Chapter 34
Ara
General Mortagan was arguingwith Erebus, each one insisting their men should take the front in the morning. I didn’t realize exactly how desperate they all were to die in the glory of battle.
It made me feel nauseous.
Aunt Katerina walked in and I turned to watch her enter the room. Both men stopped arguing when they saw her. She greeted them with a nod, then continued over to where I was sitting with Lagina, Cora, and Sophia.
“How are you girls doing?” she asked as she took a seat on the couch next to Lagina.
“We were safely tucked away in the palace,” Cora replied, indicating her and Sophia. “How are you?”
“The men are restless,” she answered. “They want their chance at the fae. Today just made them more anxious for death.”
“That’s grim,” Cora said.
“It’s true. They’re all dreaming of being a hero, which makes people sloppy,” she explained.
General Mortagan walked over to us and greeted Aunt Katerina with a stiff nod. “Lady Katerina, we could use your guidance on this topic.”
I lifted a brow and mouthed the word, lady to Cora. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Aunt Katerina threw us all a silencing look before she rose, then joined the general and the leader from Thebes.
Restless was a good way to describe the feeling of waiting for the inevitable. But even though I knew I would fight, I wasn’t in a rush to die. I rose, giving my sisters a small smile, before moving to the other corner of the room where Ryvin and Vanth were deep in conversation with Bahar. They looked up as I approached.
“Shouldn’t you be talking with Mortagan and Erebus?” I asked.
“They know what they’re doing with ground forces,” Bahar replied.
“So we’re not going in with magic first?” I asked.
“We can’t afford to show our full strength until we wear them down a little,” Ryvin said. “And we need to know what we’re fighting against.”
“We’re going to lose a lot of lives,” I replied.
“We’ll lose more if we show our cards too soon,” Bahar said.
“You’re staying back until the king comes out to gloat, aren’t you?” I asked.
“We have to get him out in the open,” Vanth said. “We won’t get another chance. If he thinks he’s at risk, he’ll flee.”
“Coward,” I bit out.
“He doesn’t have Ryvin to do his dirty work for him anymore,” Vanth said.
“I have to say, I appreciate knowing I’ll never have to go up against you on a battlefield,” Bahar said.
“You wouldn’t be in your human form anyway,” Ryvin replied.
“True, but I’ve seen you take down dragons,” he answered.
I blinked a few times. “Dragons?”
“I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of,” Ryvin said.
“But that ends now,” Vanth said. “We’re going to defeat him and then you write your own stars.”
“Our own stars,” I said, looking at my friends. “All of us.”
“I like the sound of that. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go spend some time alone with my wife.” Bahar was already walking away from us, single-mindedly focused on Cora, who was staring at him with a seductive grin on her lips.
It felt intrusive to watch as he scooped her up and murmured something to Lagina and Sophia before carrying a giggling Cora from the room.
“Well, I suppose our meeting is over,” Vanth said.
Mortagan and Erebus walked over to us, both men wearing satisfied expressions. “We’ve decided,” Mortagan said.
“I’m still not convinced it’s for the best, but we know the casualties will be high either way,” Erebus added.
“There’s nothing else we can do?” I asked.
“We can’t risk them keeping the king hidden. We have to lure him out, but we’ll do it as quickly as we can,” Ryvin said.
“Our men know what they signed up for,” Mortagan said.
I heard laughter and turned to see Aunt Katerina, Lagina, and Sophia throwing their heads back as they tried to contain their joy. I couldn’t help but smile. I was glad they were getting at least a moment of happiness amidst all this chaos.
“That aunt of yours is something special,” Mortagan said. “If not for her bargaining with the dragons, I don’t think any of us would even have a chance.”
“She is great,” I said. “They all are.”
“I’m not going to pretend I know what it was like for you growing up under your father,” Mortagan said. “I worked for him as long as I can remember. I thought I’d die under his rule. I’m honored that my death will be under your sister’s.”
It was an odd statement, but I managed a smile and a nod. He inclined his head. “Have a good evening, your highness.”
“We’ll see you at dawn, your highness,” Erebus said, taking the cue to leave from Mortagan.
I watched as the men left the room, then walked over to my sisters. “I’m going to get some rest. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“Sleep well, Ara,” Lagina said.
Sophia stood, then stretched her arms skyward. “I think I’m going to turn in.”
Aunt Katerina rose. “Our night guards will do their jobs. They’ll alert us if anything happens. We should all rest.”
I hugged my family, then walked toward the door where Ryvin was waiting for me. He took my hand, and we walked silently down the hallway toward my room.
Absentmindedly, I played with the charm on my necklace. Running it back and forth along the chain as we walked. I brushed against the other cord. I had forgotten about my mother’s gift again. Lowering my hand, I felt for the small pouch through the fabric of my tunic and thought back to my mother’s words.
What was inside the pouch? She’d told me not to open it until it was absolutely necessary.
If I didn’t use it now, there might not be another time. How would I know when it was the right time?
Her voice seemed to float up from my memories in that confident tone of hers, You just will.
My heart pounded and I dropped my hand as the idea took root. It was insane. Reckless. Likely, it was suicide. But it was possible I might be able to save everyone I loved. I was certain this was why she’d given me the gift. I had no clue what it was or how I was supposed to use it, but I knew I had to use it tonight. If this gift was as powerful as I thought it was, I could kill the king.
Ryvin would never agree. I’d have to sneak out once he was asleep and hope he’d understand when he found out.
“You alright?” Ryvin asked as we stopped at my room.
I opened the door and leaned against it, waiting for him to enter. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“It’ll be better after we get through tomorrow,” he said.
“I don’t want to think about tomorrow. I only want to think about right now.” I closed the door, then pulled off my tunic. If this was my last night with him, I was going to make it count.
Ryvin smirked as he began to remove his clothes. “I like the way you think.”
As soon as his trousers hit the ground, I dropped to my knees in front of him, giving him a seductive grin before I swiped my tongue from the base of his cock to the tip.
He sucked in a shuddering breath, then let it out in a low moan. I grabbed his hips, then repeated the action, working my tongue up and down his shaft until it stood at attention.
I lowered my mouth, closing my lips around him, then began to move up and down. My tongue flicked and swirled as I moved and Ryvin’s breathing changed, little gasps escaping his lips. His fingers wove into my hair and when I looked up at him, his eyes were closed, his lips parted. He was completely lost in the sensations I was creating.
I continued, working up and down, changing pace and motions with my tongue, sometimes grazing my teeth along the sensitive skin. Suddenly, Ryvin reached for me, setting his fingers under my chin so he could tilt my head. I looked up at him, his cock still in my mouth.
He shook his head, but had a delicious smile on his lips. “You’re going to make me finish too soon, Asteri.”
I swirled my tongue in response.
He groaned, his eyelids flickering for a moment before he came back to his senses. “My turn.” He gently pushed my chin down, then he stepped away before offering his hand.
I took it and he helped me to my feet. As soon as I was standing, he scooped me up and tossed me onto the bed. I squealed as I sunk into the softness of the mattress.
He didn’t waste any time before removing my clothes and settling between my thighs. His tongue swiped over my clit and he teased me with quick flicks before one of his fingers entered me.
I moaned, my hips rising. He added another finger, turning them in a way that allowed him to reach that perfect spot inside. That spot that made me grip the sheets and buck my hips uncontrollably. His tongue added to the intensity, making me come apart at the seams. I was crying out, over and over, my breath stolen by the gasps. Eyes closed, I existed only in the moment. There was nothing other than pleasure coursing through me. Anything could be happening around me and I wouldn’t care as long as he kept going.
His fingers pumped in and out, his tongue swirled, and I failed to catch a single breath as I gasped and moaned and screamed. Tension built, tighter and tighter until I was wound like a spring ready to explode. Teeth grazed my clit, and I lost all control, the climax roaring through me like waves crashing against the shore, followed by smaller waves, rolling in again and again.
I was shaking when he stopped. My forehead damp with sweat, my whole body tingling. I finally opened my eyes and looked up to find Ryvin’s face above mine. He looked incredibly smug, but he earned that look.
I reached for his face and set my palm against his cheek, then caressed him with my thumb. I was still too breathless for words. He grabbed hold of my hand, then pressed a tender kiss to my palm. Then he lowered his face until his lips found mine. He kissed me softly at first, the intensity escalating as I kissed him back with more passion.
Breaking the kiss, I gave him a playful smile before I wrapped my arms and legs around him, then rolled. He helped, but I managed to get him on his back. Straddling him with my hands on his chest, I leaned closer to him. “My turn again.”
He lifted a brow and moved his hands to my hips, caressing my ass and lower back. “I can’t wait.”
I rose, then lowered my hips onto him, not taking my eyes from his face as he groaned, his eyes closing when I slammed completely down. His hands began to guide me, working with me as I lifted and lowered. His hips rolled and rose. I leaned forward, claiming his mouth with mine. Then I straightened, focusing on making him lose control the way he’d done for me.
I guided one of his hands to my breast and as soon as he cupped it, he groaned again. I rocked and undulated, watching him as I tested out new movements of my hips. His breath caught and I smiled, knowing I’d found the right motion. I continued, repeating the movement as I watched his eyes roll into the back of his head.
He dropped his hands to my hips, holding me as his breathing grew more rapid. I continued on, my own breaths growing quicker as the position sent little shockwaves of pleasure through me. I started to moan, closing my own eyes as the sensations became more consuming. The thrill of pleasure escalated, and I let out little gasps to keep myself from losing control.
Ryvin’s fingers dug into my skin and I could feel him tensing under me. He was so close. I leaned down and ran my fingers along his chest, then up his neck and into his hair, before stealing a kiss.
His hands moved to my back, pulling me in tight. It was enough to push me over the edge. The sensations peaked, sending a shock through my body that had me crying out into his mouth. Ryvin groaned, his body shaking under me. He deepened our kiss as we both breathed through our fading climaxes.
When I climbed off of him, he quickly pulled me into his arms and I rested my head on his chest. I listened to his heart beating fast and strong. He casually played with my hair, running his fingers through it over and over in a soothing way.
“What if we just stay like this forever?” he asked sleepily.
I looked up at him, noting that his eyes were already closed. I kissed his jaw. “One day, we will.”