Mouse?
No, Zane had to be wrong.There had to be other women within the Vinta family who were more closely related to the queen.The room was suddenly ten times smaller than it had been only minutes before—the walls closing in on her.Iyana was going to be suffocated by red and gold brocade, and she couldn’tbreathe.
Emerald eyes were replaced by strikingly blue ones.Emmeric had slipped to his knees on the floor before her and now held her face in his hands.
Breathe, Iyana.
Her chest was in a vice-like grip, her ribs feeling as if they were about to crack while her heart floundered beneath them, racing.Breaths were coming fast and shallow; her face began to tingle.A dim recess of her brain logically realized she was having a panic attack, but to Iyana, it was exactly the same as when Altair had stolen her magic.It felt like she was dying.
Breathe.The voice inside her head was soothing, wrapped in a warm embrace.In.
Iyana drew in a shuddering breath.
Good.Now out.She focused solely on the man in front of her and his comforting presence.Iyana released the air out of her lungs.Good girl.In again, deeper this time.
Emmeric’s emotions flooded her chest—pride, worry, a tinge of confusion.But above all else,love.It was so strong it almost stopped Iyana’s breathing again.But he was still coaching her through her breaths—giving her encouragement and praise—until finally the tingling faded.Her chest loosened and her heart slowed, and the sound returned to the room.At least, she thought it did.Everyone was sitting, silently staring at her.But the cicadas had gone, so Iyana took that as a good sign.
With a small smile, Emmeric pulled her face down and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Look, go to that dinner tonight with the queen and discuss.You’re right—it could be a different Imo or there’s someone else next in line for the throne.”Of course, he’d heard Iyana think that through her panic.“We’ll get all the information, then we’ll make a plan.Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.Iyana fiddled with the front of Emmeric’s shirt.“Will you go with me to dinner?I don’t know if I can face them on my own.”
“Of course, Mouse.I’ll go wherever you want me to.”
Iyana took another deep breath, soaking in the steadiness of Emmeric’s gaze, then straightened out of his hold.The others had gone, and she hadn’t even realized it, but she was quietly grateful for the privacy they had afforded her.Looking towards the bathing room, Iyana caught a whiff of herself and wrinkled her nose.
“Ugh.I need a bath.Or two.”
Emmeric stood until he was towering over her.A light finger underneath her chin tilted her head up.
“I’ll be across the hall taking my own bath.Just make sure you test the water before you climb in, yeah?”
Iyana frowned and stuck out her tongue at him.Emmeric chuckled.He had said it in a teasing tone, but she sensed the undercurrent of concern that he was trying to hide from her.She didn’t want a repeat of the last bath she’d drawn herself, and she’d already reached her anxiety quota for the day, so she most definitely would ensure the water was scalding beforehand.
Emmeric’s finger slipped out from under her chin, and Iyana watched him walk out of the room, suddenly wishing he would have stayed.
Chapter 34
Emmeric
Emmericsatinbathwater that had long since gone cold.His mind kept snagging on one thing—Iyana might be royalty.
It already went without saying that Iyana was too good for him and he didn’t deserve her, but now that she was possibly in line for a throne, that thought process dug deeper.Things between them had been evolving.They’d been flirting more.She was touching him more casually and cuddling close to him voluntarily.He’d brought her to orgasm only a few days before, and he knew she couldn’t stop thinking about it—the images and lust had fluttered through him multiple times each day.Nine hells, he couldn’t stop thinking about it either.The way she had felt around his fingers.The noises she had made.
There had been so many times in between the inn and Istoria that he had wanted to steal her away from the group and help her find release again.But he didn’t know if it was something Iyana actually wanted, or if she had only allowed it because she was grieving and needed the distraction.Also, there were no convenient trees to hide behind.
Phaedros take him, this was why he had told her he wouldn’t fuck her until she wanted all of him.He should have stood his ground more firmly, but he’d heard her desperate plea in his mind—please don’t pull away—and Emmeric found he could not deny her.
Sleeping in an actual bed with her again was seriously going to test his willpower.
A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts, and it was only then that he realized he was shivering in the cold water.
“Yeah?”he shouted towards the door, climbing out of the tub and grabbing a towel.The door swung open.
“I—oh,” Iyana said, standing in the doorway staring at him.Emmeric hastily wrapped the towel around his waist and held it there with a tight fist.
His face heated, and he hoped he wasn’t blushing, but he soon realized Iyana’s gaze was roaming his bare chest and arms, and then his entire body was now flushed.Her eyes finally made their way to his face.Pure and heady lust flowed freely between them—Emmeric didn’t know how much was his, but at least some of it was hers.
