Chapter Six
Ty
Ty was tense with unspent rage. His body vibrated with it as they retreated back down the passageway, and he had to resist the urge to rip the imperae collar off Ena’s neck immediately.
He should have expected Cole would do this, but somehow, he hadn’t thought the man would demand something that was purely symbolic and just…petty. But he should have known better, and he would never make that mistake again.
Once they were far enough from any prying ears, he turned to Ena as she walked beside him. “Are you alright?” he asked in a hushed tone, trying to dispel the simmering anger by checking in with her.
“Yes,” Ena said soothingly, as if she could sense how upset he was. “But I do have a lot of questions.”
Ty smiled ruefully, relieved that she was simply her curious self and not as disturbed as he was. “I’m sure you do. Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” he said.
The four of them walked tightly as a group as they weaved through the seemingly endless and identical passageways that made up the Underworld, until they stopped at a familiar set of large, wooden double doors.
“We’ll be good from here. Thank you both,” he said, turning to look at Steig and Turner.
“Of course, brother,” Turner said, patting Ty on the shoulder. “I’ll give you both a chance to settle in, but I’ll come find you later.” He gave Ena a warm smile before nodding at Ty and continuing down the hallway past Ty’s room.
Steig, however, hesitated.
“Go on, I know you’re eager to see Lara and the kids,” Ty said to him.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Steig said, running his hand through his hair. “But I just wanted to see if you wanted me with you, when you talk to Cole later. You know, for moral support.”
Ty placed his hand on Steig’s shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it.”
“Are you sure?” the man asked, giving Ty that look he always gave when Ty was about to do something reckless. “You know that bastard can twist minds with his words just as easily as he can spread disease with his hands.”
“Trust me,” Ty said, giving his friend a reassuring look. “I can handle him.”
He really could. He wasn’t afraid of Cole.
He knew to tread lightly around him, and not to provoke him, but he’d been handling his uncle for years.
He knew what to say, and how to say it, to avoid any negative repercussions for himself or the people he cared about.
Even if it was increasingly hard to keep his anger in check.
“Alright, if you say so,” Steig replied, seeming convinced for now. “Then do me a favor, and don’t bother me for at least two hours,” he said, raising his eyebrow in a meaningful way before he took off like a man on a mission down the hallway.
Ty chuckled after him. He knew Steig was super hard-up after several weeks away from his wife, especially because he and Lara were practically attached at the groin when they were together—hence their many children.
He was happy for them, as he always had been—but it stung just a little less to think about that now that he finally had…
He turned back to face Ena, and the rage that had lingered in his body was quickly replaced with anticipation.
“What was that about?” she asked, clearly sensing there was some joke she’d missed.
“Nothing. Just Steig being a horny motherfucker,” Ty said, reaching down to turn the iron handle on his door, and ushering them inside.
The chamber was just as he’d left it. He watched as Ena’s eyes roamed over the space, starting with his large bed that took up most of the room.
It was covered in furs from some of his more impressive hunts, and at its foot sat the trunk filled with countless trinkets and mementos from his childhood, including his prized hunting knife—the first thing he ever made in the forge.
Her eyes slowly left the bed and landed on his armoire—filled with the clothes he hadn’t touched in over a month—and his bookshelf, which was littered with his favorite histories and tomes on Underworld geology and metallurgy, before finally landing on the round wooden table set with two fur-covered chairs in the corner.
Yes, everything was the same as when he left it, and yet having her here made it seem so incredibly different.
He’d never felt this way before—this mix of apprehension and excitement at having a woman in his private space.
He’d had women in his room before, obviously, but he’d never cared what they thought of it—he barely cared if they stayed the night afterwards or not.
He’d never truly wanted to show it to anyone before, and he’d been pretty private about his things.
But now…some strange part of him wanted her to see everything. What would she make of him?
He walked over to the table in the corner of the room where one of the imperi had already left a fresh pitcher of water with two cups.
Iblis, that was fast. They must’ve been notified of his arrival while he was talking to Cole…or maybe even before. He wouldn’t be surprised if the whole “you caught me during a Convening thing” was just a power move. Cole was notorious for them.
He poured a glass of water for Ena and handed it to her. She took it wordlessly, her eyes drawn to one of the darkrock lanterns on the wall.
“So…this is your room,” Ena said, seeming fascinated by it all as her eyes flitted again from detail to detail.
“Yes,” Ty said simply, watching her reactions like a hawk. But she didn’t say anything else.
“You said you had a lot of questions,” he offered, pouring himself a glass next. “So go ahead. I’m here for you.”
Her eyes landed back on him, and he instantly felt the blood rush to his cock.
Fuck, how did she do that with just one simple look?
He resisted the urge to adjust himself noticeably, knowing that this was not the time for that. He needed to go see Cole soon, but first, he wanted to make sure she was truly alright, and quell any of her concerns as much as possible.
“Okay, so what’s that?” she asked, pointing to the lantern on the wall that glowed with a constant blue flame.
“It’s a darkrock lantern,” Ty said.
“What’s…darkrock?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she watched it.
Iblis, how did she look so fucking adorable saying new words?
There was something about that little line of uncertainty that formed between her brows, and the way her lips moved slowly around the letters like they were some new and delicious food.
Fuck, it made him want to stick his tongue down her throat while she said it just to feel what it was like to be inside that perfect mouth.
He dragged his eyes up from her mouth and cleared his throat, remembering that she’d asked him a question.
“It’s a black, rock-like substance that’s found deep underground, far beneath the Underworld.
It’s a fuel of sorts. We mine it here, and burn it in our stoves for cooking, but when its crushed and mixed with animal fat, it also creates a long-lasting and bright flame that we use in the lanterns you’ve seen. ”
“There’s a mine under here?” Ena asked, her eyes lighting up in curiosity.
Something fluttered in his chest at her reaction. The mine was one of his favorite things about the Underworld.
“Yes. There’s several, in fact. Some for darkrock, some for other metals. There are significant deposits of almost every metal known to this side of the Chasm Mountains in the areas underneath and surrounding the Underworld. That’s part of why this area was chosen when daemons sought refuge here.”
“That’s fascinating,” Ena said, musing over this as she took a step toward the darkrock lantern, watching its solid blue flame before turning to look at him. “Is that why it’s so warm down here? From burning the darkrock?”
“No,” Ty said, moving to stand next to her in front of the lantern. “That’s from the hot springs that run underneath us. They’re closer to us than the mines, and there are aqueducts that run the warm water from there throughout the Underworld. It helps keep it livable down here, year-round.”
“Really?” Ena said, her eyes widening. “That’s amazing.”
Ty smiled at her, and he was struck suddenly by a profound sense of disbelief.
Ena, a witch—his witch—was here in the Underworld.
“What?” Ena asked, her cheeks reddening slightly, catching him staring.
“Nothing,” Ty began, reaching out to gently grab her face, stroking his thumb gently across the beautiful blush on her cheek to assure himself that she was real.
“It’s just, part of me can’t believe you’re actually here.
I spent so many years dreaming of you in this very room, and now…
here you are. It almost doesn’t feel real. ”
Ena smiled up at him, and his chest felt tight. Did she know she had that effect on him?
“I know the feeling,” she said, stepping closer into him.
He took the movement as permission and leaned down to press his lips to hers.
Her lips were so incredibly soft, like two warm rose petals, and he parted them gently with his own.
She opened for him, leaning into his body automatically like she was drawn there, and Ty pressed her lower back into him, feeling her breasts squish up against his chest.
His heart beat faster, and his cock hardened as everything they’d done last night came rushing back to him. The way she’d obeyed him and practically begged for it, the things she’d admitted, and the feral enjoyment in her eyes when she’d sucked his fingers clean.
Iblis, she was so fucking perfect for him, and it drove him absolutely wild.
His fingers dragged down the side of her neck as he deepened the kiss, only to snag on the cold iron of the imperae collar.
He pulled back, guilt flooding him as he looked down at it. Ena inhaled sharply, as if missing his kiss, before reaching her hand up to touch it herself.
“Shit, Ena,” he said, stroking it with his thumb. “I’m so sorry about this. I should have warned you.”
Ena looked down, watching his hand as he touched the collar. “What is it exactly?” she asked.