Chapter 14
Emmeric
A pounding on the door woke Emmeric, and he blinked his eyes open.
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep—only keep Iyana company while she napped.
Now he found himself unwilling to move to answer the summons at the door, because Iyana had shifted and was nestled into his side.
His arm was around her back, his hand resting in the dip of her waist. Emmeric’s fingers curled of their own accord, and he tightened his grip on the woman who had sought him out in her sleep.
His heart swelled with the knowledge that she felt safe enough around him to be in such a vulnerable position.
He was fully intent on tugging Iyana closer and going back to sleep, but the pounding increased in both volume and tempo until Iyana began to blink awake.
Emmeric sighed and went to answer the door, scrubbing a hand down his face. What he would have given for simply five more minutes in that bed with Iyana wrapped in his arms…
Making sure there was a dagger within arm’s reach, he yanked open the door, then stepped back as Kaz stumbled through the entryway. A smile curled his lips when she glared at him. Iyana walked out of the bedroom, still dressed in her robe, rubbing her eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked sleepily.
“We need to get ready for dinner,” Kaz said, giving Emmeric a pointed look. “Emmeric is going to get dressed, then meet up with Tal and Zane.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“We’ll meet up with you when we’re done,” she said sweetly, then forcibly turned Iyana around and marched her back into the bedroom. The door slammed behind them, and Em stood there for several seconds staring at it.
He went back into his room and found the armoire was full of clothing of different sizes.
They were all luxuriously soft linens, which were breathable and comfortable in the humidity.
He was able to find pants that fit, but all the shirts were just slightly too tight.
Finally finding one that wouldn’t cut off his circulation, Emmeric pulled it on and slipped on a pair of sandals that passed for footwear in Nyr.
It was an odd sensation to have his toes so exposed—he wasn’t sure he liked it.
Iyana’s love of being barefoot all the time confused him, as he always left the house with shoes on.
But he knew that when you were in a different kingdom, it was only polite to follow their customs.
As he left his room and re-entered the common space, Emmeric noticed Iyana’s door was still firmly shut, and he could hear the distant sound of Kaz chattering away. He grinned, happy the two women had found a friend in each other like he had in Talon.
Emmeric stepped into the hallway to find said best friend, and the emperor, who was turning into a friend as well.
Especially since it seemed he and Talon would be together for a long while yet.
They were exiting their own room, dressed similarly to Emmeric in lightly colored linens that left their arms bare and toes fully on display in sandals.
Emmeric again lamented the lack of proper footwear.
“Any idea of where we’re supposed to go?” he asked the other two. They both shook their heads with a shrug. Then someone from behind him walked past, knocking into his shoulder.
“Let’s go,” Jato said brusquely. Emmeric frowned at the captain but fell into step behind him—he’d rather not get lost within a new palace, one in which the only person he knew was the crown princess he’d slept with multiple times—before knowing she was royalty or that she was fucking betrothed.
Emmeric was still irritated with her over these revelations.
Maybe not the secret princess one, but he definitely wouldn’t have fucked her if he had known she was engaged to be married.
Which, he was now realizing, was exactly why she’d never said anything.
He’d need to have a talk with her at some point about vital information and what needed to be shared between friends and allies.
The three men followed Jato through a maze of hallways and stairs until they reached a quaint dining room, where one wall was comprised solely of windows, showcasing the verdant jungle outside.
The table was smaller than Emmeric would have expected for a royal dinner, and the dining room adornments were modest. They stood off to one side, not really sure where they belonged or what the proper etiquette would be in this case.
Jato disappeared the second they walked through the doorway.
Two men stood in the corner. Emmeric recognized one of them as Kaz’s brother, Zahar.
His expression was stern—eyebrows and lips down-turned in clear displeasure.
The other man appeared slightly younger, and, unlike his brother’s close-cropped style, his hair hung down his back in locs contained with a colorful band.
His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he seemed like he could have been Kaz’s twin. One of her many other siblings, then.
The man with the longer hair swept a glass off of a bar cart and sauntered towards the three of them, leaving Zahar behind.
“Good evening,” he said with a bow of his head in respect.
Emmeric continuously was forgetting Zane was an emperor.
“My name is Sekhan. I’m Kaz’s brother and third in line.
” He flashed them a bright smile. “I know you already had the pleasure of meeting my brother, Zahar.” Sekhan waved a hand towards his older brother, who simply scowled in response.
The younger man laughed. “He’s a bit of a stick in the mud.
Stay with me and Kaz…we’ll make sure you have plenty of fun. ”
Emmeric found himself grinning. Sekhan was similar to Kaz in more than looks, apparently.
“Will anyone else from your family be joining us?” Zane asked.
“My parents will show up when it’s most convenient for them, and my sibling, Kekari, will join us as well.
Only the children over eighteen eat here with us, and Kekari had their birthday a couple of months ago.
You should have seen the fit the twins threw.
They’re seventeen and think they should be here to receive ‘foreign dignitaries’”—he used his fingers to do air quotes—“but my parents stick to the eighteen-and-up rule fairly strictly.”
“Why is that?” Talon asked.
Sekhan waved his hand dismissively. “They want the kids to be kids. Which I think is great, honestly. Kaz and I would both have dinner in the kid’s room in a heartbeat, but there’s a no alcohol policy in place.”
Zahar finally sidled up to their group. “And tell them why that is, brother.”
“Kaz and I may have gotten Kekari drunk when they were only fourteen.” Sekhan laughed deeply.
“They ran all around the palace completely naked, saying they were ‘one with nature’ and then stole our mother’s crown and rolled about in mud.
It took ages for me and Kaz to clean all the nooks and crannies of that crown. Worth it, though. That was hilarious.”
Zahar frowned deeply.
Sekhan elbowed his brother’s side. “Lighten up, Zahar. Our sister is back after two years! I’m looking forward to hearing about her adventures.”
The older prince grumbled something about needing a drink and walked away.
“He seems lovely,” Talon said.
“My brother tends to take life too seriously. He gets that from our mother.” Sekhan smiled. “Let’s go get you all a drink while we await my siblings and the Aztia. I hear she is beautiful.”
Jealousy roared through Emmeric at the man’s words, and his steps faltered. The three others turned to him with a questioning gaze, but then Talon’s eyes lit up in amusement.
Shit.
“She really is,” Tal said, clapping Sekhan on the back. “I think you’ll like her.”
Understanding dawned in Zane’s expression, and he frowned at Talon. “Tal…” he chastised.
“What?” Talon asked innocently, batting his lashes. Sekhan glanced between the two, squinting in confusion.
Emmeric’s ire banked when warm amusement spiraled down the bond.
Conjuring the clearest picture of a raised middle finger in his mind, he shoved it back towards Iyana.
He wasn’t sure if she received the full picture or simply the intent, but she obviously felt something because her amusement only increased.
“I think I’ll just stick with hello, then,” Sekhan said, obviously picking up on the situation. “Ah, there’s Kekari.”
Emmeric was fairly certain he heard Sekhan mutter thank fuck underneath his breath.
Kekari breezed through the space with a straight back and an air of confidence Emmeric wished he could emulate.
They wore their hair short like Zahar, and a tunic similar to the men with a skirt on the bottom instead of breeches.
A sword was attached to their hip, and Emmeric was certain they could wield it with deadly precision. They nodded their head in greeting.
“Good evening.”
They all bowed their heads in return. “Good evening,” Zane said. “Thank you for the warm welcome in your home.”
Kekari smiled brightly. “Of course. Anything for an emperor.” It was Talon’s turn to glower at the obvious flirtatious nature.
Kekari and Kaz obviously had that in common.
But Zane was well-versed in dealing with court nonsense, and he strode directly into a conversation about exports or some such thing. Emmeric tuned out almost immediately.
The bond nestled within his chest tugged.
Turning his attention towards it, he could sense Iyana coming closer, causing his pulse to jump.
He felt her uncertainty, and he honestly couldn’t blame her.
Emmeric had tried his best to convince her that Nyr’s king and queen would be different from Emperor Uther, but there was no way he could promise her that.
He hated that something as simple as walking into a palace could cause an anxiety attack.
Iyana and Kaz walked through the doorway into the dining room, and Emmeric swore all the air left his body. His lungs spasmed within his chest, begging for him to breathe, but if his last view in this life was of Iyana in this moment, then he’d die a fortunate man.
His Aztia was simply a vision in a long, red dress that hugged her every curve, with a slit up one side showing glimpses of her lovely thigh.
Her long hair was swept over her shoulder, and her eyes were lined in kohl.
She was absolutely stunning. And then his heart almost stopped when she turned to talk to Kaz, showing Emmeric the dress swooped down to her low back, ending just above the curve of her ass.
It showcased those scars on her back with pride, proving she was a survivor.
Iyana’s beautiful golden-tan skin was fully on display, and he was not subtle in his admiration of her body.
Even if he could block the bond so that Iyana was unable to know how attractive he found her in that dress, Emmeric wouldn’t do it. He wanted her to feel everything. Iyana turned to him, instinctually knowing where he was within the room.
He let his eyes shamelessly peruse her body, feeling her own response to his gaze. Then he was striding towards her, everyone else in the room forgotten. Iyana watched him approach, the bond sparking with heat. It did something to Emmeric to know he affected her the same way she did him.
Emmeric stopped in front of her and, leaning forward, he spoke lowly into her ear, “You should always wear red, Mouse. It suits you.” He saw goosebumps erupt on her skin with his words.
His mouth was so close to her neck, he was tempted to drag his lips along that sweet skin to see how else her body would react to him.
Somebody cleared their throat, snapping Emmeric out of the trance Iyana had placed him in. He straightened and turned to see that King Saram and Queen Nita had joined them; everyone was taking their seats at the table.
Iyana stiffened, and Emmeric was sure he would’ve been able to sense her nerves even without their bond. He dragged his fingers down her bare back with a featherlight touch until he rested his hand on her lower back. Emmeric leaned in towards her again, his words intended only for Iyana.
“I’ll be right here the entire time, Mouse. I’ve got you. You can do this.”
With a slight nod of her head, Iyana allowed him to guide her towards the table.
Emmeric relished every second his hand was against her skin, because he didn’t know when he’d have another chance to touch her like this.
He pulled her chair out for her, pushing it back in once she sat down, then he took his own chair to her left.
Talon and Zane sat across from them, and the other three royal children were spread out while the king and queen each occupied one head of the table.
Servants delivered steaming dishes of delicious-smelling food to everyone. King Saram glanced at them all and said, “What are you waiting for? Eat.”