Chapter 42 #4
One eyebrow lifted. “I was just thinking … I kind of like the idea of everyone hearing you. Of them knowing that you’re screaming for me.
That I’m claiming you. You’re claiming me.
After all the hiding we had to do,” he shrugged, “I don’t know.
I kind of like the idea of them hearing how pretty you sound when I’m deep inside you, when you come for me. ”
Heat spread across my cheeks, even as the idea started to stoke the fire inside me again.
“And what about you? Will you let them hear you scream for me?” I asked, sitting up. He slid my pants on, licking his lips.
“Partner,” he pushed my hair back, “I’m at your command. All you have to do is ask, and I’ll do whatever you want.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Whenever you want.”
“Hmmm.” I cupped his chin. “Good to know.”
“Lord Rhyan.” The call came urgently from outside our tent. “Lady Lyriana.” It was Harman. He’d been named a turion by Sean and was leading one of the troops currently on sentry duty for the night.
“Harman?” Rhyan called back, then looked me over, making sure I was decent. Satisfied, he smoothed his hair back and opened the tent flap. I followed him out, folding my arms over my chest as the wind blew.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m sorry to disturb you both. But the camp has visitors.”
“Visitors?” I frowned. We’d been unbelievably lucky.
No one had found us yet. Our scouts had been too effective, and once we were back inside Lumeria, I’d warded the campsite each night, adding small glamours like fog and additional shadows to keep any soturi on duty away.
The only new people who’d managed to find us were Sean’s allies, returning with his messengers.
“Who?” Rhyan asked.
“They say they know you two, and insisted on seeing you themselves,” Harman said.
I looked at Rhyan, his eyes were narrowed in suspicion. “Did they offer you a name?”
Harman shook his head. “No, Your Grace. There’s four of them. Two female mages, one male, and a male soturion. He speaks like you, Your Grace. Glemarian.”
My eyes widened, my heart pounding.
“He said to show you this.” Harman opened his hand and produced two vadati stones. Stones I’d seen before. Part of a set of three that Rhyan once had from his mother. He’d kept one, given one to Meera, and gifted the other to me. Two of our stones were now in Harman’s hands.
I was already back in the tent, pulling out our boots and shoving them at Rhyan as I slipped into mine. I pulled out the red shard, strapping it to my back—I never went anywhere without it, and Rhyan had begun clasping his golden armor on—securing the green shard around his torso.
“Take us to them,” I demanded. “Now.”
“Please,” Rhyan added.
“Yes, please,” I said.
Harman held a small torch in one hand, the fire crackling and releasing curls of smoke into the night as we moved through the maze of tents lined up through the campsite. I was stumbling over my feet in my rush to get there—to wherever Harman was leading us.
Beyond the meadow where our encampment lay for the night was a small woodland, with a canopy of moontrees. Two more sentries stood guard, their swords drawn before four figures whose silhouettes were defined in the shadows.
Rhyan started breathing faster, taking in the familiar outlines.
One man had curly hair that was pulled half up on top of his head.
The next showed off a gryphon-like nose as he turned, revealing his profile, and then two women could be seen, one with long, fine wavy hair, the other with a lion’s mane of curls sprouting from her head.
“Let them pass,” Rhyan cried out. “Let them pass!”
“Your Grace,” the first sentry said. He lowered his sword, and the second followed.
Dario, Aiden, Meera, and Jules all spilled into the woodland, stopping before us, their features catching on Harman’s torchlight.
It was Dario and Aiden who caught sight of Rhyan first, going completely still, as they looked him up and down.
“You were dead,” Dario said, breathlessly.
“I was,” Rhyan said. “Lyr saved me.”
Dario twisted his head to me, his eyes watering, his chest heaving. He bared his teeth like so much emotion was pouring out of him he had to brace himself for battle.
“Your Grace,” he said to me, his Glemarian accent thick. “Again.”
“Again,” I said. “I guess.” Titles still felt a bit fast and loose. But I supposed Rhyan and I were both Arkasva at the moment—though of which country or how—I wasn’t sure.
But Dario didn’t seem to care. He rushed over to me, his arms slapping around my back as he pulled me into a bear hug.
“Thank you. Thank you!” he yelled. And then he turned to Rhyan, his entire body shaking.
“You. Godsdamned. Gryphon shit. Bastard,” he sobbed, then pulled him into a hug, grabbing his face, and planting a violently affectionate kiss on his cheek.
Then another. Dario wouldn’t let go. He just kept kissing Rhyan’s face, calling him a bastard again and again as he cried.
Aiden hugged me next, then joined his other two friends. He stood back, his eyes shining. For a moment he was silent, and then a shaky breath escaped from him. “You scared the fuck out of us,” he shouted, breaking all of his normal “Aiden” decorum.
I laughed, already crying again, and then Meera flew into my arms.
“Lyr, Lyr! Gods, we were so worried. What the hell happened to you? You vanished on us.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I have so much to tell you.”
“So do we.”
I squeezed my arms around her, holding her as tight as I could. “Gods, I missed you. I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Us, too,” Meera said.
“We need to tell them the news,” Jules said suddenly.
I pulled back from Meera, looking at my cousin.
My best friend. The part of my soul who’d been missing.
My heart felt heavy as I took her in. She’d gained weight in the last two months.
She looked healthier than when we’d taken her from the Palace.
I was grateful. Dario had kept his word.
He had kept her safe. Which was all I could ask for.
But my heart panged. She was still standing back from me.
Rhyan looked past the circle of hugs he was trapped in with Dario and Aiden, locking eyes with Jules. “Hey, friend.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice a little shaky.
“What news?” Rhyan asked, turning to smile at Meera. “Hey.”
“It’s your father,” Meera said. “We’ve been searching for you for the last few days, but we just found out. The tournament has been moved up. It’s happening tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked. “No. We were supposed to have a whole other day to travel and prepare.” I paused. “Wait. How did you know we were heading to the tournament?”
“I’ve seen it,” Jules said. A vision. “He’s getting scared of the pushback.
His people are unhappy. The distraction had to move up.
Before any more soturi abandoned him. And there’s more that I’ve seen.
I’ll explain everything.” She stepped forward, slowly taking me in, her eyes wide.
Her mouth tightened, the corners of her eyes shining and red.
“Jules.” My arms were literally aching from missing her.
But after all she’d been through, she hadn’t been ready to hug me, or be touched.
And until right before I left to go after Rhyan, two months ago, I hadn’t been able to risk touching her.
She was the reincarnation of Hava and could have activated the Valalumir inside me.
But we didn’t have to worry about that now.
Her hazel eyes searched mine, and then she sucked in a shaky breath. “Lyr,” she said finally. Her voice broke, “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay. You?”
She nodded, then rushed into my arms, wrapping me in a hug.
“Jules!” I sobbed, crushing her against me.