Iyana choked.“Can we just train, please?”
“You sure you’re not too tired?”Talon teased with a wink.
“For the love of the old gods…” Iyana walked past Tal, bumping into his shoulder.“Come on, you’re teaching me more with the daggers today.”
You said nobody could see us, she sent down their bond.
I honestly thought nobody could.Sorry.
You’re not sorry, but you are going to make this up to me later.
A crooked grin spread over Emmeric’s face.Whatever you want, Iyana, it’s yours.He pushed her an image of his tongue licking up her center and chuckled when she stumbled.Focus, Mouse.
Fuck you.
Later, love.
Iyana glared at him from across the arena, only making his smile widen as he began stretching for his own sparring session with Zane.There was something about swinging his sword around, sweating, and the ache in his muscles that always seemed to center him.Zane was a fantastic opponent, too.Emmeric knew his victory was not guaranteed, like it usually was within the guards.A lifetime ago, Emmeric and Talon were always the best swordsmen among their peers.When they sparred each other, it usually would end in a draw because they were so aware of the other’s movements and style.The only ones who could offer them any sort of real challenge were Geoff and Gordon—Zane never sparred with the army.
Emmeric’s heart panged at the thought of his lost friends, followed immediately by guilt that he hadn’t been able to mourn them properly.The twins had always been a joy to be around, and his only friends outside of Talon.They’d had to flee the library so quickly too, Emmeric doubted that their heads had been buried.Rage at what Uther had done to them filled him, and he wished he could kill the dead emperor all over again.He felt Iyana look his way in response to his emotions as he blocked a particularly hard swing from Zane.Shoving the new emperor off him, Emmeric gave her a small shake of his head.She understood he didn’t want to talk about it right then, and she resumed sparring with Talon.
About an hour later, Emmeric watched as Kaz helped to teach Iyana hand-to-hand combat.His Aztia was pushing herself too hard; he could feel the pain in her muscles and lungs.Yet she still told Kaz she wanted to do another round.The shifter glanced at him, and he shrugged.Sometimes people needed to learn their limits the hard way.
But after her movements slowed considerably and Kaz had dropped Iyana onto her back three times in five minutes, he decided she’d done enough.Emmeric strode over to them and lifted her off the ground and into his arms.She squirmed in his grip, but he only held her tighter.
“Put me down.I need to keep going.”
He shook his head.“You’re done for today.If you push yourself too hard, Mouse, then you’ll be recovering from this one training session for days.You’re better off spreading things out.You’ll notice more results that way.So we’re going back to our room and you’re taking the rest of the night off.”
“You could still put me down.I am capable of walking,” Iyana grumbled.
Let me take care of you, Mouse.She sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn’t fight him on it again.Nodding to their friends in a goodbye, Emmeric walked the both of them back to their rooms.He marched them right into the bathing room and ran a hot bath, only putting Iyana down when she began to squirm in his arms again.
She allowed him to undress her, shivering when his fingertips brushed her skin.Once she was naked, he indicated for her to get into the water.Emmeric kneeled behind the tub with a variety of soaps and shampoos.First, he wetted her hair, then applied a lilac-scented shampoo, lathering it while giving her a scalp massage.Iyana moaned at the sensation, making Emmeric chuckle.He picked a soap that smelled faintly of lemons and used a cloth to clean the sweat and dirt from her body.
“Mm, it smells like you,” Iyana murmured, which warmed his heart.He almost felt bad making her get out of the water, but she was about to fall asleep, and Emmeric wanted to get her into the bed first.Wrapping her in a fluffy towel, he dried her off and pulled one of his own clean tunics over her head.
He guided her to the bed and drew back the covers so she could climb in.She squeaked a bit when he flipped her onto her stomach, and although her back arched in the most delicious angle, showing off the edges of her gorgeous ass underneath his shirt, that wasn’t what he was here for.Emmeric gently tugged the hem down so she was fully covered, then massaged all the aches out of her neck and back, then her arms and legs.The heat from the bath followed by the massage would ensure she’d recover faster and allow her to do more tomorrow.Plus, it made Emmeric feel good, being able to take care of her in this way.
Iyana hummed happily as sleep tugged on the edges of her consciousness.“Em?”she mumbled.
“Yeah, Mouse?”This was the most content Emmeric could remember feeling in quite some time.Even being buried within her was nothing compared to this comfortable domesticity.
“I love you,” she whispered.And while shock roiled through Emmeric at her words, Iyana fell asleep, leaving him sitting on the bed and feeling as if his entire world had been turned on its axis.
Chapter 63
Iyana
Iyanaawokewithaslight ache in her entire body, and a lightness within her soul that seemed new.She was more determined than ever to train as hard and as often as she could, vowing to leave nothing in their war against the stars to chance.If they were going to win this, she’d need to be in the best shape of her life.Which she already was, thanks to her lifelong aversion to exercise, but it could always be improved.She was nowhere near the level that the others were on, but she would try her hardest.
Blearily, she blinked open her eyes, daylight already streaming in through the window.Emmeric was sitting on a chair, drinking a cup of coffee and staring at her.Wordlessly, he handed over her own cup of hot coffee, and her entire morning became that much brighter.
“Were you watching me sleep?”she asked him, taking a sip of the deliciously bitter drink.
“Hmm,” was all he said, his stare over the top of his cup intense.Iyana touched at her hair, wondering if it was sticking out at odd angles.Why was he looking at her with such intensity?
“Are we going to talk about what you said last night?”he finally asked.
