Chapter 29
Darrow
We’d been in the meeting with the prince for almost two hours, and I was losing my patience. One thing I’d never done well was stay still. Aella sat in the chair beside me, casting me concerned glances. My finger tapping on the armrest was likely getting to her, along with my regular sighing.
Focus, Dare.
This conversation is going in circles and getting us nowhere, I replied.
My wife gave me a blank look so that no one would guess what she said next in my mind. Behave until this is over, and I’ll let you fuck me as hard as you want afterward.
Any place in particular? I asked, cock stiffening. I had to adjust my seat position while keeping a stoic expression as the prince spoke. The last thing I needed was for him to know I was getting turned on while he discussed battle strategy.
Our bedroom. Aella let out a dramatic sigh through our internal link. We’re not doing it in the stables again after the way that cow looked at me the last time.
Do you think she was judging you, or was she simply jealous?
Aella let out a snort that everyone in the room heard and blushed when all eyes turned her way. “Sorry, I think a bug crawled up my nose.”
My father frowned as she rubbed her face. “I haven’t seen any in here.”
“It was very small.”
He shook his head and returned to the current topic. “We need to consolidate forces. The dark elf army is too large and has killed or captured far too many of Zadrya’s soldiers to take back all our land at once. We must work together.”
A representative from Juvarn—Meilani’s younger brother—shook his head. The well-built man had dark skin, short hair, and brown eyes that missed nothing. “We have already lost nearly half our land. If you think we will hand over the rest to protect yours, you’re mistaken.”
“The druids.” My father paused to indicate Idwal. “…have offered us a dozen clarity stones, so we can see the enemy coming, but it still leaves us vulnerable if we spread them out too thin.”
It was the same old tired arguments being repeated ad nauseam. With Aella having gone quiet after her embarrassment, I was back to being bored. We needed better strategies.
I kicked my feet onto the large table with all the maps—loudly—and grabbed everyone’s attention. “We need to kill either my uncle Radan or the King of Karganoth. That will weaken them considerably, and perhaps even force a retreat.”
“Unless we take down both, it may not be enough,” Armin argued. “And we are in no position to do that now.”
Once again, we were shooting down ideas instead of improving upon them.
“As others have pointed out, we can only hold them back for so long. It’s going to take something extreme, and likely risky, to destabilize them.
It’s why they chose to kill our king on the first day when we least expected it, as well as go after his heirs.
We were left scrambling as they took our land with little opposition. ”
“Darrow is right,” the prince said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“If he hadn’t found my sister and me quickly, Zadrya would have lost the war already.
Our people won’t rally behind anyone else without a lot of infighting, which Karganoth would have used to their advantage. We must return the favor.”
That was a valid point. We had to spread the word soon after the invasion that the heirs were alive to bolster our soldiers’ courage, while leaving out that Karganoth had captured Zelthor.
With the losses we were taking daily, morale ran low, and we needed to do whatever it took to keep our people from giving up hope.
Aella leaned forward. “It seems to me that with so much of their army here, Karganoth’s land should be at its most vulnerable. Is it that hard to reach King Sagan?”
She looked so lovely in her low-cut, green gown that I had to force my gaze from the swell of her breasts. It was subtle, not showing much, but it fed my imagination. Later, I would play with those. For now, I had to concentrate on the war.
“He’s likely got a sizeable force all around the palace as a precaution against what you’re thinking, not to mention powerful wards and traps, but even he can only stay in one place for so long, especially with my grandmother there to push at his nerves.
It’s a matter of waiting for him to leave the capital,” I replied.
The king had a complicated relationship with his wife, Queen Vadette. They were madly passionate with each other, and both enjoyed playing dark, twisted games, but they fought more often than they got along. Sagan would eventually need a break from her.
Princess Lillian frowned. “Why not go after Radan since he’s closer?”
“Oh, I’ll keep trying every chance I get, but he’s expecting it and annoyingly slippery.
On the other hand, the king would never suspect me coming after him on his land as long as he has thousands of soldiers surrounding him.
I merely need to find the right moment—preferably while he’s on the road and can’t layer protective wards around himself. ”
The others murmured their agreement.
Armin looked thoughtful. “Let’s say you do manage to kill him, won’t your uncle simply take his place?”
I adjusted my feet on the table, ignoring Aella’s warning look.
She needed to make up for lost time as much as I did and would still want sex as long as I didn’t cross too far over the line.
It had been almost a week since our last joining, and that was in the barn at Radoumar.
I doubted my rudeness would ruin my chances.
“Prince Radan is the heir,” I said, reaching up to dust the toes of my boots so that some of the dirt fell on the maps.
“But by law, he still has to prove he’s worthy by defeating at least one other potential heir.
Until then, their realm will lack leadership to keep them united.
Dark elves don’t do well without firm control over them. ”
“Clearly.” Lord Gannon eyed my footwear with distaste. “Get your feet off my furniture, Darrow. You’re not eight years old anymore, and it’s getting tiresome.”
“I’m proving a point.” Not entirely. I just enjoyed annoying everyone. “We are losing control of our realm because we need to establish firm leadership. In the absence of that, everything is falling apart, and the dark elves are winning.”
The prince grimaced at my boots before meeting my gaze. “Who are all the heirs to the Karganoth throne?”
Of course, he knew most of them, but he wanted me to state the list for everyone.
I leaned back in my chair, balancing it precariously, and ran my gaze around the room.
“There aren’t many, but you know it includes me and Faina, along with my cousins Bogdan and Evrenn.
Technically, Vaslav is also an heir, but since he’s also the heir to the largest Unseelie kingdom in Faelaria, no one would invite him to the challenge. ”
At least, I hoped that was true. My mother always said he was ineligible, but Zareen couldn’t be trusted when it came to information on her children, even between us.
“Is there anyone else?” Armin asked quizzically. Was he reading my mind, or did he know about the other one?
I hesitated since I doubted that possibility.
“The king had a younger sister, Josslyn, who died about twenty-four years ago, along with her husband, in a mysterious fire. They left behind one adult son, Pravin, who went into hiding immediately afterward. I’ve spent years looking for him, but so far, all my leads have come up empty.
He has considerable powers that could be a threat if he surfaces. ”
Before his disappearance, I often saw my cousin at the palace in Jayndarr while I was visiting.
He was about seventeen years older than me, so we didn’t interact much until I reached adulthood.
We dueled once, a few winters before my mother betrayed my father by joining up with Aella’s uncle and planning a large-scale attack, ending their marriage and my mandatory winter stays in Karganoth.
That contest of strength was enough to tell me how much of a threat he could become once he reached full power—if he chose to do so.
His most remarkable ability was control over metal, allowing him to pull it toward or away from him and manipulate it into different shapes.
While he did make it clear at the time that he could defeat me after I found myself pinned to the ground with various weaponry twisted around my body like a vise, he was careful and didn’t cause any harm beyond a few bruises.
It was more of a statement, letting me experience his full capabilities without being cruel like my Uncle Radan. Since I was in my early twenties then and he was nearly forty, he’d had considerably more power at the time. I didn’t know how we measured against each other now.
My father studied me closely. “Will you participate in the challenge if called?”
“After our last confrontation, my uncle will likely avoid facing me at all costs,” I replied curtly. It wasn’t a subject I wanted to discuss. I’d already fought with both sides of my family many times over it and wished they’d leave it alone. “You already know I’ve never sought the crown.”
“How will we even know when King Sagan leaves the palace?” the prince asked, lifting a brow.
I finally dropped my feet and chair with a thunk that had my father and the prince stiffening. “I’ll try once more to connect with my spies over there. One way or another, I’ll get current information on him no matter what it takes.”
Since not everyone in the room knew my full capabilities, I didn’t mention that I could send sebeskas now and then to spy on the palace and listen for intelligence.
It would be taxing, but I’d do it whenever I could spare the time and energy.
Unfortunately, it would mean pulling back on fighting against Karganoth’s army.
Armin nodded. “Very well, keep me informed of your progress.”
The meeting continued for a few minutes longer while I cracked my knuckles impatiently. Finally, they ended it and let us go. I took my wife’s hand, dragging her out of there before anyone could stop us.
As soon as we reached my bedroom, I shut and locked the door. “Finally, I have you alone.”
“Wait,” she said, putting a hand on my chest. “Promise me that you’ll keep me updated on what you’re doing. It doesn’t have to be every detail, but at least give me some idea. If I can help, ask, okay?”
I shook my head. “Even I’m not sure where I’ll go or who I’ll see yet until I get out there, but you’ll always know my location through the bond. As for helping, I’m not sure how you could at the moment, except to open the occasional portal. I’ll let you know if there’s something else, though.”
“You better.”
I grabbed her and pressed her against the wall. “Is that an order, wife?”
“Absolutely.” She licked her lips. “Does that bother you?”
My dick grew hard. The more she taunted me, the more I wanted her. I spun her around, pressed her against the wall, and lifted her skirt. She wore pastel pink underwear with delicate lace, which I quickly tore away. A whimper escaped her lips.
“Do you like it when I destroy your undergarments?” I whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” she said as I moved my hand between her thighs and found her soaked. “As long as you replace them.”
I dipped my finger inside her, and she moaned. “I’ll order a hundred the next time I’m at the shop, though I doubt you’ll wear most of them more than once if I have my way.”
“No one asks for that many.” She whimpered as I began to work her. “What will you tell them?”
“The truth.”
“Dammit, Dare. You can’t just go telling people that sort of thing,” Aella said breathily, attempting to turn around with my fingers still inside her.
The next thing she knew, I had her bent over my bed with her skirt bunched at her waist. I unbuttoned my pants with my free hand, continuing to work her. “You’re my wife and mate. It’s not their place to question what we do with each other.”
“You’re impossible.” She spread her legs wider to give me better access and angled her head on the mattress to look at me from the corner of her eye. “But please don’t stop.”
“Hmm, I think you’re ready for more.”
A protest escaped her lips when I withdrew my fingers. “Dare!”
I plunged my cock inside of her without any finesse, groaning as her wet heat surrounded me. “You know what was impossible? Sitting through a three-hour-long meeting when all I wanted to do was this.”
“It was two and a half,” she said, gripping the bed blankets. “You have no patience.”
I grabbed her hair and yanked up her head. “Now that I have you alone on my bed, you’ll see how much patience I have.”
“Then fuck me harder.”
I increased my momentum. “Careful what you ask for, Aella, you might get more than expected.”
“Promise?” she asked with a gasp.
“Always.”