He was right. The sun didn’t rise this morning. She swallowed her anxiety.
“I...” she started. This wasn’t just a request to approve something. “We’re doing everything we can to research the issue. Next.” She waved him off. She had no fucking clue how to fix the sun. She ground her teeth together, wishing Ael were back.
Before the next person could speak, she said, “Approved,” and pushed them along.
She desperately wanted to get back to spending time with Ferona. They had a quiet breakfast together this morning, not really saying much. Ferona seemed to be quite timid around her, but every time they spoke, Ferona’s cheeks would turn a bright shade of pink. She was beyond adorable, and she couldn’t wait to get out of this stupid chair—despite pretending she adored it for Praxis’s sake—and back to Ferona’s side.
As the last of the people left, the doors swung open, and Ferona rushed in.
Oh, yay, she thought, smiling as she watched her lithe form rush in. Her smile faded when she noticed that Ferona appeared out of breath, her eyes wide with fear.
“What happened?” Luelle asked, shifting forward on her seat.
Praxis stopped the complaining she wasn’t even listening to as his gaze shifted to Ferona.
“The Jotnar have breached the Lycanthrope wall and are on their way here,” Ferona gasped, clutching onto her chest to steady her breathing. “Vira just whispered to me.”
“What!” Praxis shouted, spittle spewingfrom his lips.
Fucking gross,Luelle thought as she watched it fling down the dais steps.
“Get the guard together, Praxis. Watch from the towers. Sound the alarm when you see one approaching,” she commanded. He looked at her with fear-stricken eyes. The fool was utterly chicken-shit over the damn Jotnar.
They were Fae for crying out loud.
She glanced at Ferona and asked, “Does King Ael know about this yet?”
“He should be informed at any moment,” she replied.
Praxis turned to her, and she said, “Stop your complaining. We need to work together on this. While Ael is out, I’m in charge, Praxis. Fucking man up and assemble the gods-damnedguard.”
He nodded and, shakily, walked down the dais, stopping to thank Ferona before awkwardly leaving the room.
At least he’s loyal, she thought as the door closed.
She shifted her focus back to Ferona. “Are you okay?”
“Um… Yes. Thank you,” Ferona replied and started to play with her fingers nervously. “What will we do if they come?”
Luelle stood from the throne and walked down the steps, meeting her at her side. “We have a large guard, Ferona. They will not breach us. My nail polish is chipped, and I’d like to lookravishingwhen they arrive. Will you join me?”
Ferona nodded and nervously smiled at her. She held up her own hands, and the perfect, sharpened, baby blue manicure shone back at Luelle.
“Have you ever tried red?” Luelle asked, raising an eyebrow and offering a teasing smile.
“No, do you think it would clash with my hair?” Ferona asked, returning her grin, though nervously.
“Pink might be better. Let’s go to my rooms.” Luelle held out her arm, and Ferona hesitantly accepted it, her cheeks warming once more.
“And then Isaw Meir’s tiny ass cheeks! They were so squished together when he fucked her!” Luelle was gasping for breath through laughter as she and Ferona painted their nails.
They both sat on her bed, careful not to knock over the polish and stain the bedspread as they gossiped.
“That’s so disgusting. How could that woman be with him? He was gross!” Ferona laughed and wiped a tear that had slipped free.
“Oh! Careful! They’re still wet,” Luelle said of Ferona’s newly pink nails, her cheek now streaked with polish. They chose a shade of baby pink that Luelle had somehow purchased a long time ago and never used, realizing after she bought it that it didn’t suit her attitude just right. She preferred that fiery red.
It was perfect for Ferona, though, and complemented her baby-blue-accented hair.
