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Chapter Twenty-eight

Calix

I hadn’t been to Sunrise in many years, and while their lagoons could never compare to Nova Falls in my mind, I appreciated the chance to steal away here with Asteria.

Just because this was an important diplomatic trip didn’t mean we couldn’t take advantage of all it had to offer.

As Asteria walked out to the patio in nothing but a light, flowing robe, I sent my thanks to Nox and, by the Otherworld, even Ausrine, for making this possible.

I watched, completely transfixed, as her legs peeked out from under the robe when Asteria walked down the steps into the water. Letting the robe fall behind her, exposing herself completely as she let the water cover her instead.

Fuck, she was perfect.

All of that smooth skin had turned from her usual porcelain to a lightly tanned golden shade from the sun. Slender shoulders gave way to full breasts with nipples I couldn’t help biting every time they were exposed. Her waist dipped in only to curve back out at her hips. And then her ass, that perfect, spankable ass, followed by long legs despite her short stature.

The smirk on her lips as she made her way to me was matched by the playfully swirling starlight in her eyes when she reached me. I held myself back, wanting to see what she would do.

I wasn’t disappointed. She circled me in the water, her hands reaching out to caress and trace every tattoo. Her fingertips smoothed over the soulmark on my back, making me shiver, before slipping to my bicep and following the scales across my chest. Her hand slid from the other bicep down to my forearm, where the shining silver runes banded around it.

“Do you know what it says?” I murmured, and she looked up at me from under her lashes.

“You know I can’t read ancient Fae.” She gave me a look, and I couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out.

I took her hand, bringing her fingers to trace each rune as I spoke the words.

“Darkness sweeps across the land

To bring new order to Fae and Man.

A light to brighten his darkness be the king’s fate

Blood will seep and unveil his mate.

An eclipsed star lost who must be found

The power of two will be her crown.

Together, they will usher in a new age

Though not without a war to wage.

A queen of stars and a king of night

Are the only hope to see the world made right.”

I switched her fingers to the other forearm halfway through, and when I finished, they wrapped around my arm and held tight, her eyes fixed on the runes.

“That’s your birth prophecy, isn’t it?” she asked quietly. She looked up, wide blue eyes meeting my purple ones, and I nodded my affirmation.

Her hand slid up my arm to my neck, cupping it firmly. “Is this why you want me to rule with you? Because fate said so?”

I could sense her apprehension, and I was quick to shake my head, my hand coming up to slip under her neck and into her hair. “ Never . The prophecies don’t control us. The seers merely see into the future and tell us what they see happening. Fate is always in our hands.”

“Is it?” she countered, her eyes swirling rapidly with sparkling light.

“I promise it is. I know you hate the idea of some outside force controlling us, and I’m with you on that. Having a seer for a sister has given me much more insight on how they work, and it’s often just as confusing to them.” I promised her, seeing her shoulders drop in relief.

“So our actions are perceived, not controlled?” she asked, and I nodded.

“My fate was always to be yours, my réalta.” I tightened my hand in her hair, tilting her head back to meet my eyes. “Just as yours was to be mine. Not because some god or seer said so, but because there is no world where I accept any less.”

She surged upward, and I met her lips as we crashed together. I grabbed her legs and hooked them around my hips, her cunt teasing my cock as the water quickened her slide against me.

“Fuck me, my dorchadas,” she murmured against my lips, and my cock strained toward her, desperate for relief. I nipped her bottom lip before grabbing her hips and lifting her up, sinking her down on my cock.

Her moan was swallowed by my mouth, and my tongue swept along hers as I dragged her up and down my hard length. I swore as she clenched down hard around me.

“Fucking Elysium. I swear paradise couldn’t feel as good as you,” I murmured as I began kissing down her neck, her hand pulling my hair and guiding me. I let my hands wander up her curves until I gripped her breasts in my hands. She swirled her hips into mine, riding me as her claws sank into my shoulder.

I quickly brought her to the ledge of the lagoon and placed her on the edge. She fell back, and I let myself look long and hard at her. I couldn’t have imagined a more exquisite mate. My shadows responded to my emotions without my say-so and began whirling up her body, making her giggle as she eyed me affectionately.

As I grabbed her legs and hooked them around to me to sink back into her, I was surprised by the bit of starlight that swirled up and around my cock. I looked at her and found her biting her lip to contain her giggles, but she continued to stroke my cock with her starlight. I let her play for a minute, the torture of waiting heightened by the feel of her touch via magic. Until the starlight snaked down to my balls, and I couldn’t take anymore.

I thrust into her hard, shaking her body and making her breasts bounce for me. I smirked as I thrust again and watched them, mesmerized by the movement. Asteria’s hair was fanned out around her, her arms out and claws digging into the tile.

“Fuck me harder, my dorchadas.” She gave me a fang-filled smile, and there was no way I could resist that. I gave a punishing thrust, earning a shout from her lips that I leaned over and swallowed the end of. My tongue slipped into her mouth as I ground against her, hitting her clit repeatedly.

Her arms wrapped around me, holding me to her tightly. I lifted her until I was standing at the edge of the water, where I put her down onto the edge of the patio.

We didn’t let go of one another, arms tightening against the other as the intensity rose. I fucked her in shorter, but much more forceful thrusts, grinding into her as she met me with rolling undulations of her hips. Her breasts pressed against my chest as our tongues battled for dominance.

She was clenching down around me so hard that I worried I wouldn’t last much longer despite my usual stamina. So I slipped a finger down to her clit and rubbed it until I felt her orgasm begin. The feeling of her walls caressing me as her arousal leaked down around my cock was enough to have me cumming, spilling inside her as she collapsed against me.

I pet her hair as we both panted, trying to catch our breath. Her finger twirled a piece of my hair as she ran her other hand down my back. I loved these moments, in the aftermath, where we both had the chance to just be still and relaxed with one another.

We hadn’t had any time to just be since Asteria accepted me as her mate. The circumstances meant that we were running out of time, in fact. We had to take whatever moments we could, wherever we could get them.

I had confidence we would both make it through whatever came with Cyrus, but I couldn’t help the fear that accompanied it. That the world would fall to chaos, and we would be left to fade away. There was the chance she would be taken from me.

I would fight to the end to ensure she stayed alive. And I would also ensure that whatever fate befell us, it would be together. I couldn’t live in a world without her light, leaving me to be consumed by darkness.

So we would live together, or we would die together. There was no other option.

I would do whatever it took to make it so we lived . Even if I had to burn the world completely to keep her breathing.

* * *

Walking to dinner, I held Asteria’s shaking hand in mine.

“I didn’t expect to be this nervous,” Asteria admitted, wiping her other hand over her flowy skirt. She looked gorgeous, and I had to admit that Sunrise knew what it was doing fashion-wise.

While I loved Asteria in her Night Kingdom attire most, the light, breezy fabrics of Sunrise gave me tantalizing glimpses of her legs and breasts. They’d even provided one in purple with gold accents for her. I was wearing the men’s version, with loose linen pants and a sleeveless top folded that dipped into a low V at my chest, exposing the iridescent dragon scales across it. It was all in black, thankfully, with only purple and silver accents lining it.

“You’ll be fine, my réalta,” I reassured her. “You’ve stood toe-to-toe with much scarier Fae than King Gravadain, I assure you.”

She stood straighter, shaking her head, “You’re right. I swear, becoming Fae has messed with my mind.”

“Hey.” I stopped her, putting a hand on her cheek. “You’re dealing with a lot, with very little time. You will adjust, but your emotions are still going to be a bit all over the place for a while. We’ll keep working on your control. You’ve done great in your training of them as far as your magic goes, so we just need to work on extending that further.”

We’d gone out several times to train, including while we stayed at the fortress on the Etheralta Mountains. Seeing her starlight exploding over the star opal mountains was an amazing sight to see, but even more so was seeing her grasping more control over her power.

“Thank you.” She smiled softly, nodding. She pressed a hand over mine and kissed my palm.

I laced our fingers together and brought them to my mouth, kissing her fingers before we continued on. A slave was at the door, and Asteria stiffened as they bowed silently and opened the door.

I was used to seeing them in this situation, but she hadn’t had much opportunity for it since being freed. It was always an incongruous sight after spending so much time in Night. Asteria kept her eyes glued to the slave as we entered, before her gaze was eventually pulled to those around the table as they stood to welcome us.

“Ah, King Calix, Princess Asteria, thank you both for joining us.” Idalia smiled and waved at the pair of seats directly across from her.

King Gravadain was sitting at the head of the table, and his son and heir, Dagur, sat at the other end. Idalia was next to Gravadain, and their youngest son, Altan, sat next to her. The princesses Sunneva and Isleen took the remaining two spots next to Dagur.

Gravadain had conceded to having just his family present after I requested no other members of court be present. I wanted his attention, not deflection and court politics. At least as much as was possible. This was bigger than such petty maneuvering, and I hoped he had the sense to see it.

“Thank you, King Gravadain, Queen Idalia, for having us. We appreciate your invitation.” I directed my thanks mostly at Gravadain. The man was stern, and he and his wife often clashed with their opposing personalities. He had dark black skin that Altan seemed to have inherited, while the rest of their children were a lighter shade of brown, like their mother. The king of Sunrise wore his hair in braided locks that fell to his shoulders, emphasizing his prominent cheekbones and strong jaw.

“Please, sit, King Calix. It’s been many years, and I’m eager to hear an explanation for the chaos you’ve been causing.” Gravadain intoned, his expression screaming ‘unimpressed.’

Altan rolled his eyes, making eye contact for a moment as he shook his head. He mouthed ‘sorry’ to Asteria while his father was looking elsewhere. I appreciated that he took the time for it, considering his father’s clear disrespect in not even greeting her. However, I liked less how Asteria smiled back at him softly.

Much less.

He was undeniably good looking. Like a softer version of his father, his face a bit slimmer and sculpted more like his mother’s. His braided hair was pulled together in a tie that fell down his back, with shorter pieces up front that had escaped his braids flying loose.

“I’m not the one bringing chaos to our realm, King Gravadain,” I told him firmly, raising a brow. “Cyrus has lost his mind. He threatens us all with actions, courting chaos daily.”

Dagur snorted from down the other end of the table. He looked more like his mother, with golden brown skin, dark black hair that cascaded around his face in waves that fell to his shoulders, and a dark mustache with matching thick eyebrows. His gold eyes had a piercing gaze that instantly had my fire rising before I forced it back down. My instincts were never wrong, however.

“You claim Cyrus courts chaos? While you attack the kingdoms at random, killing us all left and right?” Dagur pressed, leaning on the table with those golden eyes staring me down. At least until they switched to my mate, making me grip the knife on the table a bit too hard. “While you claim a mate that threatens our very way of life?”

“Excuse me?” Asteria countered, her brows flying upwards. “ I threaten your way of life?”

“Women aren’t meant to be heirs,” he sneered at her, making his death loom ever closer as a snarl crept up my lips. At least until Asteria placed a hand on my thigh, stilling me.

She laughed wryly, and grabbed her wine glass, taking a slow sip. She swished the wine in the glass, casual as you please. “I’m afraid you’re wrong.”

I bit my lip to hide my smile as Dagur’s eyes widened. I watched Gravadain subtly, noting that he was examining Asteria and his son’s interaction carefully. Idalia was trying to fight a smile, looking at her daughters, who kept their eyes down as best they could. The younger, however, Isleen, was trying to watch Asteria without notice from under her lashes.

“How am I wrong?” Dagur sneered, hands balling into fists.

“The gods chose me.” Asteria shrugged, and I could feel how hard she was trying to contain her smirk. I was so proud of her for holding back her anger, despite the asshole baiting her. “Meaning women are indeed meant to be heirs. Or are you saying the gods are wrong ?” She gasped dramatically, her hand going over her heart.

I heard Altan’s amused snort, and sent him a quick smirk, before my eyes were back on the threat present. Dagur’s eyes were narrowed on my mate in a way that had smoke gathering in my throat.

“Forgive my son his poor manners, Princess,” Gravadain said, and both our eyes moved down the table to the king. “The gods have chosen you, yes. But I still don’t see how this affects us. You and Cyrus both are seeking my aid in battle, Calix. Why should I side with either of you? You still haven’t explained your attacks on our people, let alone why Cyrus is such an apparent threat you’d come seeking aid from the very kingdoms you attacked.”

I took a deep breath. I knew this would be a problem going into this war. Our efforts to free slaves would never be taken well, nor forgiven. We’d killed Fae, taken their slaves, and invaded their lands. I wouldn’t forgive either in their shoes.

The slaves present brought out our dinner, and we began eating as I shared my reasons, fitting in bites where I could.

“I know it must seem strange, but the situation was a strange one,” I told him honestly. “We freed our slaves in Night Kingdom.” The gasp from down the table came from Sunneva, whose hand was over her mouth in shock.

Gravadain’s mouth parted as he watched me incredulously, and I continued explaining what I’d done. The tale wasn’t easy, nor quick, but it was necessary. They relied on their slaves, and I knew it would be a hard sell to the other Fae, hence my attacking to free humans where I could.

Dagur laughed, “You’re fighting to free slaves? And this war of yours is to what, free them all?”

“Humans deserve freedom just as much as you do,” Asteria said forcefully, her teeth clenched. “But this is about more than just that.”

Gravadain raised a disbelieving brow, so I explained Cyrus’s use of blood magic. How he pushed the line of chaos too far. How he’d allied with Aelius on the terms of killing his heir, but had no intention to do so. We’d received some disturbing whispers from the border about Cyrus killing more humans, but we hadn’t gotten enough confirmed intel yet to be able to say definitively how far into his plans he was.

But thanks to Asteria and the information she’d found, we knew exactly what those plans were.

“Blood magic?” Gravadain’s brows furrowed as he frowned. “Iron? This all sounds very far-fetched.”

“I assure you it’s true.” Asteria stared him down, and I felt a surge of pride as she faced off with the difficult bastard. The way she refused to be cowed… she was a true queen.

“I saw him myself. Watched as he murdered a human and used magic to increase his waning powers,” she continued passionately. “Dusk is spiraling rapidly into chaos, and the way Cyrus escalates, I have no doubt that before long, you’ll be feeling the effects here in Sunrise.”

She tilted her head to the side, “Tell me, King . Will you just sit back and watch your kingdom fall? Or will you get up off your ass and do something about it?”

Pride flared within me once more, and I thanked every god I knew that this devastating woman was mine .

Gravadain rocked back in his seat, as if her words had physically pushed him. He looked between us for several minutes, before he finally cleared his throat.

“You’ve given me much to think on.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood. “Please, enjoy your stay. I will summon you once I’ve made a decision.”

He left the room, Dagur and Sunneva following dutifully, but Altan and Isleen stayed at the table with Idalia, Asteria, and me.

I eyed Idalia, who was shaking her head ruefully.

“That man,” she cursed, her face creasing with frustration. “He would let his kingdom fall to prove a point, I swear it.”

She eyed me sadly. “He was embarrassed by your attacks, Calix. He won’t side with you despite it being clear Cyrus is going to bring about our doom.”

“Is he stupid?” Asteria asked, flabbergasted. Idalia and Altan broke out in laughter, while Isleen tried to hide her smile. I chuckled, putting a hand on her thigh.

“He sees what I did as a slight against him. Cyrus hasn’t personally done anything to him.” I explained before I leaned over and bit her earlobe, making her gasp as I teasingly whispered, “ Kings have fragile egos. ”

She jokingly pushed her hand on the center of my chest to move me backward, but her smile was bright. Returning to the seriousness of the moment, she asked, “What about the slaves?”

Asteria put her elbows on the table and leaned toward Idalia. “It’s clear you think we’re right about Cyrus, but where do you stand on that matter?”

Idalia sighed, smiling slightly, “I will be honest, I have never much considered them. Perhaps that makes me as awful as my husband.”

“Never,” Altan spat, shaking his head in disgust. “You could never be like him.”

“And you?” Asteria raised a brow at him, and I shot him a smirk as he found himself under her intense gaze. “What do you think?”

Altan sat back and looked at her for a minute, before a smile slowly broke out. He began counting on his fingers as he listed his thoughts. “I think the two of you are planning to lead Celesterra into a new age. I think my shit brother will drive our kingdom into the ground. And I think I’m helpless on my own to fix anything.”

He looked contemplatively at his mother, then his little sister, before finishing quietly. “I think it’s time I finally made a move. And that’s going to be joining your side.”

Idalia smiled proudly and patted his chest, “As if you had a choice, my daring boy. I would be making you regardless.”

Altan rolled his eyes affectionately as his mother laughed. “Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page. I can definitely bring some others in as well. There are those in Sunrise who wouldn’t stand for what Cyrus is doing, and others who are close to humans.”

“You should go with them,” Isleen spoke up for the first time, and as every eye remaining at the table focused on her, she sank slightly into her chair from the attention.

“Isleen?” Altan asked quietly. “What are you thinking? Don’t hide that big brain away.” His teasing was lighthearted, and it made me soften a bit toward him. Despite him seeming better than his father and brother, and agreeing to help us, which was really the bare minimum as far as I was concerned, knowing he was a caring big brother was definitely a point in his favor.

Going by Asteria’s feelings, I could tell she thought similarly. Even more so, he was encouraging his sister to think for herself. Too often, women were disregarded, and Gravadain had displayed enough of that behavior tonight alone.

“I’d love to hear what you’re thinking, Isleen,” Asteria encouraged her, smiling at the girl. It made her look up, and her eyes locked with Asteria’s. There was a sheen to her eyes that I recognized.

The stirrings of hero worship.

There was quite a lot for a young girl to look up to, after all. Asteria was not only the first female heir; she was a former slave turned Fae and a woman who let no one and nothing stop her from doing what she wished.

“Altan and I have a way to communicate,” she confessed, and the siblings smiled secretly at one another. “If he goes with you, we can stay in contact more easily. He can start tonight with gathering people, and I’ll continue when he’s gone.” She nodded decisively, as if setting herself to the task. “No one notices me. Certainly not Father.” She scoffed. “I can do what you did, Princess, and work on finding out plans from the shadows.”

“Father will definitely react when he finds out I left with you, which would give you something to go on.” Altan mused, before shaking his head. “But it’s too dangerous, Izzy. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Altan,” she sighed sadly. “Should they lose, I’ll be in more danger without my magic and under an overlord who not only looks down on women like Father but wields iron for his punishments.”

Altan opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could get a word out. “You know where this leads; don’t pretend you don’t.”

He sighed, running a hand down his face, looking around helplessly. I could relate.

“Don’t worry, darling.” Idalia ran her hand down her son’s back. “I’ll be here with her, and I’ll help where I can. Gravadain will be watching once he realizes you’re gone, but he won’t watch your sister; she’s right about that. I’ll make sure she’s careful, and distract him and your brother where needed.”

She turned to me, and her face grew stern. “I don’t agree with how you did things, Calix.” She looked at Asteria and softened a bit. “But I can see what was driving you to such lengths. I am trusting you with my son. He may not be heir, but he’s more precious to me than any title he could have. You will protect him. Do I make myself clear?”

I nodded solemnly, but Altan interjected, “Mother, I’m a warrior; fighting is in my blood. I can protect myself.” He kissed her cheek, and she swatted him away with a smile.

Asteria looked over to me with a smile growing on her face. We may not have gotten all of Sunrise, but we knew going in that it was going to be near impossible. This was better than I’d hoped for.