Luka reached for me, brushing my sweat-soaked hair from my face.
“I had to ensure you’d get a good night’s sleep. I figured this would be better than any tonic.”
Somehow, I managed a laugh, my body too tired to even move. “If I wasn’t already exhausted, I sure am now.”
“Glad my plan worked.” Luka brought the blankets up over us, kissing my forehead as he moved me to his side. “Goodnight, Sweetheart.”
“Good night, Luka.”
I slept through the night, Luka’s plan having worked.
I awoke well-rested and ready to conquer whatever the day had to offer. Which as of late was unpredictable.
Luka and I had breakfast in our room—with plans to meet the rest of our friends later, I wanted to talk through a few things together before bringing them to everyone else.
When we arrived on the seaside patio, everyone else was already gathered.
Kara and Zienna had taken advantage of Ceto and Alon’s hospitality as I did, dressing in Aquatic Court clothes left for us in our rooms.
The pieces were made of thin material, perfect for the warm weather of the Aquatic court. Kara opted for a bright blue dress that fell below her knees, Zienna a pair of white shorts and a long-sleeved shirt that matched the color of Kara’s dress.
I had opted for a matching green skirt and top set. The skirt fell to the ground, with a slit up the side. The top wasdifferent than anything I had ever worn; it was tight-fitting and left my midriff exposed.
When I had exited the bathroom wearing it, Luka had threatened to rip it right off me. I had to admit I liked the style—I was tempted to bring a selection home to wear during the summer in Alethens.
Declan was the only male dressed in his leathers—per usual. The others were dressed in variations of linen pants and short-sleeved shirts from the Aquatic Court.
“There they are!” Ceto boomed.
“I told you they’d be the last to arrive.” Nico held out his hand, and Ceto dropped a gold coin into it.
“You placed bets on when we’d arrive?”
Nico only smiled. “Not all of us have a partner to occupy our time.”
I pressed my lips together. I was not getting into this in front of the Aquatic Kings, or my brother.
I was pretty sure he was still recovering from the last conversation about my sex life he had stumbled into.
“Not that I have to justify anything to anyone, I am High Queen after all.” I sat in the chair Luka pulled out for me. “But we were strategizing.”
“That’s what you’re calling it now?” Luce finally turned her attention to us.
“Do you always have meetings outside?” I asked, ignoring my cousin.
“If we can yes,” Alon answered. “We have the pleasure of living in a court with such favorable weather year-round—we take advantage of it whenever we can.”
“I’m still trying to warm my bones from the chill I experienced chasing down the Dhampirs in the woods after your wedding.” Ceto shivered dramatically. “How you live in that weather is beyond me.”
“Speaking of the Dhampirs,” I popped a grape into mymouth. “I have an idea of what we should do about Adreona and the Vanir.”
“Go ahead,Your Majesty.” I rolled my eyes at Ceto.
“As we learned yesterday, Adreona has her claws in deeper than we realized. If the Vanir are here, in the Aquatic Court, across the continent from where they originated, we have to wonder where else they’ve infiltrated. Adreona and the Vanir were in contact with Sidna, a high-ranking fae in the Aquatic Court. We don’t know who else they might have already gotten to. I think we need to be overly cautious.”
“Going forward, I think we need to run under the impression any court could be infiltrated. It might not be their rulers, but higher-ups in their courts, in their councils, in their guards, we don’t know who might be working against us,” Luka continued.
“Do you think they could turn people against us so easily?” Kara asked.
