Page 95 of Crown of the Dunes

But I liked wild things.

I tugged on the tether between us, and his eyes snapped open, finding mine immediately. I held his gaze, bobbing my head as I traced my fingers over my sex. A feral rumble built in Erix’s chest as his silver eyes took on a feral glint.

“Sands, Keera,” he swore. “How do you do this to me? Undo me like you’re my salvation and my ruin all at once.”

I could only whimper around his cock in my mouth, trying to tell him I understood the sensation.

My head spun with the overwhelming pleasure of it—the weight of him on my tongue and the sharp sting on his hold in my hair that made liquid pleasure drip down my spine. It built and built under my skin and my fingers on my core found their rhythm.

They skated over my center and a sound like thunder cracked, drowning out Erix’s roar as he spilled into my mouth. Bright light flared, and I screwed my eyes shut as I shuddered through my own release, moaning around Erix’s still pulsing length.

It was long moments before I finally released him, coming back to myself and sitting back on my heels. Erix stared at me as if dazed, and I wished I could bottle up that expression and keep it tucked away—Prince Erix of Kelvadan, struck dumb and disheveled by my mouth. Carefully he reached up and pushed a stray curl out of my face.

“Did we…” I started, drifting off curiously.

“Call down lightning by accident?” he finished. “Unfortunately, I think so. Probably sent the horses running.”

“We should go find them,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “They won’t go far.”

Erix’s expression turned wistful but resigned as he tucked himself back into his pants. “Then we need to ride for Kelvadan once more. Their queen has been away for too long already.”

The reminder of my responsibility settled over me and grew steadily heavier as we prepared to set out once more. The city needed a leader in these dire times, and I was unsure I measured up to the challenge.

I stared down at the lump of bread no larger than my fist as nausea roiled in my gut. Through years of practice, I was able to tamp it down and bring it to my lips and take a bite. Normally my nausea had been due to hunger, but dread now filled my stomach, making it hard to eat—dread that the people of Kelvadan would know that same hunger, sooner rather than later.

After reading a report on the dire state of Kelvadan’s grain stores upon returning, I had declared to the archons that the entire palace would start rationing. It would stretch the city’s ability to endure for a few more weeks, but the future beyond that grew dark and desperate. There was no end in sight with the crops continuing to fail, and already this amount of food was not enough to sustain a grown adult. Many would already be going to bed hungry on these rations.

My eyes burned as a choked down my bread, knowing now was not the time to waste food, even though it sat like lead in my belly. I blinked rapidly at the sky, trying to compose myself as I chewed and swallowed.

Crying over my hunger had never succeeded in feeding me in the past, and it wouldn’t feed the people of Kelvadan now. As I squinted at the crystal-clear morning sky, I found myself staring at a pair of fluttering wings.

At first, I thought it was Zephyr, who had followed Erix and I back from Kelvadan and I assumed now fluttered around Erix as he labored in the fields to fix the irrigation system. As the bird descended though, I realized it was far too large. Where Zephyr’s feathers were banded in black and white, these were a golden brown.

The bird fluttered down past the balcony where I sat before the startlingly high-pitched caw of an eagle drifted up from below, signaling that it had likely alighted on the terrace below. Curiously, I stood and wiped my hands on my pants before hurrying from my room and down the spiral staircase.

As I skidded around the corner, I found out why an eagle had decided to land at the palace. Calix stood near the railing, the eagle standing proudly on his gloved forearm. It preened in satisfaction as the prince gently stroked his feathers.

My footsteps scraped on the stone floor, and both the man and the bird turned to look.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said, raising my hands. “I just wondered what such a magnificent bird was doing here.”

Calix smiled broadly, the expression as swift and bright as a sunrise. “Nonsense. I’m glad to see you. As is Sirun.” He motioned to the animal on his arm.

“He’s yours?” I asked.

“My companion, and my messenger,” Calix said. “He carries letters from me to my father, the king, when I’m visiting the outlying islands or away on missions like this. But I also just love birds. Falcons, hawks, eagles… you could say I have a way with them.”

He lifted his arm, and Sirun took to the sky again in a flash of bright golden feathers.

I walked to stan near Calix near the railing and we watched side by side as the eagle wheeled away into the sky. I could see why he was drawn to the creatures. Like a horse, or a ship, wings were freedom. Right now, I wished I could grow wings and leap from the terrace too.

“Actually, I’m glad to have been interrupted by you,” Calix admitted. “I’ve been trying to catch you for the past few days, but you had been nowhere to be found.”

I ripped my gaze from the sky to stare down at my fingers where they gripped the edge of the railing. “I was sequestering myself while I figured out how to fix our grain issue. The archons should have been able to help you with anything you needed.”

“Did you find a solution?” There was something calculating in his eyes before they softened into genuine curiosity.

I thought about lying—in the Ballan Desert, a lord who showed weakness wouldn’t stay a lord for very long. But Calix’s open demeanor disarmed me, and I was not a skilled liar. The worry written on my face had likely already spoken the truth.