“Does anyone else want a chance with her?” Aemon asked, but he addressed his own soturi.
My eyes widened. And two akadim ran forward.
Suddenly, Aemon was chanting under his breath, “Ani petrova rakashonim, me ka el lyrotz, dhame ra shukroya, aniam anam. Chayate me el ra shukroya. Ani petrova rakashonim!”
Thunder clapped in the sky, and lightning struck the meadow as indigo light radiated off of Aemon, now the embodiment of Moriel.
Parthenay cowered, as did the rest of the vorakh.
They knew he was powerful. They had no idea just how much.
He took off at a run for the two akadim, his arms outstretched. And I remembered all the times he was called the Ready, all the times he’d been looked upon as a God of Death.
His hands wrapped around the first akadim. And then the second.
There was a crack, and both heads rolled onto the ground.
He’d been even faster than Rhyan.
My heart thundered. I’d known his strength, the sheer force of his power. But seeing it demonstrated like this— fuck. There was no one strong enough to defeat him. Not yet.
“This is the fate which awaits anyone who disobeys my command,” he said, turning slowly to face everyone in our court. “As well as my queen’s.”
Then Aemon pulled me in toward him, his arm wrapped around my back, his hand snaking down my ass.That was risky, he admonished.
I shrugged.Risky?But inside, my heart was beating too hard. I had almost gone too far. Almost. I shook my head.A risk can only exist when you have something to lose. I didn’t.
Is that so?he purred, but there was something dark, and violent underneath the seductive tone to his thought. I already knew where this was going.
Yes.I arched my back.Either Rhyan proved my point, or he didn’t. Leaving me to either win the debate, or lose Parthenay. A win no matter what.
He laughed.You are a cruel, vicious goddess.His eyes seemed to sparkle and darken all at once. Then he squeezed his arms around me, tight. Painfully so. He playfully bit down on my nose, and then bit harder, his teeth sinking into my skin, and forcing my mouth open to breathe.Showing Rhyan’s strength worked in your favor. And showing mine has worked in ours.
Ours?I asked.
He smirked, but his hands tightened even more, bruising me.Parthenay is my Second. We would not be here today without her. She’s not to be harmed.
I don’t like her,I pushed back, willing my nerves to stay grounded.I don’t want her around.
Parthenay is crucial to the mission.He pulled back, his dark eyes boring into me, his indigo aura pulsing to the point the sky seemed to darken above us.
If she’s so crucial to the mission, then when we leave here,I thought,take her with you. Let her help you.
Aemon’s lips curled.That’s not how a Second works. She goes where I am not. And you should have little problem with her, now that you’ve shown her how powerful you are. Seen how willing she is to submit.
So I showed my power. Was I not always stronger than her? I was. And yet, because of you, I cannot cast her aside,I thought, bitterly.
You may not,he thought.Not yet. Time is crucial, especially these next few weeks as the Empire scrambles to assert its dominance. Now you know what to do. Make your way west to the caves. To the Wall of the Prince. You know where to look. Grow your army as you march. Claim the next shard with your soturi then meet me in the North.
And Andromeny will seek out the key to our secret weapon,I thought.
Yes. We need her, and the weapon.But the shard must be found first.His eyes flicked to Rhyan, then back to me, before he buried his face in my neck, slipping his tongue across my skin, licking down to my throat. I gasped, feeling him spin me away from him, his hands beneath my cloak, untying the straps of my dress.
“Wh-what are you—?” I asked out loud, I was so startled. He pinned my hands behind my back, and unclasped my belt. It fell to the ground with a sharp metallic thud, and the top of my dress slipped down. Aemon pushed the fabric all the way aside exposing my left breast, and then the right, baring me to everyone in the meadow. Heat rose up my neck, burning against my cheeks.
The akadim on Aemon’s side growled, their eyes flashing with fire, and I could sense my soturi drawing closer, while the chayatim didn’t seem to know whether to look at us or look away. Though they didn’t emit enough shock in their auras tosuggest they’d never seen such a display before while in the Palace.
I’d never been shy—not after our first night together. I’d been fucked while Aemon watched, fucked by him in places where we could be caught, or where I knew someone was lurking, watching. Sometimes more than one person.
