“It's all right.”
“I'll make it up to you later.”
“Sure.” I turned and went to the trunk to fetch my clothes.
Rian went silent behind me. Or maybe I was just focused on my thoughts. Memories were rising, reminding me that this was common among the men I'd been with. They often took their pleasure without care for mine, justified with something similar to what Rian had just said.I needed you so badly, oryou're just so damn beautiful. Things like that. And their explanations were inevitably followed by the assurance that I would be taken care of. Later. Funny how that later rarely came.
When I was more submissive, I didn't question it. But now, it made me feel hollow. When would my needs be put first?
I yelped as Rian grabbed me and spun me around. His lips found mine, and his hand went to my cock. My erection had been throbbing. I'd been trying to ignore it. It made his rough grip into something miraculous. I groaned into his mouth, my body bowing forward. Then Rian was lifting me. I clung to him as he set me down on the bench in the center of the room. His lips left mine. In a daze, I opened my eyes to see Rian settling between my legs.
“Fuck it,” Rian growled. “They can wait. You're more important.”
I gaped at him as stroked my thighs. “But—”
“Shh.” He pushed me back to lie on the bench.
As I stared at the coffered ceiling, Rian took me into his mouth. Pleasure shot up my spine. My hands went to his face, to feel the contours of it since I couldn't see it. Every time I thought the worst, Rian swept it away. Either with his words, his confidence, or his actions. He was steadily banishing my past and weakening its hold on me.
There was only one thing I could say to that, “I love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
I came as nearly as fast as Rian had. So even with the time it took to get dressed, we weren't more than five minutes late. A handful of Rian's knights waited for us in the entry hall with Sebastian and Geris.
“Is everything ready?” Rian asked Geris.
“Yes, Sire. We have sleighs outside, waiting to take us to one of the locations,” Geris said.
“Excellent.” Rian strode outside, holding my hand.
We were all dressed differently, no top hats or silk cravats. They'd been exchanged for fur caps and scarves. In my case, a wing scarf. And all our silk and damask had been replaced with cotton and wool. Hardier stuff. There were indeed two sleighs awaiting us at the base of the front steps, neither as nice as the one I'd ridden in previously. These were not royal sleighs. Still, the seat I settled on was comfortable, and Vashana seemed pleased to curl up over my feet, tucked beneath the overhang of the front of the sleigh. Two of Rian's knights sat on the driver's bench, one taking the reins, and another two stood on a ledge at the back.
Geris and Sebastian took the second sleigh without being told, but Geris cast a petulant look at me when the King's back was turned. If Rian hadn't been focused on me, I would have stuck my tongue out at Gerbil. Nope, I wasn't going to forget that one. Geris may be a Dragon, but it hadn't won him the respect of Rian's father. I wondered what Geris had done to earn his ire.
Two more of Rian's knights took the driver's bench on Geris's sleigh and as soon as they were settled, the reins jingled. Our horses clomped forward, breath steaming, and we glided over the snow. All around the estate, massive trees grew, many of them covered in spiky, green needles. But as we went further down the road and into the forest, barren trees were revealed, their branches covered in puffy white. Still, nothing looked unusual.
It took several minutes for us to reach the outskirts of the infected area. First, it was a single tree, its branches broken and bark black, stark against winter's white. Then more appeared.
Sebastian called out, “Stop!”
The drivers brought the horses to a halt.
“What is it?” Geris asked as Rain and I turned to see the human climb out of the sleigh.
“We don't need to go any further,” Sebastian said as he tromped through the snow toward a black tree. “I think I know what this is. I just need to confirm it.”
“Already?” Geris asked skeptically.
Rian climbed out of the sleigh and helped me down. Vashana perked up and went to the edge of the sleigh.
“Stay,” I said to her. There was no point in freezing her paws.
Vash yipped.
Pulling a dagger from his belt, Sebastian crouched. He brushed away some snow, then sunk the dagger into the base of the rotted tree. Rian and I reached him just as he pried some bark loose. Powdered wood poured forth. Sebastian dug deeper, tunneling into the tree.
“What is it?” Geris finally joined us and peered over Sebastian's shoulder. “Don't you need some equipment?”
