9

Sex protected us; sex was a fight we could both win. Love had endangered our hearts and made them vulnerable, and yet, at that moment, it was all I could feel.

I moved her damp hair from her ear to say the words put us on a perilous path, but I didn’t care. “I love you.”

Her hand took mine and brought it around her body, cinching me in closer as I spooned into her back, enveloping her. Her thumb lovingly stroked my hand, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Her mind must have been a whirl of thoughts and feelings.

I understood the magnitude of her transformation. With it had come answers she’d always craved, but there were questions, too. Questions neither of us had answers for yet.

It didn’t take long for sleep to claim us. As night became morning, I woke several times, panicked that Aria might be gone, only to find her still nestled in my arms. Noticing how good she felt in my embrace, I brought her in closer. She unconsciously held me tightly as we fell back asleep, exhausted and at peace.

Hours of blissful slumber were suddenly shattered by blaring sunlight and gruff instructions.

“Get out of bed,” Sire Vanoire ordered, standing over us.

Thankfully, our naked bodies were covered, but it was still jarring to find Sire Vanoire peering down his long, beaked nose at us with those beady eyes. While he had sharp and aged features, they seemed rather intensified as I looked up at his glowering face.

“We have a meeting in half an hour,” he barked. “You both need to awaken and get dressed.”

Aria barely stirred in my arms, likely still needing sleep. What her body had been through in the last few days warranted more than a couple of hours of rest.

“What meeting?” I rubbed my eyes after gently extracting myself from Aria’s embrace.

“We are discussing how to revive the Onyx Rah kingdom with the Goldlace family and have precious little time before Polonius becomes inpatient. We must act quickly,” Sire said with great urgency.

“Of course.” I turned to Aria and kissed her bare shoulder. I didn’t care if Sire saw us; I’d kiss the woman who would likely become my wife as often as I liked. I needed Sire and the world to know she was mine.

“Hmm?” she mumbled.

“We have a meeting in the city,” I whispered. “We’re going to raise your kingdom, my love,” I said with a lilt in my voice.

A sweet smile crossed her face. “Good,” she said, opening her eyes.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” Sire said, still sounding perturbed.

After the door clicked shut, Aria and I extracted ourselves from the bed. “I could sleep for days,” she confessed.

“And you should be allowed that luxury, but alas, you are a bonafide royal now,” I said with a smile. “And royals never rest.”

“It wasn’t like I was lounging around all day as a servant, either,” she reminded me, her voice teasing.

“If you’re in bed with me, we won’t ever be doing much lounging.” I walked up to her and looped my arms around her middle. “You’re too delicious to resist.” I kissed her lips, savoring her taste. “So, I won’t resist you.”

“I don’t see the problem with that,” she said, beaming.

While Aria was the same person, she had a different look now. It was hard to describe exactly what had changed about her, but there was an air of joy and refined grace layered over her tough and formidable exterior. She'd always had beauty, but it had been overshadowed by her grit and bravery. Now that beauty remained, as did that fierceness, but she held herself like a queen.

I envisioned her wearing a crown and ruling a country. While I knew she deserved to be the sovereign Onyx Rah needed, I selfishly wanted her ruling Navarrah City by my side.

But she would never know my inner longings because I was committed to helping her raise her lost kingdom. After we dressed, we met Sire Vanoire in the living room.

“Fine,” he said in greeting. “We’ll at least be on time if we hurry.”

I assumed Sire was just voicing his own inner monologue, likely perturbed that Aria and I had taken the time to enjoy each other. He wanted her to himself for mage-training and kingdom-raising. Despite his obvious frustration, it felt good to be traveling through the city with Aria. We were allowed to be in the open, freely moving about, without the Crypt Claw Warriors hunting us down.

The open carriage we rode in gave us a great view of the Obsidian Valley. The region was governed by the Lupine Coalition, a diplomatic leadership that consisted of Xavier Goldlace and two elected officials. Unlike the royals who led other regions, the Obsidian Valley was ruled by a government. As our carriage made its way through the city, I watched the bustling metropolis teeming with life and color.

Unlike the less populated Navarrah City, the Obsidian Valley had an interesting mix of characters. My kingdom had royal subjects loyal to my father and family. Conversely, the Obsidian Valley, with its dense living spaces and cluttered streets, was a mix of criminal activity, rare wolf mages, a diverse populace, and the wealthy elite. It was hard to fathom that Brahman’s Peak, with its oppressive regime, was just over the distant mountain range.

The Lupine Coalition had been able to keep Polonius at bay because they had so many mages, Xavier Goldlace included, who protected the city from Crypt Claw warriors. While this was not our city, nor would it be, we did have a place there together. This was confirmed by Lara Goldlace the moment we walked into the meeting in a dusty tavern at the far side of the city.