Page 150 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain

Alec goes rigid behind me before roughly turning me to face him, thoroughly aggravated.

“Perhaps you are the one who has lost your mind if, for one second, you think that I would not follow you anywhere, for anyreason. Especially to do something that is certainly dangerous. Do not insult me like that, Elly.”

“I don’t know, your retrieval of the emerald seemed simple enough.”

Alec draws in his brows. “Suspiciously simple, I would say.”

Considering the madness that grips the men in his family over the gems—the fact that no one had yet retrieved the emerald despite the ease in which it was found—I can’t help but agree that it doesn’t quite sit right.

I smile condescendingly at him before patting his cheek. “Fine. You can come.”

Alec scowls at me. “As if I need your permission. Besides, you may just find yourself needing one of my ships. Your father’s are not nearly as swift, or impressive.”

I narrow my eyes at him and challenge, “Ourships.”

His face breaks into a bright grin. “Now you are catching on. Please, will you join me today? Having your lovely company will make it far less painful.” He gives me large doughy eyes that make me laugh.

“Fine,” I agree.

“Come. We must make a stop first. I have not yet moved my more official clothing into your chambers, and I cannot very well go to a council meeting like this.” Alec gestures towards his naked torso and comfort pants, the line of his cock wonderfully visible.

Quirking a brow, I assess the visual. An image flashes in my mind of Alec half naked, surrounded by ancient, serious men in the council room, and I laugh.

“I kind of wish you would.”

“I am taking you on a proper tour of the palace after this,” Alec informs me as we leisurely walk to the council chambers off the throne room, my hand nestled in the crook of his arm.

“You have taken me on countless proper tours of the palace,” I inform him, wrinkling my nose.

“Yes, but it has been several years since the last one, and you did not hide your disinterest.” Alec’s free hand rests on top of mine and squeezes. “Indulge me—please?”

I smile at him and agree, his tangible excitement bleeding over to me.

“You have been saying that word to me a lot today. That’s a lot of pleading for a king.”

“I have no shame in begging you for anything, Ellya. You are the only person I will beg for. I will beg on my knees if you ask me to.”

Alec squeezes my hand again, giving me a cocky smile as warmth creeps up my cheeks. I try to stifle that heat, remembering there is nothing between the wetness threatening to gather and the thin fabric of my gown.

I clear my throat, trying to distract myself. “I’m guessing the council is still made of the same dull, grumpy men?”

Alec laughs, the rich sound echoing around us. “It is.”

We walk in comfortable silence until we make it to the throne room. It’s beautiful, with high ceilings and banners lining the walls, sporting the Vahnsing crest. A massive solid gold and silver replica of the same dual faced sun hangs behind the two matching thrones on a dais. The thrones themselves are simple, but elegant, made more for comfort than grandeur.

The room more than compensates for the elegance and wealth of the royal family.

Alec’s eyes linger on a wooden door beneath the golden symbol. The door that leads deep beneath the palace to the dungeons. I squeeze his arm gently, knowing who he’s thinking about.

“You can talk to me about him,” I assure him gently. “I should have been there for you.”

Alec gives me a sad smile. “Thank you, Ellya. You have no idea what that means to me.”

“Is the council aware of what happened?”

We stop in front of the door to the council chambers off the throne room. “Only the bare minimum. They know not to mention it unless they wish for a swift death. Let us get this over with.”

Alec throws the door open and escorts me inside. At a stretching wooden table sits a group of six men and Cescily. All but one of the men still carries a more youthful appearance, the final starting to show his age. I’ve never asked Alec how old Lord Mehstons is, but Alec’s mentioned before that he’s sat on the council since the days of his grandfather, over six hundred years ago.