Chapter 16
Ael
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
This was more than anything he had imagined.
It was a seismic shift—an awakening as the burning flames of hell ravaged him with fiery passion.
Her lips were ambrosial, tasting like mint and strawberries, and he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her closer and feeling her warmth wrap around him.
She enveloped him, body and soul, until nothing else seemed to exist. It was a silent collision of longing, time, and friendship that had magically transformed into more.
They kissed each other until he felt his lips swell. Then, ever so slowly, Ael ran his tongue across hers, and when Seda reciprocated, he lost all sense of control. She was his addiction now—more than ever.
Seda was on top of him, fully clothed, and pressing her lips to his with a burning passion.
Her arousal surrounded him in the air, and he struggled not to take things further in the dark, cramped room.
His cock strained against his pants, and Seda shifted, just barely brushing it against her as she adjusted over him.
A small moan escaped her parted lips, and he instinctively pushed up and ground against her, desperately craving more and getting dangerously close to going all in.
She shifted onto him again, and when she rose, he growled as he pulled her back down onto his throbbing cock one more time. He savored the feel of her warmth through the clothing, silently cursing her underwear and his pants for blocking their skin from touching.
His breathing felt ragged as he reached under her dress and cupped her hips in his palms, squeezing them for the first time and feeling the soft, supple skin he had longed to touch for years.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat as a bright light filtered into the storage room. They quickly moved apart and stared at the doorway.
Fran stood at the door, holding a large bowl and lantern, looking down at them. “Are your rooms not up to standards, Sire?” she asked with a slight grin that she quickly tried to hide behind a scowl.
Seda quickly stood, revealing the bulge in his pants with her absence. Fran didn’t stare as Ael stood and brushed the egg off his clothes. He looked at Seda, noticing the mess tangled in her hair and all over her dress, and fought back a smirk.
“The rooms are fine, Fran. Thank you for asking. We’ll be leaving now.” He grabbed Seda’s hand and led her out the door.
Seda turned around and apologized to Fran for the mess.
“It’s no problem, dear. Although maybe next time you guys could choose something less… acidic?” Fran’s laugh escaped her, and she placed the bowl on a small table, reaching for a mop.
“I don’t think we should go to the library looking like this,” Seda said. She looked up at him and laughed loudly as she picked a chunk of egg off his shoulder.
“I suppose not. But it would be rather funny to dirty that place up, wouldn’t it?” Ael replied, his grin spreading across his face. This was the happiest he had felt in years, perhaps even forever.
“I don’t think Meir would like that.”
“Oh, he’d love it the most out of everyone.” He laughed at the thought of Meir fuming about egg on his beloved books.
“We could transfer this mess onto those fancy, strange scrolls he’s looking at,” she said, her grin widening at the suggestion.
Ael paused and looked at her, their hands still intertwined. “You said he was looking at scrolls?”
“Yeah. When I ran into him at the library, he was looking at scrolls written in another language. Not sure what they were.”
“No one’s allowed to look at those,” he stated with furrowed brows. “Let’s get cleaned up and go see.”
Meir knew the scrolls were off limits. How did he even get in there? Only the royal family had the power to enter and view those ancient texts.
They walked with fingers intertwined through the halls. When they turned a corner, Neoma bumped into Seda, knocking her back.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, Seda! I didn’t see you there,” she said to her with a mock expression of shock on her face. She let her top loosen, pretending to catch her breasts to hold them steady, as if Seda was the reason they slipped out.
Ael narrowed his eyes and sneered at her. “You’ll do better to ensure that your clumsiness doesn’t harm others, especially Seda.”
“I’m so sorry, Sire. I—” she began.
“Bow for your king,” he commanded, cutting her off. His magic flared with anger, and green swirls of mist curled around her neck, forcing her to the ground, pressing her face against the stone floor.
The color drained from her face as she was thrown down, and her dark curls spread out around her.
“What’s wrong? Thought you liked this position from Meir and Praxis,” he casually said.
She began to stutter as she tried to defend herself. He tightened his magic’s grip around her neck, causing her to flinch and her face to turn a shade of red. He waited for it to grow darker, not wanting to hear her anymore.
Seda placed her hand on his arm, asking him to stop and let her go, but her voice felt distant. He glanced at Seda and saw her pleading eyes.
His gaze shifted back down at Neoma, and he seethed, “You will leave this castle and never return.”
He released his magic from her constricted throat, and she gasped for air. He retook Seda’s hand and led her through the halls away from Neoma.
He saw in the wall’s reflection Neoma get up and glare at them.
She was no longer welcome in the palace. She wasn’t allowed around Seda. He didn’t have the patience anymore to figure out what game she was playing with Meir. Meir would be a harder person to handle, but he wanted them both gone after what Luelle had told him earlier.
When they reached Seda’s door, the guards glanced at them before quickly looking away.
“I’ll meet you back out here in a few minutes,” he told her, gently raising her wrist to his lips and softly kissing it. Seda’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and she turned around to walk into her room, closing the door behind her.
“Eggs, sire?” the bearded guard asked with a slight smirk on his lips.
“I rather like them,” he replied with a shrug. He went to his room and walked to the shower. He now had a new drive to help her find these stones and understand their meaning. It was her wish to fulfill, and he would do everything he could to make her happy. Always.