Page 133

The Gift

Ria could feel the tension and anger radiating off Mehl, but her worry was all for Toren. His weariness seemed to weigh him down like a jewel-encrusted cloak as he slumped against the back of his seat. And who could blame him? Family was complicated at the best of times, and his relationship with his brother could never be called anything resemblingbest.

“Did he actually have new terms to deliver?” she asked.

She expected Toren to shake his head no, but he nodded instead. “Aside from hiding all of this from the princess, he wants me to use my magic to change the inheritance laws. He wasn’t specific as to how they should be changed, so long as it renders him unable to inherit.”

Mehl straightened, jostling her a little as he swung his leg from the couch. “That makes no sense. What could he possibly stand to gain?”

Though Ria wondered the same, she hesitated to ask another question. She should have thought better of her last one, for the lines of exhaustion on Toren’s face had only grown. All of this could be discussed after a solid night’s rest. Not thatMehlappeared likely to sleep. Their husband’s turmoil had him in an uproar.

“According to Ber, Ryenil wants him to take the throne of Llyalia from me with the ultimate goal of combining the kingdoms.” Toren sighed, a heavy, pained sound. “Apparently, if Tes wasn’t ‘dead’ to the king, he would have murdered her after the child was born and raised the baby himself while Ber ruled here. Then after a few decades, Ryenil would have Ber assassinated and place the now-grown child on the throne of Llyalia instead. A puppet ruler, essentially.”

In reflex, Ria crossed her arms over her stomach to protect the child within. “That’s awful.”

“But is it true?” Mehl asked. Despite the anger in his voice, he rubbed her back in gentle, comforting circles. “That sounds extreme. Surely, our spies would have detected some sign of this?”

“I suppose it depends on how effective he’s been at hiding it.”

Ria’s heart twisted at Toren’s flat, tired tone.I can’t take it anymore.Before Mehl could ask yet another question, she hurried over to their husband and slipped into his lap. Toren enfolded her in his embrace as her arms curled around his neck, and as she nestled her face against his neck, she felt him drop a kiss against her hair.

She’d meant to comfort him, but the peace that filled her at the gesture suggested she’d needed a bit of comfort herself. Though Toren could be fierce and sometimes even chaotic, there was a timeless steadiness to him, unending like the pulse pounding beneath her lips. She couldn’t resist soaking it up.

His hand slid slowly up her back, and her body went warm and soft at the caress. Without thought, she kissed the soft, tempting skin at the base of his neck, and he shivered. Against the side of her leg, she felt his cock harden, but the sigh ruffling her hair suggested that exhaustion held him in a greater grip than desire.

“I’m not sure you really mean that,” she quipped, shifting her leg to rub against his hard length.

Toren’s chuckle sounded dry to her ears. “I’m not sure, either.”

Mehl’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Whether I want to take you both to bed for sex or to sleep,” Toren muttered.

At the choked, growly sound of frustration Mehl released, Ria lifted her head to look at him. Her brow wrinkled in confusion. Mehl’s lips were white from how tight he pinched them, and his hands were gripped into fists atop his legs. Who was he upset at? Ber? Toren?

Her stomach dropped. Was it her?

“I don’t understand how you can consider either sexorsleep,” Mehl gritted out. “Your brother remains a threat.”

Not me.

Her fear for herself faded, but as she felt the way Toren sagged beneath their husband’s harsh words, her worry for him increased. She glared at Mehl. Couldn’t he see the hurt he’d caused? “I know you’re feeling protective, but why are you so angry? It isn’t Toren’s fault.”

Mehl leapt to his feet. “It’s not that I’m angryathim. It’s only…”

“That he’s afraid,” Toren murmured, his somber voice a low rumble beside her ear. “Afraid that I am falling victim to my brother’s manipulation again by letting the subject go. But Mehl, that is not the case. We’re all exhausted. Especially Ria, who carries our child. More than that, though…Ihurt. Heart and soul. Have you considered that no matter the truth about my brother, my family is broken? So. Broken. Maybe I’m a fool for trying to form a new one with both of you when I don’t even know if my own twin is secret ally or mortal enemy.”

Ria’s heart crumpled—as did the anger on Mehl’s face. Poor Toren. Burying her head against his neck once more, she held him close and tried her best to send him some of her strength. Her love. She heard Mehl’s footsteps approach, and his heat warmed her back as he leaned down to kiss Toren.

“I’m sorry, love. I should have thought,” Mehl whispered. “Let’s go to bed, and we’ll show you how much we belong.”

At Toren’s nod, Mehl helped Ria to her feet, and together, they practically stumbled to the bedroom—but not in a rush of passion. This was the slow, slurred walk of exhaustion and uncertainty. A weariness of the soul. By the time they reached the bed, Ria nearly fell atop the covers fully dressed.

But no.

Almost numbly, she stripped off her dress as the kings removed their own clothes. Yet when she finally slipped beneath the sheets beside Toren, she knew she couldn’t rest. Like Mehl, she longed to show their husband how much he meant to her. She tucked herself against his back, her arm curling around his chest as Mehl wrapped his arm around them both, and grazed her lips along Toren’s spine.

Quiet and tender—that was how they made love. For Ria, it was touch—a caress here or a soft kiss there. For more than anything, Toren needed reassurance, and mostly from Mehl after all that anger. So she smiled against Toren’s back as Mehl kissed his way down their husband’s chest. When Mehl pushed him to his back, Ria was the one who danced her fingers teasingly along Toren’s parted thighs before Mehl claimed him.