Sebastian chuckled softly, pausing our journey to tilt my chin up with his finger, giving him access to my mouth. His tongue teased mine in a deep, possessive kiss, unbothered by potential spectators.
I swear I didn’t mean to, but my eyes peeked open to see if Samara happened to be looking— which to my pleasure, she was.
“I am yours. You are mine. And I love you to the veil and beyond,” he pledged when he abruptly ended our messy kiss to catch up with the others.
The dining room was exactly as I’d expected after seeing the other rooms in Mealioria’s castle—immaculate and elegant werethe two words that came to the forefront of my mind. A table built of mahogany congested the space, the pattern somehow swirling into an intricate design instead of the natural wood grain. Silk curtains hung from the rounded windows, draping to the floor. Along the walls hung paintings of all the previous members of Mealioria’s sovereignty.
Sebastian pulled a chair out for me, and I settled myself properly onto its plush cushion. He took the seat beside me, Sawyer taking the one by my left—likely just to tweak the man on my right—making me even more uncomfortable about the lingering tension amongst us.
Pia, Kohen, Kade, Azain, and a few others I did not know took their place around the table, leaving the two larger chairs at either end free for the king and queen.
Samara had strategically taken the seat directly across from Sebastian, raking her eyes over him before switching to me and practically swallowing me whole with her stare.
Pursing my lips and straightening my posture, I did everything I could to avoid flaunting her my insecurities.
“Azain,” I disturbed the peace. “Did King Franlow take in any survivors from Caelestis? From what I’ve been told, not many survived, but I was hoping that maybe some made their way here.” There was nowhere else to go aside from the mountain ranges and unclaimed land, which could hardly be considered habitable.
His eyes flashed as he nodded. “Yeah, actually. We’ve had a few groups come through our borders asking for refuge.”
My smile could not be disguised. “Really? How many? Do you know what village or city they’re from?”
A spark of hope lit up my insides. The fact that even a few people from our home survived added a cushion to the ache of all that had been lost.
Azain shook his head as he raised a goblet of red wine to his lips. “Not sure where they came from. But we had a group of twenty come in a week or so after we got word of the castle falling. A few days after that there were some families that showed up on our doorstep, practically begging to be let in. Just recently, a group of forty or so came pleading for a place to stay and a meal.”
“And King Franlow let them in? Just like that? No questions asked?”
“Yeah. No offense,” Azain's eyes apologized to Sebastian, “but he is much more laid back than King Hawthorne ever was. Of course, they have to pull their weight with work, but they were welcomed into our land as if they had lived here from birth.”
Wow. Imagine that. I was born in the wrong kingdom.
“And here, are you forced into soldier-hood if you are gifted?” I pried, my curiosity getting the best of me.
“No. But most of the gifted chose to do so—” Azain was cut off by Samara’s high-pitched throat clear.
She licked her deep-crimson lips as she folded her hands and settled her chin upon them, batting her eyelashes at Sebastian. “So Sebby, how have you been? I haven’t seen you in hmm, almost two years right? I’m trying to think. When was the last time we?—”
“Samara,” Azain growled, narrowing his matching brown eyes on hers.
I wanted to, but I avoided shrinking down with my uncomfortableness and kept my spine straight.
Sebastian, per usual, kept his cool. “That’s incorrect. I saw you at the Jewel-Light Festival last year. Remember? For some reason my father decided to invite your family. If I remember correctly, you were getting handsy with one of our guards and he banned you from this year's festival.”
I fought back my pleased smirk.
Savage, Seb.That’s why I love you.
Samara scowled as she pulled her head from her hands, folding her dainty fingers on top of the table. “Well I suppose it’s a good thing there was no festival in Caelestis this year then.”
Oh,fuck. I hated her.
Her unwanted attention claimed Sawyer as its next victim. “Stella said she hasn’t heard from you since last fall. Such a shame. She really liked you until you began to pretend like she didn’t exist,” Samara stated bluntly.
“I sent her a letter.” Sawyer shrugged. “My priorities changed last year.”
“Uh huh.” Samara nodded skeptically before taking a sip of the wine the handmaidens had placed in front of us all. “Well, please forgive me. I saw her earlier and let her know that you were here. Don't be surprised if you hear a precious little knock on your door later.” She chuckled innocently, although I could see right through it.
Next on her list, Samara ripped into me with her glare as she attempted to seductively lick red wine off her lips. “So Maeve, I’ve heard so much about you by word of mouth, but tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you and Sebby meet?”
