Page 243

“Gods, what is your obsession with—” Her eyes flew wide. “A throne isnotgodsdamn treasure, Raz.”

“One could argue a throne is very valuable,” he replied, mouth dragging down her neck as he tugged aside the collar of her tunic.

“Fuck me against a wall like a normal person,” she gasped when his teeth sank into the soft place between her neck and shoulder.

“I will add eloquent to your list of endearing attributes,” he murmured darkly.

A throat clearing had them both stilling. She peaked over Razik’s shoulder to see a guard standing in the doorway. His eyes were averted, but he held clothing in his hand.

“I, uh, have these. For your consort, your Highness,” he said.

“Your Highness,” Razik murmured against her skin.

She growled, shoving him back, and he chuckled lightly as she strode across the room to collect the clothing. The guard quickly disappeared once more, and she made her way back to Razik. Throwing the clothing at him, she said, “Get dressed. We need to clean up in here, and I need to check in with the others.”

“And the wall?” Razik asked with a grin, slipping the tunic over his head.

She sighed. “Will have to wait. I have no doubt we’ll be interrupted again in a minute.”

“And the throne?”

“Oh my gods, Razik,” she chided. “Stop with the throne, and I’ll get you some treasure from Sorin’s vaults below.”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’ll circle back to this topic.”

“We are not circling back to this, Raz,” she retorted, leading him out of the Great Hall.

She felt his contemplative hum in her bones, and she sighed, trying to shake off the want still coursing through her.

They were nearing the bridges when he said, “You could wear a crown too.”

With a hard shove, she had him tumbling into the Tana with a splash. His laughter followed her across the bridge, and she found herself smiling like a fool.

Chapter43

Sorin

“Iam sorry, Briar,” Sorin said the moment he stepped into Ashtine’s private rooms.

Briar shut the door behind him, and Sorin pulled the male into a quick, tight embrace.

They hadn’t had a chance to talk much since the battle for the Wind Court two days ago, outside of updates and planning sessions. Ashtine had stayed out of sight for much of that time, but word had already spread that the Wind Princess was with child. As expected, there were varying degrees of reaction to the knowledge that Briar had sired them.

That wasn’t why he was here, though. Sorin hadn’t gotten a chance to check in with his friend since Briar had learned of Sawyer’s death. He didn’t know when he had been told or how, but he knew there hadn’t been time to properly grieve in the middle of war.

“What do you need?” he asked, stepping back and following the Water Prince deeper into the sitting room.

Briar didn’t say anything for a long moment, instead pouring Sorin a cup of tea and passing it over. “Ashtine is still sleeping.”

“Good,” Sorin answered with a nod of thanks. “She needs the rest.” He paused before adding, “So do you. I can come back later.”

“No,” Briar said quickly. “I am fine.”

“What do you need, Briar?” Sorin asked again.

Icy blue eyes met his. They were as turbulent as the waves he could command. “What do I not need at this point? I need to protect Ashtine from the archaic thinking of our people. I need to protect my children from the same, but first I need to make sure they have a safe world to be born into. I need to get my own fucking Court back, and I need to hold a proper Farewell for my brother who—”

Sorin was pulling him back into another embrace, swallowing thickly. He had grown up with Briar. They were nearly the same age, and when Sawyer had come along, he’d eventually fallen in with them without question. He’d known the Drayces longer than he’d known any of the other Fae, and while his Inner Court was his family, so were Briar and Sawyer. Only he and Briar were also both responsible for entire Courts. The weight of that responsibility was something understood by only a select few. It had created a different sort of bond.