Page 130 of A Warrior's Heart

Troy threw his head back and dug his fingers into my hip. We were weightless in the water as our bodies drifted up from the bed, the bottom of our tails interlinked and me moving in and out of his tight heat.

“Mal.” He reached up and cupped the back of my head. “Deeper.”

I gripped his lean waist and thrust in all the way to the hilt. A light humming rumbled in his chest, almost like a soft purr. When I brought him to climax, he arched his back and shuddered, his ass clenching around me. My release soon followed, and I rocked my hips into him once, twice more, before stilling.

“I love you,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

He rested his cheek on mine. “I love you too.”

A knock came at the door, the sound muffled slightly because of the water.

“Yes?” I asked.

“It’s Reif. The meeting will begin shortly.”

“On my way,” I responded before nuzzling Troy’s shoulder. “I must go.”

“I should as well. Eva will need me in the infirmary.”

I kissed him before leaving his side and strapping on my armor. He had drifted back down to the bed and watched me with a small smile playing at his lips.

“What?”

“You’re handsome,” he answered. “And you’re almost as attractive putting on your armor as you are when taking it off.”

“Behave.”

I heard him chuckle as I left the room.

Reif and I glided down the corridor. Many merfolk built homes in the sea and lived in their true forms nearly all the time. But I missed walking on two legs. When we reached the council chambers, four other men were present. There were normally eight councilmen. Half of them had fled after the battle.

“Commander,” Nen said, nodding to me. He was the youngest member of the council, still older than me but with a full head of dark hair unlike the others around him who were graying.

I gave a curt nod before taking position along the wall. Reif rooted himself beside me.

A warrior had no place at the council’s table, but I refused to let the prince go anywhere without me. Especially now when we were at our most vulnerable without the protection of the barrier.

Prince Lorcan entered the room, and all eyes went to him before the councilmen bowed their heads. It was the first official meeting since the battle. The focus had been on other matters, like ensuring the people had a place to go and that the soldiers were tended to.

“I see Salvatore is no longer with us,” Lorcan said after scanning the men at the table.

Salvatore was the head of the king’s council. The prince had never liked him. Neither had I.

“He left once the barrier fell, Your Highness,” one of the councilmen said.

“Many others have left too,” Nen added. “Members of the council, as well as citizens.”

“As is their right.” Lorcan wore a shirt made of net and his silver hair brushed his shoulders in a familiar way, not only sounding like his father but looking like him as well. “Anyone who wishes to leave shall.”

“Many have remained,” another said. “This is their home.”

“Wastheir home.” Lorcan kept a stern expression, though I saw the unease in his green eyes. “This kingdom was a safe place for us to dwell, and that safety has been taken from us. Without the magic of the barrier that concealed us from the outside world, we are exposed here.”

“Why did the king abandon us?”

“Why did he ruin our home?”

“What is your plan, Your Highness? The people need to know something. Anything. They’re scared and—”