Chapter 36
Zane
The night before, they’d been so exhausted that Zane and Talon had only managed to bathe—separately—stumble into bed, and fall asleep within seconds. But they didn’t have any responsibilities for the morning—that they were aware of anyway—so they slept in.
Zane relished the sensation of waking up slowly in a comfortable bed.
It seemed like he hadn’t had that luxury in quite some time.
And it was only made better with Talon’s body wrapped around his.
Zane’s back was pressed to Tal’s chest, their bare skin heating where they were connected.
He had long since given up wearing a shirt to bed.
While he had once been self-conscious about the disfiguring scars on his back, Talon had taught him they were nothing to be ashamed of.
And he had shown him that he loved all of him by tenderly kissing those scars, running his fingers along them.
Strong arms tightened around Zane’s middle, and a kiss was pressed into his shoulder. Zane smiled and rolled over. Talon’s hair was sticking out in every direction possible. Brushing his hair out of his face, Zane’s grin widened.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning,” Talon mumbled. Gods, he was adorable when he was sleepy.
“How did you sleep?”
“Actually, really well. No nightmares.”
That was fantastic. The nightmares for both of them seemed to be decreasing in frequency.
Maybe being open and honest with each other was the best thing for them.
There were still some nights that Zane would dream about the grinding sound of Talon’s neck realigning, or holding his limp body in his arms, but waking up next to his soul immediately eased those old fears.
Zane pushed himself forward to graze Talon’s lips with his own. He never wanted to force Tal to do anything he wasn’t ready for, so Zane was simply opening the door and waiting to see if he would walk through.
Talon tightened his grip around Zane to close that last bit of distance left between them.
Rough morning stubble was in direct contrast to Tal’s soft lips, creating a heady experience.
Zane wrapped his hand in Talon’s hair and held him in place.
He would never let this man go ever again.
He would happily stay in this bed, kissing him forever.
A moan escaped, Talon and Zane took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Their tongues danced together. Zane was drunk on the taste.
His world was reduced to warm skin and soft lips. The smell of spiced rum surrounded him. Small pants and moans filled the air.
Tal’s hand traveled down his back, setting his entire being on fire.
Callused fingers played along his waistband, teasing.
It was obvious to Zane how much Talon wanted this, as he could feel his hard cock against his leg.
Zane ground against it, knowing Tal noticed his arousal as well.
They both moaned into each other’s mouths.
Those teasing fingers finally slipped below Zane’s waistband, and he thought he might combust on the spot if Talon wasn’t touching him within the next few seconds. He wanted Tal everywhere. Zane’s hand detangled from Talon’s hair and trailed down, down, down his chest until—
The two men broke apart suddenly when their door was flung open. Kaz rushed into their room in her leopard form and leaped onto their bed, instantly shifting. She looked between the two of them, long enough that Zane’s racing heart was able to calm down slightly.
“Damn,” she said. “Is everybody fucking but me?”
“Maybe if you hadn’t interrupted,” Talon mumbled under his breath. Zane’s stomach flipped.
Kaz bounced up and down on her knees, shaking the entire bed. “Guess what! Guess where I just came from.”
“Where?” Zane asked.
The shifter pouted. “You’re supposed to guess.”
“Well, since you said, ‘is everybody fucking but me,’ I’m going to assume you came from Emmeric and Iyana’s rooms and found them fucking.”
“Damn, prince, why are you so good at that?”
“It’s emperor, now.” Zane flashed her the smirk that usually had women dropping their panties for him.
Of course it didn’t work on Kaz, though, and she only stuck her tongue out at him.
“No shit,” said Talon. “They actually did it?”
Kaz nodded enthusiastically.
“Good for them!” Tal’s grin brightened the entire room. “I’ll have to tell Em I’m proud of him. He’ll be so embarrassed, it’ll be great.”
Zane was happy for his friends. Everything recently had gone to shit, and it was good to find small moments of happiness where they could. Seemingly hearing Zane’s thoughts, Talon reached over and intertwined their fingers together.
“Kaz, I’m surprised,” Talon continued. “You’ve been in here for several minutes with us half naked and you haven’t propositioned us for a threesome.”
“I know, right?” Kaz groaned. “Now that I’ve met Yrza, it just feels wrong to sleep with anyone else.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s disgusting.”
“I think it’s nice,” said Zane.
“That’s because you’re a monogamous freak,” Kaz said sweetly.
Somebody knocked softly on the still-open door. The three of them glanced over to find a maid standing in the doorway, her face red as she twisted her hands together.
“So sorry to interrupt, but the queen would like Emperor Zane to join her for lunch.”
Zane’s stomach took the opportunity to growl. They’d slept through breakfast.
“Guess we should get ready, then,” Tal said.
The maid cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry. The queen was adamant that she only wanted Emperor Zane and the Aztia.”
Talon looked like he was about to argue, but there was nothing this maid could do about it, so Zane nodded his understanding and thanked her. She dropped into a quick curtsy, then practically ran away.
A large frown had overtaken Tal’s face, and the levity of a few minutes before evaporated.
“I don’t like it,” said Talon.
“I don’t think we have a choice, my soul. We need her help, and if that means playing by her rules, then that’s what we need to do. It’s all politics.”
Talon obviously wasn’t convinced. “But what if something goes wrong and I’m not there to protect you?”
Zane smiled and placed his hand on Talon’s face. Tal leaned into the touch.
“I’m not incapable of taking care of myself, you know.”
“I know,” Tal whispered.
“Plus, the mighty Aztia will be there. We’ll be fine.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“I know.” Zane pulled him close and kissed his mouth gently. Kaz made a gagging noise behind them; he’d forgotten she was still there. Talon flipped her off while Zane laughed, then he stood from the bed and dressed to go to lunch with a queen.
When Zane walked into the small dining room, Iyana was the only one there seated at an intricately carved wooden table. He sat in the chair next to her.
“Did Kaz find you and Talon?” she asked nonchalantly.
“She did. Congrats, by the way.”
Iyana’s face turned a bright shade of red. Zane chuckled and winked at her, then leaned in close. “I’m happy for you two. Truly.”
“We’re not—” Iyana began, but she shut her mouth when the door opened again and the queen and prince consort stepped into the room.
“Thank you both for coming,” Camilia said. The monarchs sat in the chairs opposite them, leaving the heads of the table vacant. Uther never would have done that—he’d always needed everyone to know that he was in charge. It was a refreshing change.
“I wanted to discuss the use of our armies,” the queen continued.
“After learning that a star was responsible for the death of my sister, I am more inclined to lend you my forces.” Zane sat up straighter.
“However, the loss of life that would be involved in a war with beings vastly superior to humans cannot be discounted.”
He deflated again. She had invited them to this lunch—in which there was no food yet, and Zane found himself starving—to refuse Istora’s aid.
“I do not take the loss of life lightly,” Zane said, trying to keep his annoyance out of his tone.
“But you must understand, Your Majesty, that even though the stars have yet to infiltrate Istora, they will, and sooner rather than later. Nyr has wards that will keep them out, so once they are comfortable with their foothold in Athusa, this will be their next stop.”
“I am well aware, young emperor, and am taking the necessary precautions.”
“What kind of precautions?” Iyana asked. “There isn’t enough magic left in Arinem to create wards like Nyr has, and the stars will find their way through those eventually as well. How will you protect our people if the stars go on the offensive?”
Zane had to tamp down his smirk. He knew that Iyana didn’t realize it yet, but she would actually make a fantastic queen. She was already fighting for her people, taking on the sitting monarch and questioning her decision making.
Camilia smiled at her. “I meant what I said last night, my dear. You are already acting like a queen.” Iyana frowned and crossed her arms. “To answer your question, a perimeter is being set up along the borders, so that, should any of the stars appear, we will be ready. We have extensive underground chambers stockpiled with supplies so that we can evacuate should we need to.”
Zane and Iyana shared a glance. “You don’t know, then,” he said.
“Know what?” Halim asked.
“The stars,” said Iyana, “can transport themselves through the air. Not flying. They just disappear, then reappear wherever they want to be. They wouldn’t have to go past your borders. An entire battalion could show up right here in the dining room if they wanted to.”
The color drained from the monarchs’ faces, and the only sound in the room was a curtain blowing in the breeze from an open window.
“This changes nothing,” Camilia eventually muttered.
“My love—” Halim began.
“This changes nothing,” snapped the queen.
She took a shuddering breath to compose herself.
“If you find a way to banish the stars, we will come to your aid. However, should you not find an answer, then we cannot take the risk. It would be suicide to take on the stars without a plan to be rid of them for good.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Iyana said. “We went to the ancient library in Athusa and couldn’t find any answers.”
“We have a very extensive library here. You could start your search there.”
Servers finally poured into the dining room, carrying steaming dishes and glasses of wine for their lunch.
It all smelled delicious, but Zane found he had lost his appetite.
They were back where they had started—five humans facing insurmountable odds.
Out of sheer politeness, he choked down all of his food.
Nobody uttered a single word for the rest of the meal.