“Who better to lead a country than one who knows all of it?Plus, I think you are already acting like a queen.You have made alliances with both Athusa and the reclusive Nyr—something I have tried to do for decades with no success—and you are attempting to rally an army to fight a threat to our continent.Those are all things a queen would do.”
Iyana glanced away from Camilia and fiddled with the carvings on the table.“What if I don’t want it?”she asked in a quiet, tired voice.
Camilia and Halim exchanged a glance, then they both smiled kindly.“My dear,” the queen said, “I would not force you into anything you did not want.But you have time.I don’t plan on going anywhere soon.Just think about it.”
Nodding meekly, Iyana went back to pushing the food around her plate.They spent the rest of dinner mostly in silence, not eating much, at least not until the dessert came out—lemon bars, which Iyana and Emmeric devoured readily.With a small chuckle, Camilia had the servers bring out another for both of them.
Once they were excused, they walked back towards their rooms without talking.Emmeric wasn’t quite sure what to say, but he knew Iyana would come to him when she needed to talk through this whole ‘next in line for the throne’ business.Her hand was warm on his arm, and Emmeric relished the time alone with her.In moments like these, it was easy to forget that they weren’t two normal people.That she wasn’t only a woman he was trying to court, but instead the mighty and powerful Aztia, and he was her Kanaliza.And that, together, they were responsible for banishing a great evil from the world—a burden that sat heavily upon Emmeric’s shoulders.
Before he was ready, they reached their rooms.Iyana’s was to their left, his to their right.They stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall, not quite knowing where to go.It had become such a habit to sleep with Iyana at night, but he would typically slip in after she had fallen asleep and leave again before she awoke.Would she still want his company?Now that he’d had a sliver of her body, would he be able to stay away?Emmeric opened and closed his mouth several times—whether it was to say goodnight, invite her into his room, or invite himself into hers, he wasn’t sure.
“Can I stay in your room?”Iyana muttered.
Emmeric turned his head.She was still clinging to his arm, looking anywhere but at him.Was she worried he was going to say no?Or was she ashamed of the things she had let him do to her body before?His own emotions were in such turmoil that Emmeric couldn’t get a clear read on hers.
“Of course you can,” he heard himself say.
Iyana was still avoiding his gaze, but he led her into his room where she detached herself from his arm and sat on the same divan as before.Emmeric stood in the middle of the room, not quite knowing what to do with himself now.They hadn’t been alone like this since the inn.
“I’m just going to go change,” he said hesitantly.Iyana nodded, so he gathered his sleep shorts and shirt and went into the bathing room.After changing, Emmeric stared at himself for a minute in the mirror.His shaggy dark hair had grown slightly longer and was threatening to hang into his vision—he’d need to get it cut soon.He stared into his bright blue eyes—they were always his favorite feature on himself—and thought about the man he had been only a few moons before.A man who had a job and friends, but hadn’t realized how unhappy he had been until he’d met Iyana.A man who had known grief, but didn’t know how deeply he could care for someone.A man who hadn’t had something—someone—he would willingly die for.Someone who was waiting for him in the other room.
After splashing cold water on his face and taking a deep breath, Emmeric walked back into his bedroom, then stopped short.
Iyana stood gazing upon a painting on the wall that Emmeric hadn’t noticed before.Not that he noticed it now, either, because Iyana was wearing one of his shirts.She was small enough that it fell to the middle of her thighs, leaving the rest of her bare legs on display.Iyana finally realized he was there and turned to him, toying with the hem of the shirt.
“I hope this is okay.I wanted to take off the dress, but I didn’t feel like going to my room to change.”
Emmeric didn’t stop to think.He stalked across the room, closing the unacceptable distance between them.Iyana’s lips parted as he framed her face with his hands.Sliding one hand behind her head, he threaded his fingers into her silky hair.They stared at each other for several seconds, an unspoken question hanging between them.And when Iyana didn’t say no or pull away, Emmeric kissed her.
Lightly, so lightly, still asking that question.He drew back only an inch.Iyana’s eyes stayed closed, her lips parted, and a soft sigh escaped her.That was Emmeric’s undoing.
He crashed his lips into hers.This was primal.Hungry.It was a clash of lips, and teeth, and tongues.Her hands gripped his shirt to keep him close.Iyana moaned when he nipped at her lower lip, then scattered kisses along her jaw and then back, claiming her mouth again.Emmeric found he couldn’t stay away for long.One hand stayed in her hair while the other grazed down her arm, then lightly on the side of her breasts.His thumb was a ghost over her nipple, causing Iyana to shiver.Then his hand moved lower, over her waist, her hip, then finally to her bare skin where the hem of the shirt laid.
Skimming his fingertips underneath the shirt, he lifted it slowly, then stilled his movement and groaned into Iyana’s mouth.He pulled back slightly, breaking their kiss.
“No underwear?”he rasped.
“I wasn’t wearing any under my dress,” Iyana said, breathlessly, “and I didn’t want to go back to my room.”She opened her gorgeous, caramel-brown eyes and smirked.“I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
Emmeric found himself incapable of responding, so he nipped at her earlobe instead, his hand still trailing up her thigh to the roundness of her exposed ass.He tucked his face into her neck and chuckled lightly.
You’re godsdamn right I don’t mind, he said through their bond.In fact, I may just get rid of all your underwear.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Iyana said.
Emmeric smacked Iyana’s ass hard, making her gasp.Lifting her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist was a test of his restraint, as he found both of his hands on her warm, bare skin.He nipped her lower lip again.
“I would dare.”
He threw her onto the bed, and she squeaked in surprise.Emmeric followed her down, kissing her roughly, then sitting and shedding off his own shirt.Iyana’s appreciative gaze roamed over his chest and arms, and he sat still, straddling her, to let her look.The way it made him feel…it was beyond words.But when she met his eyes again and bit her lip, he was lost.So fucking lost he couldn’t remember his own name.
Instead of peeling the shirt from her body like he normally would—the sight of Iyana in something that belonged to him was too good to waste—he bunched it up around her hips and dropped light kisses to her thighs.Emmeric slowly traversed up her legs as Iyana squirmed beneath him, making sweet little noises that made his cock twitch.When he made it to the apex of her thighs, he paused, again waiting for her to tell him to stop.
“Emmeric,” she moaned.“Please.”
He wanted to devour her, but he forced himself to lick up her soaking center as slowly as he could to savor every second.Iyana gasped and bucked her hips, her hands flying into his hair.Emmeric relished the small bite of pain.Using a hand to hold her down, Emmeric set about slowly unraveling the gorgeous creature underneath him.
As he licked, sucked, and nipped at her clit, making Iyana writhe in his grip, Emmeric inserted two fingers and curled them forward.
