I huff but fall in step with them as they lead the way out of our suite. Our new digs put us closer to all the action, and in less than five minutes, we’re standing outside of tall, black, ornately carved doors. My guys surround me, and I’m nestled in the middle of all their strength and support. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. The doors open, and Bastien and Valen step to the side so I can walk forward.
A guard slams his fist over his bicep and then turns to announce my arrival.
“All hail Sovereign Aylin, Ruler of Tierit, Bond Restorer, Liberator of Illusions, the Found Sentinel, Collar Breaker, the Prime Marked, and Gate Keeper.”
He steps aside with a nod, his booming announcement still echoing around the walls of the packed room. I swallow back my unease.
Fuck, I’m pretty much never going to get used to that.
32
Istep into the room. At once, everyone places their fist over their bicep in greeting. They move so precisely and in sync that it gives me the chills, and I’m honored by the show of respect. It’s a far cry from how I thought I’d be received, that’s for fucking sure. It’s standing room only, it seems, in here, but the crowd parts as much as they can to allow me through to the large round table at the center. This space feels very different from the last time I was here being questioned by the tribunal. There’s a vitality and hum of excitement around me that feels contagious.
Tok pulls out a chair next to him, and I give him a happy smile as I make my way over to it and sit down.
“You look absolutely regal, Vinna,” he tells me.
I snort and try not to roll my eyes. No matter what I tell him, he’s still convinced that theSovereigntitle is going to stick.
The room starts to settle as we all take our seats. I look over to see Suryn on the other side of the table, Tawv and her dad, Sauriel, on each side of her. Enoch, Nash, Kallan, and Becket are seated off to her right, and I study them and then her. I haven’t seen any of them since the big turn up in my room after I woke up, and I wonder how everyone has been doing since then.
“You look well,” Suryn tells me with a polite nod.
I give her an equally polite nod in return. “You do too,” I reply.
Tawv rises from his seat, and the quiet muttering in the room stops. “We are gathered here today to come to discuss which of the interim Sovereigns should lead the people. We will hear arguments for and against, with a final vote being cast three days from now. Let us begin.”
Tawv sits down, and Tok springs out of his seat like a bullet. He starts in on our lineage and the way of our people, talking about the Ouphe, The Light Marked, and the Sentinels as if they represented different times in our past. I tune him out and watch as Enoch, Kallan, and Nash sneak side glances at Suryn. What’s funny to me is that she sneaks glances at them too when they’re not looking. They play an entertaining game of cat and mouse with their peeks at one another. I watch them, oddly riveted, and find I’m quickly invested in whether or not they’ll get caught looking at each other.
“You perving out on Enoch and his crew?”Bastien asks me in my mind, his teasing tone making me chuckle.
“You know it,”I joke back.“Dude, just watch them. Enoch and his coven are sneakily making eyes at Suryn, but they’re completely oblivious that she’s making eyes at them too.”
Bastien looks at me with clear judgment in his gaze. I may have just sounded like a kid who was about to be handed a puppy. I clear my throat and try to rein in the ridiculous levels of excitement I just spewed out. Bastien laughs and then proceeds to watch them for a couple of minutes.
“How have they not made eye contact yet? It’s like they have a sixth sense that tells them when it’s safe to look.”
“Right! It’s completely weird,”I agree, loving that he gets it.
Tok sits down after a while, and Sauriel jumps to his feet and starts in.
“I want to try,”I announce, and then I start sneaking glances at Ryker, Valen, Siah, Torrez, Knox, and Sabin.
I only make it one round of glances until Knox’s gray eyes catch mine.
Dammit. Busted.
Bastien laughs, and Knox gives me a confused half smile.
“What are you weirdos doing?”Knox asks.
“You guys should really be paying attention to what’s going on, Vinna. They’re only discussing your potential reign over the Sentinels,”Sabin dutifully points out.
In response, I send him a mental image of what he looked like with my nipple in his mouth earlier. Sabin coughs, choking on air, and hits his chest to clear. All of my Chosen’s heads snap over to me. I sigh.
“I sent that to all of you guys, didn’t I?”I ask.
It was only supposed to go to Sabin, but I swear my magic likes to fuck with me. Their laughter and salacious smiles are all the answer I need.
