He leans closer, nipping at the bottom of my ear. "Maybe I've forgotten what it looks like."
My hips undulate against him, eliciting a moan from him. "What I think you've forgotten, my love, is the meeting we are supposed to attend in …" My voice trails off when he bites down on the sensitive flesh between my neck and shoulder. "That's not fair."
"Tell me to stop."
All willpower fails me and I give into his tempting smile. He tugs my nightgown over my head and when his eyes examine every naked inch, his length hardens beneath me.
"We're going to be late." I tangle my fingers in his hair, grinding against him.
"No, we won't."
Two
Shaye
We're late.
By the time we get dressed and rush to the meeting, we don't have time for breakfast and my stomach growls so loudly through the halls I'm afraid every Frost Elf within twenty feet of me will hear.
I haven't been in the council room before and I'm pleased to see it's just as beautiful as I've come to expect of Stelara. The circular table carved from white pine anchors the center of the room, floor to ceiling windows surround us in a hexagon shape. There's only one doorway that allows access to the space and the eight high back chairs are tufted in a navy velvet.
Thrane is lounging with one leg tossed haphazardly over the armrest of his chair. Surrounded by our companions, he sports an unreadable expression, but the second we appear in the doorway, a grin stretches across his face. Becoming the Frost King hasn't changed his appearance in the slightest. He still wears his hair with little adornment and the gaudy crown ArmasBasilius sported is nowhere to be seen. Thrane opts to keep his simple silver band and somehow, he looks far more regal and powerful than our grandfather did with all his splendor.
"Kind of you two to join us," Thrane coos, a knowing look flashing our way. "We were about to send a search party fearing you had lost your way."
I roll my eyes. King or not, he's still my irritating cousin and for a moment I wonder if this is what it feels like to be teased by a sibling. I claim an open chair across the table from Thrane and Atlas slips in the chair beside me. A smirk creeps across Atlas' face, clearly replaying our morning in his mind.
I clear my throat. "Apologies, Cousin. We lost track of time."
Nyx barks a laugh, earning a ferocious side-eye.
"Indeed," Thrane raises a playful eyebrow. "Now that we're all here" – he roots his elbow to the armrest of his chair and motions with a lazy hand – "let us get straight to it. Bastian and his Soul Eaters are trying to reforge the portal to the underworld and release Drogon to have his revenge. We know they need Aurelia's blood to open the portal and without a doubt they will make another attempt at retrieving her. We need to plan our next move carefully as we interrogate the surviving Soul Eater and try to rally the other leaders to join us. War is inevitable. We just have to convince the other kingdoms of that fact."
Nyx reaches for food at the center of the table. "You've summed that up perfectly, your worship. Do you actually have a plan or are we supposed to come up with one for you?"
I furrow my brow. "Nyx," I chastise.
"Just asking questions," Nyx shrugs defensively as he tosses a date into his mouth.
"Our patrols have scoured the territory for the last two weeks, but it appears Bastian and his demons escaped through the mountains of Durne," Sylvane chimes in. Second in commandlooks good on her. "There's only one place they could be headed."
"Midori." I fill in the blanks easily enough. There's nowhere else they could be headed but home.
"That is our thinking." Sylvane nods.
"Why does everyone look so doom and gloom?" Nyx reclines in his chair. "They're a problem for later."
"They're a problem we need to deal with sooner rather than later," Thrane says matter-of-factly.
"There's no telling what Bastian is telling my pare – " I grimace and quickly correct course – "Garren and Keres." Though I know they're not my birth parents, I still carry love for them in my heart. I remind myself they had no idea who I really was, that they only wanted a child to love. The sobering thought breaks my heart further.
"He could incite a war," Eris offers, crossing her arms over her chest. She no longer hides her appearance, though I worry word will somehow reach Hydra of her whereabouts.
"War is inevitable," Thrane drawls.
I tap my fingers atop the counter. "Maybe we can stop it."
"How do you propose we do that, Kitarni?" Nyx asks. "We can't exactly visit Midori and – "
