The War Slayers had departed with the monarchs, and Kellan and I strode slowly after them. I paused as we reached a short landing where the trees twisted and merged with another variety. Kellan’s hand softly appeared at my lower back.
“That could have gone better,” he murmured. “I’m sorry. I just?—”
I whirled to face him. “Why are you apologizing?”
His hand slid along my waist. His brows narrowed as I scanned him, and I slowly shook my head.
“I probably shouldn’t have threatened to tear her throat out,” he explained before clearing his throat, eyes dipping. “But in my defense, most diplomatic talks in Votruvia end with bloodshed. I once saw another Lord of Marisarma stab another’s first mate in the eye duringCongremar. I should have leashed my anger. I’m sorry, love. I’ll behave next time we?—”
My lips slammed against his before the words could escape, and I slid my hands around his neck. His arm wrapped around my waist as his hand drifted to the back of my neck, and he pulled me against him. His lips parted for me, and my tongue slipped desperately against his before I sucked his lower lip into my mouth, letting it pop free as I leaned back to stare at him.
“No one has ever stood up for me against her,” I said as I scanned his face.
His brows furrowed as his lips pursed.
“Ever. Thank you.”
A quiet tenderness softened his eyes, and he opened his mouth to speak. He paused as my hand met the bulge in the front of his formal pants.
A puff of breath escaped his lips instead, his eyes darkening as my fingers quickly tugged the barely visible laces free.
“Bonscaíh—”
His voice lowered a husky octave. I glanced quickly around before I pressed him against the smooth bark of the hidden alcove along the outer walkway. Midnight graced us with its gentle shadows. My lips slipped along his strong jawline to his ear, where I drew a long line with my tongue down to the hollow of his throat.
He was free now, the thick, velvety length of him resting perfectly in my hand as I made one slow sweep after another. Heat pooled at the center of my abdomen at the feel of him. My hair fell loose along my shoulders as he gently tugged one pin after another free, dropping them to the ground as I left unhurried kisses over the exposed skin on his chest.
His hand tangled in my hair, and I glanced up as I reached the buttoned part of his shirt. Dark eyes watched me as I dropped to my knees, my gray gown falling in a small pool at his feet. His head fell back against the golden bark of the Gilded Fortress, and his eyes threatened to close as I wrapped my lips around the broad tip of him.
Heat surged to my core as my tongue slipped around him. He blew out a tight breath as my head bobbed, taking as much of him in as I could manage, his wide head bumping the back of my throat. My hands gripped the rest of him, and he let out a moan I wished I could bottle up.
I moved slowly, luring one ragged breath after another, and a pressure of my own built with every visceral sound that escaped his lips. He hardened further between my lips as I moved faster, my tongue paying close attention to every detail that fit in my mouth. I worked him, adjusting my speed to keep from ending this too soon. He wavered at the edge of control, and a pulsing began between my legs at each ragged breath I drew from his lips.
Something moved in him, and I looked up at Kellan beneath heavy lids. I let a fuck-me moan roll up my throat andreverberate through my lips as his eyes landed on mine. His hand tightened in my hair, and I relinquished control as he began to move against me. A delicious groan escaped his parted lips as he finished, his brows narrowing as he drove home.
My throat bobbed twice as his hand loosened, his head slumping against the wall. He gently lifted my chin, raising me to my feet, and my lips slipped against the strong column of his exposed neck.
“Bonscaíh. My shadow… My love,” he murmured into my hair, shaking his head softly.
I pulled back to find those heavy eyes, and his thumb brushed the bead of salty pleasure from the corner of my lips before he took them in his own. The kiss was smooth and slow. His tongue explored the now-familiar territory of my own, each swipe a promise of what would come later. Heat slid to the center of my legs, and I pulled away, knowing our time of privacy was running short.
My hand slid to his, and I pulled him down the steps.
“You looked…” I paused, my mind slipping back to one of the many evenings on board theHydralast year, “ratherdathuil, tonight.” I did my best to curve the sound against my lips, taking on the Votruvian accent as I spoke the word forhandsome. “I like you in black. Though I think I’ll always prefer the blue coat.”
A thick laugh escaped Kellan’s lips, and he squeezed my hand.
“I’m not accustomed to…” he paused, stretching his arm out and examining the designs down his jacket, “being fancy.”
“Why were you early?” I continued. “I thought I’d beat you up there.”
A scoff escaped his lips, and I paused as we reached the grand entrance of the Gilded Fortress at last. The calm darkness of night beckoned us beyond its gates. I turned toward him to find a scowl on his face, his brows narrowed in annoyance.
“Well, first, they tried todressme, as if I were a child and couldn’t put an arm into my sleeve. I wouldn’t allow that. And then, they tried togroomme, like I was a godsdamned horse—” He paused, searching the dark sky overhead before murmuring, “no offense.”
A rush of amusement rippled down my bond with Tiberius, though I knew he’d been flying far from here, and he’d been absent in my mind earlier.
“I was early because they tried tocut my hair,” he growled, his thumb running a line over the top of my hand.
