Still, Atlas shook the doubt. She was tired. They both were.
He held out his hand once more. “Come here, beautiful,” he whispered, and the subtle, sharp curve of her lip sent his heart racing in anticipation.
Atlas reached for her hips, his hands settling on her curves as he pulled her into him. Elowynne lifted the hem of her dress as he guided her onto his lap. Her powerful thighs straddled him, each of her hands resting on his shoulders.
“Tell me how we’re going to conquer this threat, my king.” Her teeth sunk into her plump bottom lip. “Tell me how you plan to rid us of these enemies. Tell me how you’ll make sure we’resafe.”
“Is this what turns you on now, my queen?” he said with a throaty laugh. “Watching me defend your honor.”
“Mmm,” she purred. Her eyes bore into his as she leaned in, guiding him back down on the bed.
Before he knew it, Atlas was lying flat on his back, Elowynne perched right above him. For a moment it felt like the world narrowed to the space between them.
“How will we defeat them?” she asked. “Tell me how you plan to rule our world.”
Elowynne leaned into him, her fingers brushing along his jaw until she slipped her hands beneath his tunic. Her scent enveloped him as the cool touch of her fingers trailed up his chest.
“Velsinyte,” he breathed, his voice barely audible as she teased him. “Mining more of it is the only way. And once we rid this world of the evil that crawled up from the depths, then I plan to rule Lephyrin with you at my side.”
As his thoughts of it ran rampant, heat rushed to his cheeks while sitting beneath her mischievous gaze.
Elowynne licked her lips, her low voice curling in his ear. “Do you want me, Atlas?”
Atlas tried to settle into the moment, let go of the tension still clinging to his shoulders. But something gnawed at him, a subtle, instinctive wrongness he couldn’t quite shake. However, he ignored the chill running along his spine and let himself fall into it.
“Oh, I do,” he said, drinking her in as she hovered above.
His hands found her hips, pulling her closer, their bodies pressed tight. She leaned down to him, the heat building between them as they lay heartbeat against heartbeat.
But then, as he moved to kiss her, Elowynne bit his lip.
Not gently. Not teasing.
Hard.
Atlas drew back with a breath, startled as he remained beneath her. She’d never done that before. Had never looked at him likethiseither, eyes gleaming with some feral amusement.
She grinned at his hesitation and, without thinking, he reached up and cupped her jaw, eyes searching hers.
“What wasthat, Wynne?”
Her head tilted. “I thought you’d like it,” she admitted. A bone chilling smile spread across her face. “Your brother certainly does.”
Atlas thought his heart was about to drop out of his ass. His pulse roared as his grip on her jaw tightened, her cheeks squishing together. “What the fuck did you just say?”
The question landed between them like a blade. What she was implying… her with… withDraevyn. Bile crawled up Atlas’s throat.
And then, in a slow, graceful shimmer, it all melted away.
Elowynne’s face peeled back to reveal eyes of a glacial blue. Her braided dark hair came undone, revealing long midnight locks that now draped over crimson markings seared into her arms. A vicious grin formed on her sharp lips.
All fucking gods.
Atlas’s breath caught. “You,” he growled.
Esmyra only smiled as the rest of her illusion peeled away like fog from the sea. She tilted her head. “Surprise.”
His mouth went dry, heart thundering in his chest as their eyes remained locked.
