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That felt like a homecoming. Emphasis on coming.
I giggle at the thought, then wrap my body tighter around him, holding him close and deep within me. I never want to let him go again.
His skin is chilled, so I call my flames to the surface. He groans and melts on top of me. “You’re the best…everything.”
“Not the best pillow though.” I rotate my shoulders, trying to get comfortable now that we’re not lost in our lovemaking.
“I’d have to disagree.” Sterling sits up, but I cling to him, forcing him to lift me as well. He grips my thighs as he carries me to our bed. “Let’s get a little more comfortable. I promised you twelve orgasms, and I’m nothing if not a man of my word.”
Sometime later, exhaustion finally overtakes us.
We drift off tangled together, skin to skin, and for the first time since he left, I sleep without nightmares.
Morning arrives too soon, and we quickly find ourselves surrounded by packs and travel accessories. Servants shuffle in and out of our chamber, bringing supplies and removing items deemed unnecessary.
Sterling and I eat standing up, snatching bites between instructions and preparations. Agnar, still appearing weary from his last journey, materializes with maps and spreads them across a table already cluttered with equipment.
He points to a spot on one of the maps. “We need to leave by midday if we want to reach the foothills before dark.”
Sterling swallows a mouthful of a savory pastry. “We’ll make better time than before since we know exactly where we’re going and don’t need to stop to investigate along the way.”
I pick at my food while my mind races ahead to the journey before us. This time, I’ll be going too. Seeing what they found, what they missed.
Keeping Sterling within reach.
The thought instills me with equal parts excitement and dread. “We need to decide who will govern in our absence. The kingdom needs a steward.”
Sterling frowns, considering. “It can’t be one of the council members. Too much risk of favoritism.”
“It needs to be someone who understands what’s happening.” I set my food down. “Someone who knows the situation…who we can trust absolutely.”
We trade a glance, still silently weighing options when Agnar bends to grab the last pack from the floor. “Bastian, of course.”
The simplicity strikes me immediately.
He’s right. Bastian is the obvious choice.
Through his research, he possesses intimate knowledge about what we’re confronting. He’s also the queen’s half-brother, which grants him legitimacy without giving him a claim to the throne. And I’d be willing to bet that he knows the laws of Tirene better than either Sterling or I do.
“That’s perfect.” Relief floods through me. “Bastian would be an excellent steward.”
Sterling nods his agreement. “He has the breeding, the knowledge, and the loyalty. And the council won’t intimidate him.”
I call over Astrid, who’s been hovering nearby with her portable writing desk. “Please draft the paperwork for Bastian to serve as our royal steward in our absence. I want us all to sign it before we leave.”
She bows and hurries away, leaving us to continue our preparations.
Sterling adjusts the strap of a pack. “Hope Leesa’s ready to be a surrogate queen.”
I smile at the thought of my sister in that role. She’d be good at it, actually. But a twinge of guilt lurks beneath the humor. I know exactly how Bastian will feel about getting left behind again. Though he’ll understand the importance of his role and the trust we’re placing in him, he’ll also experience the sting of exclusion in the same way I did when Sterling left without me.
Some separations are necessary, I remind myself. Some burdens must be carried alone. Yet, as I watch Sterling check his weapons one last time, relief swells in my chest when I remind myself that this time, we’ll face the unknown together.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The mountains in the heart of the Withered Undulations tower above us like sleeping giants, their peaks lost in wisps of cloud that curl around them with a lover-like embrace. Ancient forest stretches in every direction, hiding ruins that books claim exist but can only be found through hunting.
Just like this damn portal we’ve searched for since departing the palace yesterday.
