“They are fair to all but Queen Aria,” Queen Nadine said with a look of sadness.I wanted to speak as little as possible at these meetings so as not to give anything away. I bowed to Queen Nadine and smiled, but it was an empty expression, one that didn’t meet my eyes.“I hope you will allow Polonius and I an opportunity to vacation here on occasion,” I said to the queen. “Perhaps I may seek respite for a few days when needed.” I turned my head to Polonius. “I’m sure that will not worry my betrothed or threaten your terms.” I widened my smile in confidence.“We don’t allow any kind of violence here,” Bastien warned.“Oh, I know,” Polonius nearly growled. “If my wife needs rest, especially after the grueling feats of labor and childbirth, I don’t see any harm in her seeking respite in Angeline Falls for a few days. I will consider that customary, but should she get lost or go missing, well, that will be more revolutionary and in line with a betrayal of our peace accord.” Polonius glare
“I’m going to give Lex an opportunity to protect his kingdom. The one he’s abandoned for you. He’ll thank me one day when he’s king. And I’m sure the two of you will remain friends.”“You can’t do this,” I begged, no longer wanting to convince him that the world could be different if we were friends.Polonius leaned over, and without warning, kissed my lips. It was a warm brush of flesh, hardly a peck. And yet, fire burned around it.“I’m giving you the world, Aria. Something he’s never offered you.” Polonius’s fingers lifted my chin, and he stared into my eyes. He kissed me again, another light peck, and pulled away. “I trust without Lex nearby, you’ll get enough rest.” Polonius stood and turned to one of the guards surrounding us. “Have my meal brought to me in my chambers.” Before he walked away, he slid a glance back at me. “Enjoy the view, Aria. Eat, rest, and be ready for tomorrow.” His words were almost kind, as if he might be regretting what he was about to do.The next mornin
Just before Lex signed the peace accord, he looked at me and smiled the most vicious, brutal smile. One Polonius did not miss. And I knew from that moment forward, there was no way Polonius would ever survive.When we were done signing the documents, Polonius gathered the papers and handed them to his guard before standing and taking my hand.“Thank you, gentlemen,” he said “I look forward to welcoming you to our wedding and Aria’s coronation. I believe her father has finally found a way to magically enhance Onyx Rah’s pitaya crops, so I plan to have you as guests of Brahman’s Peak for a small ceremony in the coming days. It’s been a pleasure.” With that, Polonius dragged me out of the room and down the hall.“Where are you taking me? The meetings are over.” I tried to halt him, but I didn't have the strength.Polonius pulled me into a small salon and closed the door while still holding my hand. “Giving you what I should have a long time ago.” He pressed me up against the wall, making
“We have to win, and we will, but we can’t defeat Polonius by wallowing in today’s events or the horrors he has planned. Right now, you must recover your spirit and your strength.”“Perhaps we should speak with Bindi about creating a military strategy,” Aria suggested, still sounding dazed. “I’d feel much better with an army behind us. We should meet with Bindi and Halo. Neither of them signed his treaty.”“Do you feel up to it?” I asked, worried about her mental health.“I do,” she said firmly. “The sooner we get a handle on this, the better.” She sat up straighter, having found her spirit again. At least a tiny part of it had come back.Within the hour, we had Bindi, Halo, and Sire assembled for a meeting in the dining room. We ate our supper as we discussed strategies for the future with regard to Polonius.“There are tunnels under the city,” Bindi said. “Most of them were cleared when Aria and Halo’s magic resurrected the kingdom. We can use the tunnels as a place for our people t
“Well, he did say he was always in this for himself,” Aria commented. “Now that we know he isn’t a liar, let’s get stronger, do better, and get to the place where we don’t need him anymore.”I felt good and vindicated that Aria and Halo had also come to the realization that they’d be better off without Sire. It was something I’d been feeling, but had dared not say.Aria and I returned to our room and undressed for bed. We were both exhausted after an emotionally draining day and the ordeal we’d suffered in Navarrah City where Polonius had threatened to kill everyone if Aria ever came back to the city without him. We showered together to conserve the warm water that had started pumping up from the lava-warmed hot spring. Once clean, we dried off and tucked ourselves into bed. As soon as we were lying between the soft linen sheets, I began to massage Aria’s neck and shoulders.“How are you?” I asked, rubbing the rock-hard tension out of her muscles. “I’m not asking the queen of Onyx Rah
My thoughts warred with intense desire. Lex lifted my legs higher and pushed himself in deeper as his cock filled the very depths of me. He pulsed further and deeper as he kissed my ear lobe, warming my inner ear while my pussy gushed over him.“Come for me, Aria,” he said into my ear, his cock pressed against the spot inside me that held an entire storm of sensations. “Let go. Submit to my love.”His hips rocked softly, driving me to a slow, grinding passion that burned in my belly. Twisted, sharp, aching, wanton, my body shivered with anticipation of my climax.“More,” I begged, and his rhythm increased. “I want all of it,” I ordered, and he released the weight of his body on me when his arms stopped holding him up to embrace me.He angled us a little so I wasn’t crushed by him, but his own panting, moaning, and grinding soon had him lost on a path to ecstasy.“I love you,” I declared as his eyes glazed into a look of such heated desire. “Whatever the future brings, know that I love
“Oh, I can’t reveal my wolf,” Halo said in a panic. “I’m not allowed. My siblings have always said not to.”“She’s right,” I said to them as I walked up from the castle. “Wolf mages are not safe, especially around Polonius. Halo needs to keep her wolf hidden until she’s much stronger both in magic and in muscle.” I flashed Halo a sweet smile so she knew I appreciated her efforts to train.Halo laughed. “Exactly.”“This is why I’ve told the troops that Sire Vanoire is the only royal mage in the kingdom. That sounds solid,” Bindi said, and she continued to work with Halo as I joined Lex’s training.Halo and I worked all morning before meeting citizens in the receiving room. The crowds were still coming in strong, but their numbers were dropping off a bit, which gave us some time to catch up and take a breather. We still saw about a hundred people a day, but I was happy that many of those who had joined our kingdom were building houses on their land and setting up farms, shops, and busin
It wasn’t like him to retreat. Something was wrong and I had to know what it was. I followed the fleeing Crypt Claw, trying to grab one to ask them how he was able to enter the city.Just then, the Crypt Claw who had slowed down to scrabble over a rock paused when Polonius yelled, “Slaughter!”Suddenly, the Crypt Claw soldiers who were surrounding Polonius, the ones who hadn’t entered the city, started to kill the retreating Crypt Claw warriors. Each and every one was mercilessly attacked and left in a bloody heap on the ground. The entire scene was a bloodbath, and all Polonius did was watch his soldiers die. What was happening?I looked over at Polonius and wondered why he’d kill his own men? The look on his face was one of pride and triumph.“You’ve gone mad,” I said as I looked at Polonius.“Ask me who they are? The ones who are dead and bleeding?” Polonius’s face was calm and cold.“Who are they?” I rasped, not wanting to know.“Those who could not pay their taxes. Amadeus spelle