified or the soles of my shoes developed some sticky substance.
Amani must have sensed the drag as she asked, brows furrowed, “Are you all right?” I halted. “You act as if I’m walking you to your death.”
“I—I…” The double door that haunted my peripheral vision appeared so distant yet so close. My chest tightened at the thought of entering that room, the responsibility of it. And what the heck do I know?
“Elara?”
“I…can’t…breathe,” I managed to choke out.
“All right, all right, everything’s all right, it’s all good, let’s…
let’s sit you down!” I normally got the urge to run as fast as Amani’s hurried words, but I knew that I had no escape from this one.
So I let her help me walk towards one of the marbled side benches and accepted her arms as she sat me down.
She looked at me with concerned eyes. “Let me go get—” I heard a faint click in the background and then I heard his voice.
“I told you not to be late, the—” His footsteps became urgent. “Cordelia, what’s wrong?”
“What did you do to her?”
“What did I do to her? Are you fucking serious right now? She’s having trouble breathing, do something.”
Aegir was instantly on his knees. He placed his palm on my breastbone, his powers coursing through me.
“Hey, it’s all right. Look at me,” he said, each word coming out softer than fluffy cotton. “Follow my breathing. In”—he took a deep inhale through his nose—“and out…and again…”
Once my breathing situation was under control, Aegir cupped and studied my face.
“Go. We’ll head inside soon.” Amani nodded and left us.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Does this happen to you often?”
Another nod. “But only when I feel trapped or overwhelmed.”
“I can see that you are not trapped. So what is it that overwhelms you? Is it the meeting?” I did not have to reply.
“Well, I want you to know that from this point on, you do not have to carry whatever it is that overwhelms you, or even whelms you, by yourself. I do not only wish to share my soul and my body with you, I want to share everything there is in between. Tell me, what is it that scares you about the meeting?”
“I gathered that the people waiting on the other side of that door are important to you and they came here for me…and for my people. It will be about war and strategies and decisions. Aegir, I—I do not have any sort of political knowledge other than what I can remember from my childhood. It’s not a subject that was taught at the orphanage. What input could I possibly offer?”
“You are their queen. That alone is already enough.”
“Am I? What’s a queen without her people?”
“That’s why we’re all gathered here, to change that.
Cordelia, when Eldric told me that a Briartide heir was amongst the people you found on Mistgeil Island, the surprising news brought with it a little kernel of hope.
But, Boreas, when you told me who you were, it brought an avalanche of hope.
You made the impossible possible. You are hope. You are their salvation.”
He cupped my face and I held his outstretched arms, wrapping my fingers around the insides of his elbows.
“That’s what truly frightens me, Aegir. You say that I am hope, but what if I fail?
It would not only mean letting my people down but also that my mother would have died for nothing.
That Galen would have died for nothing.”
“The death of your mother and Galen was already for something—hell, it was for everything. They spared the lives of your people, my people, and they also spared your life, my life. You cannot say that their deaths were for nothing. Have faith in yourself—take a little from mine and carry it with you.”
“How will I know what to say?”
“You’ll know. How many times do I have to tell you not to underestimate yourself?”
“You put too much trust in me.”
“As I should.” Aegir offered me a close view of his supple palm, and he stood.
“Now, will you take my hand and walk with me? I’ll be sitting next to you the whole time, and I’m certain you’ll do great, but know that you only have to say one word—just one—and we’re out of that room, no questions asked. ”
I found myself smiling, placing my palm on top of his.
Aegir gave me a sly smirk. “You look absolutely mind-blowing by the way.”
I stood up, putting pressure on my toes and pressing my mouth on his.
He immediately parted his lips for me, kissing me tenderly.
One of his hands went to my nape, the other cupped the left side of my face.
A sensation of warmth wrapped tightly around me, just as tight as my arms hugged around his waist. I pulled him near.
“Tastes like someone’s been naughty with hesh,” he teased. I gave him a cheeky smile and bit on my lower lip.
His grip tightened and he leaned in for another kiss, but I winced when he pressed his arm against my back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, letting go of me as if I would break if he didn’t.
I looked at him from beneath batting lashes and chewed on my lips before turning myself around. My hand went to my nape, and I moved away the few locks of persistent hair that dangled along my inked back. The gesture allowed me to get a glimpse of his piercing gaze. His throat worked.
Aegir drew near to my back.
He let out a few tsks before tracing his fingertips along the length of my spine. Along the various moon phases.
My skin responded as his sweet power freed me from the lingering discomfort.
Then he placed both hands at my waist, moving them along my sides until reaching my behind.
He came so close, my exposed back pressed against his torso, giving me the need to nestle myself against his chest. He dipped his head forward, his lips grazing my sensitive earlobe, and murmured, “My gods, Cordelia, if your plan is to drive me insane, then I can assure you, everything is going accordingly.” He moved his mouth to my neck and tightened his grip on my ass.
Then he rumbled, “I can’t wait for this meeting to be ov—”
“Are you fucking kidding me!?” King Ryvar growled, jolting us both back to reality. “You two, get in here. Now!”
Aegir moved to my side and linked his arm with mine, flashing me a wink before walking us towards the great door of terror. Ryvar held the door open for us, but his piercing gaze told me that the gesture was not at all courteous.
Was this how he looked at Oscar when he did something troublesome?
Aegir stepped in before me, depriving me of the view beyond. Then he turned his head my way, giving me a roguish grin before whispering, “Don’t freak out.”
But I did freak out.
The second Aegir moved out of my way, my gaze settled on him and he stared back at me with wide chestnut eyes.
So yes, I freaked the fuck out.
“Wildheart?” A weird noise escaped my throat, and I found myself incapable of commanding my own body. It was as if it were no longer mine. “How is this—”
“Semuel?” I breathed, before rushing into his arms.