Page 36 of Prisoner of Darkness and Dreams (Fated to the Sun and Stars #3)

I find Etusca and the others. Once I tell them what’s happened, it’s like I’ve lit a fire under the nursemaid.

She storms into Aquila Hall, and when she returns, she comes with half the council and a small army of attendants.

Suddenly, the dryads are tripping over themselves to act like gracious hosts, finding a place to stable our horses, unloading our packs, and insisting we follow them to the residences.

“Diomi’s already finished up with Ana,” she says when I tell her I want to be back with the princess, not ushered into some fancy guest quarters. “She’s waiting for you in her room.”

Relief floods through me when I see Ana standing tall on both feet. I want to pull her straight into my arms, but I stop short when I remember Etusca’s there, watching.

“Don’t mind me,” she says, making an exaggerated show of averting her gaze. I hug Ana tightly enough that she laughs, her voice muffled.

“Careful or you’ll break another bone,” she says.

I release her, and she beams up at me. “I spoke to Diomi while he healed me. There are celestial stones here in Starfall, and he thinks they could help bring my magic back.”

“He told you about the gaidonesti?” Etusca asks, shocked.

“I discovered them myself when I practically fell on top of them,” Ana says. “They’re what gave me the power to stop the mortifus.”

Understanding dawns on Etusca’s face. “He’s going to ask the council if they can use them to help you?”

Ana nods. “He said he’ll try to call a vote on it tomorrow morning.”

Determination crosses Etusca’s face. “Well then, looks like I have some council members to talk to,” she says .

“I though Diomi told you not to meddle?” Ana points out.

Etusca makes a dismissive noise. “He just doesn’t want to hear about his older sister pestering his colleagues. But the council are there to represent the people, and anyone’s allowed to appeal to them ahead of a vote. They’ll hear what I have to say.”

Ana crosses the room, taking Etusca’s hand in hers and squeezing it.

“Thank you,” she says.

Etusca gives her a tremulous smile. “I might not be your nursemaid anymore, but it’s still my job to look out for you, my dear,” she says before hurrying off to harass the council.

“I’m starting to wonder if Etusca and Diomi are the only two people on our side in this place,” Ana says when Etusca’s gone.

She turns to rifle through our packs to pull out a fresh pair of pants.

I haven’t missed the fact she returned from the infirmary with hers cut off up to the thigh.

“I’m glad she’s on the case. Diomi says he’ll convince the council to help us, but I wonder if he’ll be enough. ”

“That’s not a problem,” I say, stretching out across the bed and watching her intently. “Like I said before, if they don’t give us what we want, we’ll make them.”

She rolls her eyes at me.

“What?” I say, sitting up straighter. “You’ve never complained about my methods before.”

“Never?” she asks skeptically. I think back to months and months ago, when I first took her from the palace.

“Alright, no time recently,” I admit.

“You’re just thinking too much like a soldier,” she says.

Again, she sounds like my brother. It’s stupid, but the accusation stings. Ana once told me she saw me as more than someone who swings a sword and gives out orders.

She turns abruptly away from the packs and toward me, studying my face. She clearly reads my frustration in it, and I’m annoyed with myself for being so transparent .

“I said you’re thinking like a soldier Leon; I’m not saying that’s all you are.”

I nod, realizing that if she’s reading me like a book anyway, I might as well be honest.

“I understand that the dryads work differently to humans or fae. But that’s the problem. You’re telling me none of my usual tools will work here, and that makes me feel…well, lost.”

I stand and walk to the window, not sure if I want to see her expression after I’ve admitted this.

“Because you don’t know what to do?” she prompts, waiting for me to clarify.

“Because I’m left wondering why I’m here, if my skills aren’t any use.” I sigh. It’s new and uncomfortable to dig up my emotions and lay them on the table when I’m far more used to shutting them down. But Ana deserves anything she wants from me—including my honesty.

“Arguing with those dryads just took me back to those years when Fairon was sick, and my grandfather tried to force me to fill his shoes and play the role of heir,” I say. “I’ve never felt more useless. I’m not like you or Fairon. Politics isn’t my game.”

I feel raw—exposed as an open wound—so I nearly jump when Ana comes up behind me, wrapping her arms across my chest.

“You’re here because you make me better,” she says, resting her cheek against my back. I close my eyes, soaking in her words and the warmth of her.

“And how exactly do I do that?” I ask. “Aside from doing my level best to keep you alive? Because I obviously need to improve on that.”

She balls my shirt in her fingers and tugs on the fabric, using it to turn me around. Ana gives me a stern, serious look, her hazel eyes bright with a fire I know better than to mess with.

“You do a damn sight better than I would on my own. I’m never going to be a great fighter, Leon, not like you. But that’s okay. I’m better at observing things, I think, and noticing what people need for me to talk them around instead of using force. ”

She is good at that. I remember the way she persuaded Wadestaff to join our cause and her brother to go after Oclanna. She even convinced Eryx—the most stubborn bastard I’ve known, gods rest his soul—to help her save her friends in Otscold’s purge, way before the rest of us.

And she’s convinced me, time and time again, to follow her wherever she wishes.

The dryads were an impenetrable wall when we arrived here, but before the mortifus attack, I could see the cracks she’d already made in their denial to help us. Meanwhile, I only slowed us down.

“I made a mess of things with the council, didn’t I?” I ask.

“You were trying to help us,” she says, stepping closer so she has to tilt her head to meet my gaze. “And I have no doubt you could terrify every one of those Agathyrians senseless if you had to.”

“But?” I ask.

She shrugs. “But I don’t think that’s the right strategy here.

We complement each other, and in order for that to work, you have to let me balance you.

The situation with the council is a good example.

These negotiations are delicate—we shouldn’t apply too much force.

The dryads’ biggest fear is bringing war to their borders.

It’s why they agreed to the treaty in the first place.

Now they’ve gone and nearly killed two members of their neighbors’ royal families.

They’ll want to smooth things over quickly, and that gives us a big advantage. ”

“It’s insulting, really, how much sense you make,” I say. “I thought I was supposed to be the old and wise one.”

She smirks. “You’re only like five years older than me in fae years. It takes your people, what, four decades to reach adulthood?”

“Insolent princess,” I say, tilting her chin upward and silencing her with a kiss. Her body softens against me as she leans into it, a delicious little moan coming from her when I run my tongue along her lower lip.

“Those extra years count for something, you know,” I murmur against her mouth before pulling back, enjoying the way she frowns at the loss of my touch .

Joking aside, it’s easy to forget how quickly the world has forced her to adapt, and how masterfully she’s risen to the occasion.

“You’ve grown so much, Ana,” I say, cradling her face.

“I can hardly believe it at times, the things I’ve seen you do, when just a year ago you were still locked up in Gallawing.

” I think about her words that day in the Miravow, about how losing her magic felt like being back there again.

“That new inner strength and resolve of yours is still there, you know, regardless of whether you have your power.”

She nods, laying her hand over mine. “I’m seeing that now. Not having my magic leaves me more vulnerable in some ways, but…I can still be strong in others. I didn’t need my power to convince Diomi to speak to the council again.”

“And in the meantime, it’s my job to protect you from everything else,” I say. I’m still angry with myself, remembering her scream as she fell—the awful sound as she hit the ground. I wasn’t quick enough, but next time, I will be. I won’t let her get hurt again.

“It’s okay, Leon,” she says, clearly guessing the direction of my thoughts.

“I’m alive and healed. To be honest, if I was going to break a leg, a building full of dryads is the place to do it.

” Her expression grows thoughtful. “You know, it’s funny.

Once the mortifus was dead, I wasn’t afraid anymore, but I knew you’d be. I could feel that you were and then?—”

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” I say, gently cutting her off. “I’m already sure I’ll be having nightmares about watching you fall.” It’s the truth, and her eyes soften with sympathy. “Let’s focus on happier things right now,” I say. “Let’s concentrate on being together.”

I kiss her again, longer and slower this time, getting lost in her scent. I start to guide her back toward the bed, her smile of anticipation against my lips.

“Lie down,” I order, and she obeys, settling down on the mattress with a gleam of desire in her eyes.

For a moment, I just stand there, watching her. Taking the time to feel the fierce fires that burn inside me every time I look at her. It’s strange to think there was once a time when I wouldn’t have done anything for this woman.

A flush creeps up her pretty neck. “What are you doing?” she asks .

“Just planning how I’m going to go about this,” I say, crawling across the bed until I’m leaning over her. My hands go to her tunic, tugging open the lacing at the front, then removing the shirt underneath.

“And what have you decided?” she asks, a little more breathlessly.

“I’m going to inspect every inch of you to make sure those dryads didn’t miss anything,” I say, pressing my groin between her legs so she can feel my hardening cock. Her eyes darken as she helps me remove her shirt, allowing me to lean down and lick a line across her bare breasts.

“I hope it’ll be a very thorough inspection,” she gasps, then pulls a corresponding groan from me as she slips her hand beneath my waistband and wraps her fingers around my cock. I thrust into her hand, nipping lightly at her delicate skin with my teeth.

“Very,” I reply roughly. “For starters, I’m going to perform the whole thing with my mouth.”

I suck her nipple into a peak, having to stop myself from grinding against her palm as the sound she makes threatens to send me over the edge.

But when her moan trails off, I look up to see her bright eyes pinning me in place. She slips her hand free of my pants, hurrying to unfasten them and release my cock fully.

“Fuck me first, taste me later,” she orders in a voice both so demanding and needy I nearly come right there.

I strip off her pants and remove my own, enjoying the hungry expression on her face as she reaches for me.

“Leon,” she sighs, sliding her palm along my shoulders, my back, my ass, pulling me into her, clutching me close. “I need you, so badly.”

“Since you asked nicely…” I growl, then catch her by surprise by pulling her up on to her knees and turning her around.

“Grab hold,” I say, placing her hands against the headboard. She shivers with excitement as she understands, obediently wrapping her fingers around the top of the headboard.

I pull her hips back, getting the right angle, and lick my fingers, using them to tease her entrance. She keens as she starts to lift her hands to touch me in response.

“Ah-ah,” I say. “Remember my instructions?”

“So bossy,” she grumbles but places her hands down again.

I reward her by sliding my thumb across her clit, marveling at how soft and slick she is beneath my touch.

It’s like nothing else on this earth. My cock twitches as she shamelessly rubs herself against my fingers, a wanton thing desperate for release.

I know I won’t be able to hold back for long, already imagining the feeling of sinking into her.

I lean forward enough for my cock to brush against her, making her shiver as I place my mouth beside her ear.

“Whatever you do, don’t let go,” I command.

She turns to look at me, and that’s when I enter her, sliding home into her hot, tight sheath.

I watch the sensation play out on her face, taking in her gasp at the sudden fullness and then the way her eyelids flutter as I hit that sweet spot deep inside her.

I thrust into her until her fingers are gripping the headboard so tightly her knuckles are white.

Still, I take my time, pacing myself until I can hear the edge of her climax.

It’s always so easy to tell when she’s close—I just have to listen to the climbing pitch of her voice as she begs me not to stop.

This is where I’m in my element. This is where I’m meant to be. I’m on top of the world, knowing that I can make her feel this way. Knowing I’m the only one who can give her what she wants as good as this. This is my purpose: to make her happy in whatever way I can.

I stroke her clit, timing the caresses to my thrusts.

Suddenly, she straightens up, her whole body quivering against me as her head falls back onto my shoulder.

Her cries of pleasure are almost sobs as she climaxes, and I allow myself to relax, letting bliss wash everything else away as I drive my cock home one final time, groaning as I spill into her.

Her muscles are still squeezing around me, drawing every last drop as I sink down onto the mattress, pulling her with me.

We descend back to earth, and she meets my gaze as we lie together, exchanging soft kisses. The love I see there is so perfect it makes me sigh out loud .

“What’s the matter?” she asks, a smile on her lips. “Did I tire you out?”

“Never,” I say. Taking the words as a challenge, I pull her closer and work a trail of kisses across her shoulder and down to her chest.

“I gave you what you wanted, princess,” I murmur against her skin. “Now you better behave yourself and submit to this inspection.”

“I’m sorry, my prince,” she laughs, hooking her leg around my waist. “You must do what your duty demands, of course.”

Her giggles quickly turn to moans as I lower my mouth and get to work.