As if she could ever forget. “It was a gift they both welcomed.”
“That’s what it is to be Hathorian,” he said, and she saw the suffering that sparkled on his lashes. “To give and expect nothing in return.”
She took a step, toying with the weight of her shirt and her words in equal measure. “We’re on the edge of something new. Out here, in a place where we all might start fresh. Names chosen for our deeds, not our coveted bloodlines. Where we can choose who rules the court and build something to be proud of.” Another careful step, this one squishing between her toes. Tacky with crimson that shimmered and tossed sparkling light into her sensitive eyes. “Maybe it was the Nine. Or fate. But it’s happening with or without you, Shade.”
“Renegade”—he scoffed—“you’re infected! You cannot ask this of me.”
Tongue darting out, she tipped her face back. Soaking in the moonlight. “I’m asking for your help. Your guidance. That you stand at my side and grant me the wisdom you earned in the court of our enemies. And yes,” she whispered, showing him the blunted edge of her teeth. Close enough to reach out and press one dainty palm to his armored chest. “I’m asking for your fealty. That you kneel, but only to me, and in return?” She retreated with a playful shove. “You get the night.”
Honeyed eyes grew slitted, his ears tipped forward. Head tilted.
“You think it a coincidence?” she said again, and turned. Letting the edge of her nightdress droop, the moonlight playing off her shoulder… a spot she knew he lusted after, as any Hathorian male might. “That you hunt at night? Even the name you’ve chosen is a tribute to this new kingdom blooming under the stars,Shade.”
She bolted, knowing he would follow. That he couldn’t help but chase the lure she’d set.
“I will give it to you,” she called, and slipped between the saplings. Her path an easy one to pace, where it hummed through her mind. A destination she alone could see, for to her, it was a beacon. One that called her home. “I will give you gifts no Anhur can ever know. Secrets written in a language only we can read.”
“Renegade,” he gasped, and shoved through a bramble to stand at her side. “What—”
He sucked a breath between the points of his canines.
Exhaled wonder that lit his tattooed face from within.
An eerie green glow lit an intimate clearing. That of a fully mature evenwood blooming at night. In its many branches lunar moths fluttered and danced, taking tiny sips from flower cups. Sweet nectar raining down in drips and drops. At her feet, dozens of fungi throwing spores. Moss and clover a carpet that carried the delicate scent of earth and sweet herbs.
“This,” she whispered, and slipped around the trunk. Coy. Leading, her hand trailing on the smooth bark that seemed to shiver at her touch. “Is ours. And when you can see what I see…”
With stars in her eyes, she slapped the lowest hanging branch—and sent the night things to the wind.
A thousand glittering wings took flight, and even to Shade’s weak eyes, they sparkled. Showering them in dust. In magic one might only find in the arms of the night.
“Join me,” the queen murmured, and pressed her forehead to the trunk. “Take your place at my side. My guiding shadow. Be my balance in a court already too heavy with Anhur influence, and through you…” She smiled, showing blunted teeth. “A generation of not-quite Hathorians who can be proud of their legacy. Who will know where they come from, taught by one who knows their history. Wholivedit.”
For a moment, as he watched the moths dancing on the wind, there was nothing. Only the faint hum of music that promised…more.
And then, “Take it off,” he snarled, deft, inked fingers working to shuck his armor.
Grinning, she obeyed with a flick of her wrist, for she’d already half done the job. Mouth watering as she waited for her prize to be revealed, because she knew they fit.
Her breath hitched as she watched him peel off the armored plates. The wind teasing the tips of peaked nipples, making her cold where she was desperately wet.
Still, as she waited. Ready, for she had three thing yet to give him.
When he stood before her in all his, naked, inked glory…
… she dropped to her knees. Wrists on her thighs. Eyes downcast.
And gave her submission. Kneeling for the last member of her court. Swollen with the get of the other two.
Not as a slave, but a queen who freely gave what she had left to share with a male she’d chosen entirely herself. One she’d hunted and tracked because she knew he’d been made for her. Thathewas the missing piece who could make her whole.
A strangled sound died in his throat, and he reached with trembling fingers. His touch landed on her chin. Tilting her head back as he gazed into her eyes with those that were liquid sugar.
Without a blink, she let her lips fall apart. Left her mouth open as her tongue peeked over her bottom teeth. Enticing. Lewd.Victorious.
In an instant, he broke. Feeding her everything he had in a single, careful thrust, he let her taste. Gentle, despite the way he shook.
She let him take, knowing he’d never been allowed to do so before.
