Chapter 13
Bressen
The thoughts of the High Council members bombarded me as soon as Cyra and I walked through the portal into Gendris the next morning.
I wanted to block them out of my mind, but I forced myself to listen for a moment before shutting them out.
Cyra could only read minds when she tried to, but my mind powers were stronger, and I could often read those around me unless they or I put up a mind shield.
Especially mortals. Perimortal minds were harder, but mortal minds were open to me.
As a rule, I tried not to read minds indiscriminately.
I generally only allowed myself into someone’s head if they gave me reason to believe I should know what they were thinking, but there were exceptions, and this was one of them.
I liked to know what I was dealing with whenever I stepped into a situation that required diplomacy, and I could often glean important bits of information at first meeting before people were prepared to govern their thoughts against me.
If I’d hoped to hear anything useful, however, I was disappointed.
Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think…
Is someone baking? I smell cinnamon.
She’s not that pretty. If I were younger, I could steal him from her.
Is my brain melting? I feel like it’s melting…
Lord Bressen, if you’re reading my mind, your pants are unfastened.
My hand twitched toward the fly of my pants, but I stopped just in time and searched the group for the face of the man whose voice I’d recognized.
My eyes met those of Lord Varun of Turlan.
I half expected him to be smiling at almost making me reach for my groin in front of the whole council, but he was as stone-faced as ever.
I wasn’t sure I’d seen the man smile in the three decades I’d known him.
A good effort, Lord Varun, I said into his mind and was pleased to see him wince.
No matter how much you were expecting it, hearing a mind wraith speak into your head could be disconcerting if you weren’t used to it.
Even Cyra had jumped the first time, although she’d adjusted quickly to having me in her head.
At least part of that was likely due to our soul bond.
The other part was probably because she was a syphon.
Once she’d started accumulating powers, she’d done so quickly, and she’d had to adapt to them just as fast.
My eyes went to Cyra now as if drawn of their own accord.
She was so gods damned beautiful. She’d felt better this morning after her overindulgence last night, thanks to her healer magic, and I’d fucked her again just before we came here.
I was almost certain I’d redone my pants after I’d let her up from where I’d bent her over the table in our bedroom.
I glanced quickly at the back of her dress to be sure her own clothes were in order. There was the hint of a wrinkle where I’d pulled the fabric up over her hips, but nothing obvious.
I stepped in front of Cyra and pressed my lips to hers tenderly.
She blinked at me in confusion when I pulled back, but I only smiled at her.
The kiss was partially compelled by the sudden wave of love that washed over me, but it was also for the benefit of Lady Yadwyn, who seemed to think there was a chance in the three hells I would’ve ever chosen her over Cyra. She knew better now.
Cyra smiled back, and my eyes widened as I felt her hands work gently at the front of my pants. Gods above, was she…?
Your pants really are unfastened, she said into my mind as she redid them for me.
I grunted, both because I now owed Lord Varun an apology and because I was getting hard again with her hands brushing my groin.
“For the gods’ sakes, you should’ve gotten all that out of your system before you got here,” a teasing voice said from the back of the group.
Cyra and I both turned, and Cyra let go of me to hurry toward Raina, who’d just pushed her way in front of everyone.
The women threw their arms around each other in a fierce hug, and I sighed indulgently.
Raina was the only person who could compete with me for Cyra’s attention, and – given that the two hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks – Raina currently took precedence.
In truth, I was grateful Cyra had Raina. The need for Cyra to hide her powers growing up meant she hadn’t had the luxury of friends outside of her brothers, so she was overdue in that area.
I also liked Raina as a person, although I’d never admit it to her.
While Raina had originally been terrified of me, as most people who didn’t know me were, she’d learned quickly I was harmless to those who weren’t a threat to me or anyone I cared for.
Unfortunately, that sometimes led her to speak her mind a little too freely around me, but I grudgingly respected her for that.
I surveyed the council members. Varun was the only one who didn’t fear me, as evinced by his earlier boldness. All the others looked as though they were waiting for me to make Raina drop dead.
They didn’t look at me directly, but that’s because I had my halo glamour up.
The glamour was a kind of undulating aura that surrounded me and kept people from being able to look at me for too long.
Perhaps I was a giant ass for wearing it, since it often made people dizzy or queasy, but I was a statesman above all else, and I’d use every trick in my political playbook to get what I wanted when necessary.
I’d let the glamour fade gradually once we were seated and discussions were underway, but until then, I wanted the Council off-balance.
I surveyed the six members of Polaris’s current ruling body.
I hadn’t heard anything in the mind of Lord Marcus of Karch, but he was one of two perimortals in the group and could put up a mind shield.
He still held the slim hope the council might choose him to ascend to Polaris’s Triumvirate seat, but the other members were too petty to let one of their own take the seat.
All but Varun anyway. The man was shrewd, and – if not for Raina - he would’ve been my own choice to ascend to the Triumvirate.
To be sure, he would’ve been a huge pain in my ass, but I welcomed the challenge.
Despite what people thought, I believed in the diffusion of power.
I could easily have disbanded the Triumvirate after Ursan and Jerram’s deaths and made Thasia a monarchy, but I’d never considered it.
There was still time for me to regret that decision, but for now…
“Lord Bressen, Lady Cyra, welcome back to Gendris,” Lord Wendel said as he gave us a small bow. He’d been the one trying not to think, and he was usually the unofficial spokesperson for the council.
“Thank you for granting my request to meet,” I said as Cyra and Raina only now pulled themselves apart. “Lord Aidan hasn’t arrived yet?”
“No,” Wendel said. “We expect him at any moment, though.”
I turned to Cyra. “I assume you and Raina have some catching up?”
This would be a meeting of Triumvirate business, so while I often involved Cyra in matters pertaining to Hiraeth, and the council let Raina sit in on matters related to Polaris, neither of the women could be here for this meeting.
Officially, Cyra was only my consort, and Raina had no standing in the Triumvirate – yet – so they’d have to find somewhere else to be while I spoke with Aidan and the council.
Technically the council wasn’t actually part of the Triumvirate either, but they were currently the authority in Polaris, so I needed to loop them in on what was going on with Sandrian and Magdalene.
I was also prepared to put my foot down with regard to their selection of a new ruler. It was long-past time for them to either appoint Raina or choose someone else. Luckily, I had something up my sleeve that might finally tip the scale on that count.
“Of course,” Cyra answered. “We’ll just do the things young women like us usually do when left to our own devices.”
“Drink, gamble, and fight?” I asked.
“Not necessarily in that order,” Cyra said with a wink.
I winked back at her. The last time she’d joked about doing those three things, I’d found her and Raina doing exactly that a few days later. I hoped this time it really was a joke.
“Let me know when you’re done,” Cyra said as she looped her arm through Raina’s and the two headed off to do the-gods-only-knew-what.
I felt a stab of guilt as I watched them go.
Cyra knew my main reason for calling this meeting with Aidan and the council, but she didn’t know what else I planned to discuss with them.
I hated keeping secrets from her, but if I told her, she’d feel obligated to tell Raina, and I couldn’t have her doing that. Not yet. Not until I had a full plan.
I just hoped she’d eventually understand that this was the best possible outcome.
Cyra and Raina had just disappeared around the corner when another portal flared open and Aidan stepped through it from Seatherny, followed by Maziren. Aidan looked as happy to be here as he’d been the last time I’d seen him, and I prayed this meeting would go better than our last.
“Ah, Lord Aidan,” Wendel said. “Welcome to Gendris. Now that we’re all here, shall we move into the meeting chamber?”
“Lead the way, Lord Wendel,” I said, and the man turned to head out of the foyer and toward the palace’s meeting rooms.
I fell into step beside Aidan as we walked. “Good to see you again Aidan. How are you?”
He grunted. “As I told you before, I’m fine.”
“I just wanted to be sure,” I said. “You haven’t seemed yourself lately. Have you recovered from your brush with Cyra’s lightning?”
I watched his brow pinch out of the corner of my eye.
“It takes more than a little lightning to do me in,” he scoffed. “But I’ll take an apology from your wife when she’s ready to beg my forgiveness.”
It was my turn to furrow my brow. I knew Cyra got along with Jasper better than Aidan, but I didn’t think she was on bad terms with the lord.
If he wanted an apology, Cyra would be happy to give it – she did feel guilty about the lightning – but it surprised me Aidan wanted one enough to demand it, let alone use the words ‘beg my forgiveness.’
“I’ll let her know you’re ready to hear it,” I said, more coldly than I intended.
I glanced behind us at Maziren and was surprised again when she met my eyes.
Maziren was normally a pillar of aloofness who only gave anyone any attention if it looked like they meant her lord harm, but there was something in her face this time that struck me as odd.
Moreso even than the last time I’d seen her.
Was I mad in thinking she wanted to tell me something?
I nearly tried to read her mind, but if I was wrong, I didn’t want to set her off. Maziren and I had our own past tensions. I’d once attacked her mind when she’d dared to touch Cyra, so I wouldn’t do anything just yet.
I was starting to get the distinct impression something was off in Derridan, though.