“You already know.” Her voice is as languid as the teasing hand caressing me.
I stretch down, her thighs opening when my hand searches for the vulnerability between her legs. “I’ll play your game, Alaya, but I always win.”
“Only because I let you. What fun would losing be—Oh Gods,” she gasps, then bites her bottom lip, holding in anything louder.
It’s an unspoken challenge to coax that sound from her. I match her slow strokes, running my finger down her slick lips, applying pressure with each pass to dip into her heat, my thumb swirling her clit.
“I knew waking with you would be a distraction,” I say, leaning down to steal a fleeting kiss, my finger pushing into her, curling to elicit a squeal that vibrates against my lips.
My emotions open and spread over her, and Alaya’s lazy desire bounces back as we enjoy the feel of hands stroking and exploring in quiet harmony.
“I love you.” Her lips press a kiss to my chest.
My fingers lace into her hair. “I love you more.”
In the end, we surrender together. Her body trembles with quiet, breathy gasps of orgasm that I have come to love, while I answer with a single, deep groan as I come.
For this stolen moment, we’re not broken—we’re whole.
The last thing I wanted to do was leave Alaya in bed, but my father had summoned me, and ignoring the King—even when he’s also my father—isn’t an option.
Our relationship has shifted since Alaya returned. Colder. More calculated. He refuses to reveal how he retrieved her, and I’ve kept my promise not to push Alaya for details. But rage still simmers beneath my skin when I remember how he left her in Heartwood deliberately, using her as bait to gather intelligence for his own gains.
I knock. The door flies open, and the General’s bulky frame fills the doorway. His face is bright red beneath his fiery beard, his entire body rigid with tension.
“Kiernan,” he grunts, barely a nod of acknowledgment before he strides down the hall.
Whatever my father said to him, it wasn’t pleasant.
I step into the dark office. The King is pacing, muttering to himself about ‘the fucking Equitae.’
“That seemed to end well,” I remark, pulling the door closed behind me. “What’s the Ghost been up to this time? Not stolen the General’s new wife, has he?”
I still blame the General for convincing my father to leave Alaya in Heartwood longer than necessary. Let him suffer for once—let him feel what it’s like to have someone you love in danger.
The King stops pacing and lowers himself into the chair behind his desk, watching me with his cold, calculating eyes.
I slam the book down—the blue leather-bound volume I’d found in the library and taken back from him. Its binding snaps against the desk surface, the sound reverberating in the small room.
“When did you take this back?” His finger stabs at the cover.
“After you dismissed it as useless.” I lower myself into the chair across from him, searching his face for any hint of what he’s thinking. He stares back, unblinking.
“I presume what happened the other day came as a shock to you too, then. Not being able to read Ancient Fae yourself?” His upper lip curls, revealing teeth unnaturally sharp and white against his ashen skin, transforming his cold features into something feral.
I lean forwards, meeting his glare with defiance that burns like acid in my veins. “Did I realise you were going to attack Alaya? No, that was a delightful surprise.”
His eyebrows rise, lips pursing into a thin line. “Ah yes. How are you both settling into your suite?”
The corner of my mouth quirks up before I can stop it—a flash of this morning, Alaya’s body warm against mine. But his interest irritates me. “Since when do my sleeping arrangements concern you?”
“Sinceshebecame a Princess of this Court.” His voice is a metallic rasp that makes my skin prickle, each syllable sliding against the next with the slow, deliberate friction of crossed swords. “And I’m still your King. Remember that before you speak.”
“You tried to kill my wife.” I exhale sharply, fingers raking through my hair.
He sinks back into his chair, victory glittering in his gaze. “Did I ever tell you how I got her back?” A slow smile curls at the corner of his mouth. “One of their own betrayed them. A female—jealous, bitter. She handed Alaya and Quinn right into my hands”
My jaw tightens.
