“You’ll need to do a better job at defining ‘behave’,” Aydra replied, a catch of amusement in her tone.
“I mean, you will not embarrass our race in front of the Nitesh.” Rhaif shifted as he leaned closer to Aydra. So close, Nyssa didn’t catch what he said. But Aydra balked and stared at him as though he’d grown another head.
“You expect the Nitesh to bow before our crown?” Aydra snapped. “Haerland’s chosen daughter, the most powerful woman in this land, and the only person who could, in fact, curse you…You want her tobow?”
Rhaif lifted his chin as he settled back in his chair, fingers gripping to the end of the armrests. “If she knows what is best for her people,” he replied.
An audible laugh came from Aydra, one loud enough that a few close members of Council turned their heads in her direction.
“What’s best… I hope she turns you into a frog.”
Nyssa stifled her own amusement and looked to Dorian, who also seemed to have heard the comment. Dorian looked like he might say something, opening his grinning mouth, but Nyssa shook her head and mouthed‘No’to him before he could.
The doors opened, and Nyssa held in her laughter again as Rhaif and Aydra stood, the mocking face Dorian gave her making her nearly lose it.
Rhaif cleared his throat, pushed his hands behind his back, and caught Nyssa’s eye. A warning almost, as though he were reminding her, too, to behave. But even as Nyssa stood and straightened her dress, she saw Dorian flip Rhaif off behind his back, and Nyssa cursed her brother for being a child.
Corbin’s announcement of their guests deterred their attention. Nyssa turned, still holding in her amusement, when she caught a glimpse of the man coming in quickly through the doors.
“—arrived, Your Majestys,” Corbin was saying. “The Honest—“
“Yeah, yeah,” the man cut Corbin off as he pushed the Belwark out of the way. “Put a sock in it, will you? I can announce my own people.”
All amusement and memory of the previous conversation went amiss as Nyssa saw the stranger, and she forgot how to breathe.
Fucking Architects, he was gorgeous.
Sunlight bounced off his dark khaki skin, sun-bleached brown dreadlocks pulled back into a high bun at the back of his head, shoulders stern and straining beneath the lightweight cream-colored tunic he wore. A great shoulder pad adorned his left side, braces of two swords crossing his chest.
And bare feet.
He bounded up the stairs without a glance around and came to stand directly in front of Aydra, a smirk on his beautiful face. And then he tapped her crown.
“Look at that,” he said, crooked smirk spreading wider. “You do actually own the crown you deserve.”
Aydra visibly stifled a full smile. “Hello, Nadir.”
Sothiswas Nadir.
Nyssa became very aware of every position of her body. She straightened, pushing her shoulders back and lifting her chin, trying to squash the heat already rising on her neck from just being near him. Fuck, he was tall. Not as tall as Draven, but tall nonetheless. The perfect sort of tall where she could easily hang herself around his waist. The perfect sort of tall that meant he could bend and kiss her without falling completely over. The perfect sort of tall that meant she could lie in his arms and he would completely wrap her up with his strong muscles. Those swimmer muscles that his shirt creased over. She wanted to be that shirt. She wanted him to wear her around his perfectly narrow hips. She wondered if he had that vein there… if his abs simply melted down to the visible vee. If those long fingers would grasp her entire ass and leave handprints on her skin. If—
Snap out of it, Nyssa, she told herself.
Whatever he said to Aydra and Lex, she didn’t hear. She was too busy attempting to pull herself together. She was just telling herself that a man as gorgeous as he would not be interested in someone like her when he looked her way, and his smirk visibly faltered.
Their eyes met, and she swallowed. Nadir turned towards her, tongue darting out over his lips, and then he looked quickly back to Aydra. The lump in his throat bobbed just before he spoke.
“Such lies from you, Sun Queen…” he said, though the smolder on his face was clearly failing, as though he couldn’t bring himself to swoon her as he did most women.
As though this was different.
His eyes traveled over her, feet shifting. “You said your sister was beautiful, but you failed to mention how she would bewitch me upon finally meeting her.”
Nyssa hated that it actually worked on her.
Jagged breath entering her lungs, she watched as he reached for her hand, and when he said, “Hello, Princess,” in a rasp, she nearly forgot to guard her face.
Aydra grabbed his arm and wrenched it back towards her, nearly snatching him off-balance. “No,” she said firmly.
