Aeldryc cleared his throat and shot me a hard look. “The Queen has issued her commands. We must obey.”
“But, like, it’ll be fun too, right?” I winked.
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I mean, just in case you’re asking if it’s okay to sexy-collar me, and like fuck me while leashed, you have my full and unconditional consent. I quite enjoy being walked on a leash like an adorable and very fuckable pet.”
He blew out a breath, rolled his eyes at me, and reached for the tray.
“Mr. Crane, the crown can hear you.” The Queen’s sharp voice cut through my horny ramblings.
“Oh! So sorry, I was definitely just kidding and am definitely not having sex with the Lord Commander of the Grey Guard. Or horny about the collar.” I lowered my voice more. “My safeword is ketchup.”
“Do you just say everything that comes into your head?” she asked.
“Oh! No, of course not. I’m most definitely filtering the worst of it!”
She looked at Aeldryc. Aeldryc looked at me, and sighed.
“I can confirm that, Your Majesty.”
Her laugh rang out, sharp and unexpected, so sudden that it startled Lord Frost. I met Queen Delsynarea’s eyes and smiled at her. She dropped her chin in what I took to be a friendly nod.
“Proceed, Commander Ironstorm.”
What happened next was the most incredible thing I had ever seen, and I had once watched a drag queen do a death drop off a second-story balcony into a split at a Pride parade.
Aeldryc’s hand hovered over the silver tray. His fingers spread, and the tray vibrated. It was the same humming I’d felt when his magic surged during sex, but directed now, focused, a precision instrument instead of an uncontrolled wave. The surface of the tray began to ripple, the way water moved when you disturbed it, pulling upward, stretching.
The silver lifted from the tray in a thin, continuous stream. It twisted, elongated, divided into components that wove around each other like braided rope. Aeldryc’s eyes were focused, his jaw set, and his magic was humming through every piece of metal in the room—the teaspoons trembling on the saucers, the gold fixtures on the wall vibrating faintly, the buckles on his own armor ringing a soft, sympathetic note.
The silver stream rose toward me. I held still, mesmerized. It reached my throat and I felt the metal, warm from his magic, lay itself against my skin and settle around my neck like a hand, perfectly fitted, perfectly weighty. It was close against my throat without being confining, perfectly shaped in a way that left room for movement.
I ran my fingers over the fine metal, gasping softly. It was about an inch wide, with a seamless surface that was smooth on all sides. And from the front of it, a chain emerged—thin, delicate links that wove themselves out of the remaining silver and hung in a loose arc, the end curling into Aeldryc’s waiting palm. There was a generous length to it, enough to keep me close. Enough to do all manner of kinky things with.
The Queen studied the result. “Adequate,” she said.
I raised my hand.
The Queen raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Mr. Crane?”
“What if I want it off, like if it’s irritating my skin?”
“The collar will remain.” She corrected me without a flicker of sympathy. “He is not to leave your sight, Commander, unless you have him otherwise secured. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Very well. You are dismissed.”
Aeldryc stood and I followed. The chain swung gently between us, catching the light, as he led me out of the audience chamber, through the enormous doors, and into the corridor beyond. The footman closed the doors behind us, and we were alone.
The corridor was wide, long, and alarmingly empty. The alcoves, recessed into the marble, offered the only cover. I was admiring a vase when Aeldryc stopped, the chain pulling taut. He glanced down the long hall, then back at me. His hand was on my chest and he was pushing me backward, into the shadows behind a statue of some long-dead fae king.
My back hit the cold marble. We were hidden, but any passing guard or servant would hear everything.
“What,” he said, quietly, “were you thinking?”
“When?”
His jaw worked. “You all but told the Queen of Qoksmere that I fucked you.”
