I tighten around his thick fingers, trembling and shaking, my whole body pulsing with wave after wave of pleasure as it refuses to let go of me.
I think I black out for a moment at the intensity. When my senses return, Stark has me tight in his arms, his body wrapped around me where I lie on the forest floor.
Birdsong starts up again, and the wind rustles through the branches above us, making spots of sunlight dance on our skin.
I turn to look at Stark, still dazed. He’s watching me carefully, as if determining what I need and deciding what to do next.
I want to undress him, to do for him what he’s done for me, but he pushes my hands away when I try.
“Just lie back,” he says, his dominant Alpha voice coming back out. I give him a half smile as I fall lazily back against the leaves.
We lie there and watch the sun dapple the forest, Stark’s hand stroking through my hair and down my side.
Eventually, I sense that Anassa is returning. Stark and I stand, and I quickly pull my clothes back on. He’s gone quiet, contemplative.
Broody.
There’s a bit of an awkward distance between the two of us, and I can’t figure out what’s causing it. We don’t have time for a big conversation aboutfeelings, though.
Astreona is waiting for their answer.
29
MERYN
Back at Weisenstat, the war tent is dimly lit by a brazier. The glowing illumination casts shadows over the canvas that flicker and tremble. But I’m steady as I stand above the war table and stare down at various maps of the border region.
They’re all marked with the current positions of both Nocturnan and Siphon forces, and none of it is good.
Siegrid doesn’t mince words. “The Astreonan offer seems like a trap. A ceasefire in exchange for the simple act of handing them our queen?”
Stark shifts beside me and leans his hand on the table, his eyes flicking over the maps. Kryptos Alpha Hannelore watches us quietly, her attention flitting from Siegrid to me and Stark and back again.
“I agree that it’s blatantly suspicious,” I admit, “but let’s acknowledge the reality here.” I punctuate the statement with a gesture to the bleak maps before us. “What alternative do we have?”
Siegrid’s face is stony. Hannelore nods, her brow tight.
I straighten and shake my head. “This ceasefire is necessary right nowwithout Phylax to help hold off Astreona. They have the upper hand entirely. And if they decide to direct more forces here and take Weisenstat, all of Nocturna will suffer.”
“Final assessment?” Siegrid presses.
“We are outnumbered and outmaneuvered,” I explain, “especially with the Phylax defection. We could choose to go down fighting, and then what? There would be more Nocturnan deaths, and they will still enter our country. We want Killian’s head. So do they, apparently. Why let them achieve that at the cost of our people’s lives, when we have the possibility of doing it together?”
To my extreme surprise, Siegrid merely crosses her arms and says, “I agree.”
“You do?” I blurt out.
“I do,” she says. “I don’t see any other option. But we need to present our own terms. You are not stepping foot across the border without a high-level hostage from their end. We need someone important to them to be kept under our watch in order to guarantee your safety.”
It’s childish. Iknowit’s childish. She’s the right choice for political reasons, but my reasons are entirely personal. “Take General Navarro herself. We’ll only accept if she agrees.”
Siegrid nods. “Then tomorrow, we’ll let them know and you will travel to Astreona.” Her eyes dart to her son. “Stark will go with you. I can direct the Daemos forces in his stead with the help of his Beta.”
Stark says nothing, his face stuck in its typical, unreadable scowl. I can’t imagine that he’d stand by while I traipsed off into an enemy nation by myself, but… no reaction at all?
Pushing it out of my mind for now, I say, “My sister, too.”
Hannelore starts. “Surely the princess would be safer here.”
