CHAPTER NINE
EMME
I tried to ignore the tremble of my hands as I smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from the gauzy linen wrapped around my body.
The fabric whispered against my skin, pooling at my feet in soft folds.
I’d spent thirty-two years on Earth without giving a damn about state functions, and now here I was, about to be crowned a queen on an alien world.
“Are you ready?” Lairos asked, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear.
I took a moment to drink him in.
White linen wrapped low on his hips and fell to his ankles, leaving his chest bare except for the broad gold collar that spanned his shoulders.
Gold bands circled his biceps, wrists, and ankles, catching the light with every movement.
His dark red hair flowed in a silky river down his back, accentuating the sharp angles of his face and the forest-green eyes that still made my stomach flip.
The crown of shark teeth and shells suited him perfectly, a reminder that this man was as much warrior as ruler, dangerous and calculating in equal measure.
And somehow, impossibly, mine.
“As ready as I’ll ever be to face a room full of people who probably want me dead,” I answered, taking his offered arm.
The days following Nedaris’s coup had been some of the longest of my life.
Lairos lived for it.
Thrived, even.
The Knights of the Depths had been ordered dismantled and all objections were given harsh opportunities to get in line or find themselves without heads.
Then came the endless preparations for another grand show.
Practice this, stand like that, don’t move a muscle here or speak there.
Take your vows, and become my queen.
Lairos chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest.
“They’ll come around. Or they’ll answer to me.”
I wiggled my bare toes against the cold stone floor, feeling strangely vulnerable without shoes.
The ceremony called for minimal adornment—no shoes, simple jewelry, nothing to hide behind.
Just me, offering myself to a kingdom I was only beginning to understand.
A low humming started on the other side of the massive doors, the vibration so strong I could feel it through the stone floor.
This was Khadian song in its purest form—not the deadly call that could manipulate water and summon sea dragons, but the collective voice of his people acknowledging their rulers.
“That’s our cue,” Lairos murmured, covering my hand where it rested on his arm.
“Remember what I told you. Keep your chin up, your back straight, and if anyone looks at you wrong?—”
“You’ll execute them at dawn?” I finished dryly.
His smile turned predatory.
“Now you’re thinking like a queen.”
The massive doors swung open on the grand hall of the Khadian palace.
I’d seen it before during preparations, but this was different.
The coral-carved columns soared overhead, supporting a ceiling painted with scenes of underwater battles and celebrations.
Lamps in conch-shell sconces cast everything in warm light that reflected off the polished stone floors.
I tried to catalog every detail, but there wasn’t time.
Lairos guided me forward, and I forced my legs to move at the measured pace we’d practiced.
Too fast would show eagerness; too slow, reluctance.
A queen must appear confident but not arrogant, approachable but regal.
The hall was packed with Khadians in their finest attire.
Nobles stood closest to the central aisle, their rank evident in the gold adorning their bodies and the richness of their linens.
Behind them stood the court officials, merchants, and warriors who formed the backbone of Khadian society.
“The blue-haired one to your right,” Lairos murmured, his lips barely moving.
“Lady Thalassa. She’s already planning how to use you to advance her house’s standing.”
“And the one glaring daggers at me?” I asked under my breath.
“Lord Meren. He had hopes of marrying his daughter to me before you arrived.” His hand tightened on mine.
“He’ll be the first to test your resolve.”
The Khadian song grew louder, harmonizing voices weaving a melody that seemed to vibrate in my very bones.
My steps faltered for a moment as the power of it washed over me.
“Easy,” Lairos murmured.
“Let it carry you.”
I took a deep breath and let the music guide my feet.
As we approached the dais where a Khadian priest waited, I forced myself to meet the eyes of those we passed.
Some looked away.
Others held my gaze, weighing and measuring.
Judging whether this human was worthy of their king.
Tough shit, I thought, lifting my chin.
I’m here to stay.
And there, near the front, stood my crewmates—my family, really.
Each of them stood beside their own mates, every bit as regal as the Khadian nobles surrounding them.
Brooke gave me a subtle thumbs-up while Lucy beamed.
Seeing them all there, supporting this moment, steadied my nerves more than any amount of practice could have.
We’d done what we set out to do and found a new home.
Even now, while we gathered for primping and posturing, our fellow humans were waking and making their way to landing zones all over Sanos.
There were plans for homes within established kingdoms and settlements of our own.
Places to live and breathe and grow old without worrying how future generations would survive.
We’d given our people hope.
Lairos and I reached the dais where two identical thrones waited.
Before them waited an elderly Khadian whose elaborate headdress marked him as the High Priest.
His wizened face remained impassive as we approached, but I caught the flicker of assessment in his eyes as they swept over me.
The humming that had followed us down the aisle quieted, leaving a silence that pressed against my ears.
Lairos gave my hand one final squeeze before mounting the steps and taking his throne.
“Who comes before us to be named Queen Consort of Delovia?” The High Priest’s voice carried through the hall.
This was it.
The point of no return.
I could still back out, still find a way for my people to settle elsewhere.
Somewhere without soul songs and sea monsters and political intrigue that made my head spin.
But then I looked at Lairos.
At the man who’d risked everything to save me.
Who’d given me his home, his bed, his body, and most importantly, his trust.
The choice became as clear as the waters around his private sanctuary.
My voice rang through the hall.
“Emme Mathis of Earth.”
“Emme Mathis of Earth,” he intoned, “do you swear to uphold the well-being of the Khadian people? To support your king in times of peace and war? To honor the sacred waters of Sanos that gave us life?”
I straightened my spine.
“I swear it.”
The priest’s weathered hands lifted a small shell.
“Then receive the blessing of our people and come before us pure of heart.”
Cool liquid splashed against my forehead.
The scent of saltwater filled my nose, familiar and alien all at once.
Then came a second shell, this one filled with dark liquid that could only be squid ink.
The priest traced patterns on my palms.
“The mark of life lost,” he intoned.
“The weight every ruler must bear.”
The ink dried quickly, leaving behind a stain that would fade in days but whose meaning would remain forever: every decision I made as queen would impact lives.
Some would be lost, and that blood would be on my hands.
Care for the kingdom came above all.
An attendant approached holding a cushioned pillow.
The priest lifted a scepter first—driftwood adorned with pearls and fragments of coral.
It settled into my palm with surprising weight.
“To guide our people through calm and storm,” the priest said.
Next came a knife as long as my forearm, the hilt studded with more pearls and delicate gold filigree.
The blade itself gleamed with an otherworldly sheen and tapered to a wickedly sharp point.
“Forged from the fang of the sea dragon,” the priest explained.
“To defend our waters against all who would threaten them.”
Lairos stepped forward then, taking a smaller version of his own crown from another attendant.
Our eyes met as he raised it above my head.
No smirk now, no teasing light in his eyes.
Only fierce pride and pure adoration.
“My queen,” he said, his voice carrying to every corner of the hall as he placed the crown on my head.
“My mate.”
The weight settled against my brow, surprisingly light for something made of teeth and shells.
The humming crescendoed around us, vibrating through the stone floor and up into my body until I felt like I might shatter from the force of it.
Then, as one, the Khadians knelt.
Even the priest.
Even the attendants.
Only Lairos remained standing beside me, his hand finding mine again as he led me to the twin thrones waiting on the dais.
We burst through the doors of our chambers, our laughter echoing off the stone walls.
The festivities had devolved into celebration and drunken dancing long before we decided to retire to the royal suite.
I leaned my head against Lairos’s shoulder, intoxicated more from his kisses than the wine flowing freely among our guests.
After today, after everything we’d been through, nothing sounded better than crawling into bed and spending hours reaffirming our bond.
No outside forces.
No threats to the kingdom or danger lurking around every corner.
Just us.
Lairos’s hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him.
The heat of his body seeped through the thin linen, igniting a fire in my core.
His lips brushed my ear, voice low and husky.
“My queen.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the possessive growl in those two simple words.
I tilted my head, offering my neck in a gesture that felt more natural with each passing day.
“My king.”
His teeth grazed the sensitive skin just below my jaw, and I gasped.
The crown on my head shifted, reminding me of its presence.
Of everything it represented.
“Second thoughts?” Lairos murmured, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes.
I shook my head, reaching up to trace the line of his jaw.
My fingertips ghosted over the sharp angles of his face, memorizing every plane and hollow.
“No second thoughts. Just... processing.”
His brow furrowed.
“Processing?”
I laughed, the sound breathy and a little hysterical.
“I’m queen of an alien species on a water world. Give me a minute to wrap my head around that.”
Lairos’s eyes softened.
He reached up, gently removing the crown from my head and setting it aside.
His own followed a moment later.
“You’re not just their queen,” he said, cupping my face in his hands.
“You’re my mate. My partner. The other half of my soul.”
The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache.
How had I gotten so lucky?
To find not just a safe haven for my people, but a home for myself?
I pushed up on my toes, pressing my lips to his.
The kiss started soft, almost chaste, but quickly deepened as hours of pent-up desire and relief crashed over us.
His tongue swept into my mouth, claiming and conquering.
I met him stroke for stroke, my hands fisting in the linen at his waist.
Lairos growled, the sound vibrating through his chest and into mine.
His hands slid down my sides, leaving trails of heat in their wake.
His hands slid down my back, tracing the curve of my spine where his own scales would be.
The touch sent shivers across my skin.
“Lairos,” I whispered against his mouth.
“Please.”
He groaned, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
“Say it again.”
I tangled my fingers in his hair, tugging until he looked up at me.
“Lairos,” I repeated, putting every ounce of need and want and love into those two syllables.
That was all it took.
Lairos surged forward, his mouth capturing mine in a kiss that stole my breath.
His hands made quick work of the knot holding my dress closed, unwrapping the linen with practiced ease until I stood naked before him.
The cool air of the chamber raised goosebumps on my skin, but they didn’t last long as Lairos pressed his body against mine, all heat and hard muscle.
He walked me backward until my legs hit the edge of our massive bed.
Instead of letting me fall, he lifted me easily, hands gripping my thighs as he laid me down on the silk sheets.
The material whispered against my bare skin as Lairos followed, covering my body with his.
“Do you have any idea,” he said, lips trailing down my neck, “how beautiful you looked today? Standing there in front of my people, claiming your place at my side?”
His teeth grazed my pulse point, and I arched into him, desperate for more contact.
This was the predator beneath the irreverent facade.
The warrior king who’d fought his way to the throne twice.
And right now, all that focus, all that intensity, was directed at me.
“Show me,” I challenged.
His mouth continued its journey downward, pausing to lavish attention on my breasts.
The first touch of his tongue against my nipple had me gasping, fingers tangling in his hair to hold him there.
He took his time, alternating between gentle licks and firm suction until I was writhing beneath him.
“Lairos,” I moaned, tugging at his hair.
“Please.”
“Please what?” he asked, lifting his head to meet my gaze.
His eyes glittered with wicked intent.
“Tell me what you need, my queen.”
The title sent a fresh wave of heat through me.
I’d never thought of myself as someone who’d get off on power dynamics, but there was something about the way he said it—with such reverence and pride—that drove me wild.
“Your mouth,” I managed, past the tightness in my throat.
“I need your mouth on me.”
He chuckled, the sound dark and promising.
“As my queen commands.”
Lairos kissed his way down my stomach, lingering at the places he knew were ticklish, drawing out breathless laughter mixed with moans of anticipation.
Finally, he settled between my thighs, hooking his arms under my legs to spread me wide.
“Fuck, you smell amazing,” he muttered, his breath fanning over my slick flesh.
I whined, lifting my hips in wordless encouragement.
Lairos growled, then lowered his head, licking a hot stripe up my center.
The first touch of his tongue nearly bucked me off the bed.
Strong hands pinned my hips to the mattress as he set to work, licking and sucking with single-minded focus.
“What do you feel?” he asked, echoing the question that had become our ritual.
“Heat,” I panted, struggling to put words together as sensation overwhelmed me.
“And... and pressure. Like a knot coiling tighter and tighter.”
He hummed in approval, the vibration making me gasp.
“Keep going.”
”Powerful.
Wanted.
” I guided his hand to my breast, arching into his touch.
“Desperate.”
He slid two fingers inside me, curling them upward in the way he knew made me see stars.
“Come for me, Emme. Come on my tongue and my fingers like the fucking queen you are.”
Those words combined with another swipe of his tongue sent me plummeting over the edge.
Pleasure roared through me, obliterating every thought except the need for more, more, more .
Lairos stayed with me the entire time, drinking in every moan, every whimper, until finally, the waves began to ebb.
He rose up, kneeling between my spread legs.
His hands made quick work of his own clothing, unwrapping the linen from his hips to reveal his cock, hard and ready.
The sight of him never failed to make my mouth water—all lean muscle and tan skin, the red-gold scales running down his spine catching the lamplight.
I reached for him, fingers tracing the path from the nape of his neck down to the small of his back.
He inhaled sharply, a shudder running through his powerful frame.
“Sensitive?” I teased between planting open-mouthed kisses along his shoulder.
I traced a single finger down his spine.
“What do you feel when I touch you here?”
“Like lightning,” he groaned, hips jerking forward to grind his cock against my hip.
“Like you’re touching me everywhere at once.”
He grabbed my wrists, pinning them above my head as he leaned down to capture my mouth in a bruising kiss.
The position left me open and vulnerable, his body looming over mine, but instead of fear, exhilaration flooded my system.
I could take him apart.
I could shatter him like glass with nothing more than a few touches.
I hooked one leg around his hip, guiding him closer.
“Fuck me,” I breathed.
“Please.”
He rocked his hips, sliding his cock through the wetness pooling between my legs.
“I like it when you beg, my queen.”
“I’m not begging.” I lifted my chin in a defiant tilt.
“I’m commanding. I need you inside me. Now.”
The last word ended on a gasp as he pushed forward, sheathing himself fully in one smooth thrust.
The stretch was almost too much, but fuck if it didn’t feel incredible.
He ground his pelvis against mine, hitting my clit just right, and stars burst across my vision.
“Again,” I ordered, locking my ankles behind his back to pull him deeper.
His rhythm started slow but quickly built to a pounding tempo, driving the air from my lungs.
There was nothing sweet or gentle in it now, just raw animalistic need.
His hips snapped against mine, and I met each thrust with equal ferocity, nails raking down his back.
“Need you,” he growled against my throat, biting down hard enough to leave a mark.
“Fuck, I need you like I need the sea.”
“I’m here.” I dug my fingers into his scalp, dragging his mouth to mine in a frantic kiss.
“Always. I’m yours.”
Desire coiled within me, the promise of release so close I could taste it.
He gripped my thigh and hiked it up to his hip, changing the angle.
The next thrust slammed against a spot deep inside me that sent me hurtling toward climax.
Lairos’s movements turned erratic, his thrusts deeper and harder as he chased his own release.
Then he leaned down, his lips brushing my ear.
“When you come,” he murmured, voice thick and gravelly, “I’m going to mark you. Everyone will know who you belong to.”
Another rough thrust.
Another flick of his thumb against my clit.
That was all it took to push me over the edge.
I buried my face against his shoulder to muffle my cries as waves of pleasure crashed over me, dragging me under.
His teeth sank into my flesh at the same moment he slammed into me one final time.
The sharp pain mixed with pleasure, bubbling into pure bliss that had me screaming his name.
I felt him pulse inside me, filling me with his release as he marked me as his mate for all to see.
We collapsed together, his body pinning me deliciously to the sheets.
His tongue lapped gently at the bite mark, soothing the sting.
The tenderness in the gesture made my throat tight.
“Mine,” he murmured again, pressing a kiss to the mark.
“My mate. My queen.”
“What do you feel now?” I whispered, echoing his question back to him.
His eyes met mine, all the arrogance and royal bearing stripped away to reveal the man beneath.
My Lairos.
My partner.
My lover.
My king.
He smiled, cupping my cheek in his palm.
“Complete.”