“Yes,” I said.
“Well, I’m not sure I’m with you, but I’m definitely not with Merlin. Personally, I think you’re both crazy. You’ll have my answer then,” she said.
And that was that.
Before we left, I couldn’t help myself, I went to Skyfire. “I just wanted to say, I’ve always admired you and looked up to you.”
“Yeah, of course you did.” Skyfire sniffed.
You also don’t have an outrageously large ego,Auwei said.
Yeah… wow.
I turned away, a bit put out by this, but Skyfire called to me. “Hey, kid.”
I turned back.
She was smiling. “Your House may be tiny, but you’re the youngest House leader ever. That ain’t nothing.” She gave me a wink.
I smiled and nodded at the compliment. I was still a little giddy when we returned to Cliffside.
That was it. We didn’t know how Silvermane or Skyfire would vote, but at least they knew the facts, even if they might not believe them. I had to hope that would be enough.
The Council was called a few days later. It would be in Miraline in two weeks.
Two weeks and everything would come to a head.
I couldn’t wait; I was anxious and fidgety.
Luckily, I had several people willing to distract me.
Chapter 17
It started innocently enough.I was a tense wreck — pacing around the common area — so Ant offered to give me a massage. I lay on the long couch, and he dug those thick, strong fingers into my shoulders, neck, and back until I’d turned to mush with contentment.
It was only once he’d finished and risen from straddling my legs, that I turned my head to see the heavy bulge in his breeches.
“It looks like you could use a massage too,” I purred.
“I wouldn’t turn one down.” His voice was husky, deep and needful.
I rose, but he quickly swept me off my feet, cradling me high in his arms. I wrapped my hands around his neck to pull my face to his for a long and probing kiss. Then he carefully carried me down to my room.
As we reached the lower landing, Silence was coming up from the beach-exit. Alvere was back home in Vauphan, ruling his nation and planning for the upcoming summit. Sparrow was off scouting, as she and Dove often did, to ensure our secret base remained a secret.
Silence and Ant exchanged a look, and both nodded. Silence followed Ant to my room.
Once inside, Ant set me down and the two men took to slowly undressing me. Their hands — one set hard, thick, and strong, the other soft, nimble, and quick — moved over fabric, then under, as my blouse and skirt were removed. Then I went from one to the other, kissing and caressing one while the other quickly stripped. Then I was sandwiched between them once more, skin pressing to skin.
Silence had spent our time in exile improving his combat skills and it had made his muscles fuller and harder, but still nothing compared to Ant. Yet with the two hard bodies pressed against me I was already in heaven.
“What do you need?” Silence asked in a whisper, kissing around my ear from behind.
“Ant needs a release first, then I want to forget about everything for a while.” I hadn’t forgotten the reason for coming down here. Ant had already given me a wonderful massage and now he needed something in return.
“Allow me,” Silence said and gently moved me out of the way, going to his knees in front of Ant, taking that Oh-My-Spirits sized erection in his hand and bringing it to his lips.
Ant’s eyes never left me as I moved to the bed and lay down. I opened my legs so he could see me, and began to stroke myself. My other hand traced over my body, coming to a breast, pleasuring myself, feeling the tight bud of a nipple and flicking it playfully.
