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Arianna
Pounding metal jolted Arianna from sleep, her mind suddenly back inside a cabin with a male she needed to protect from a world hell-bent on destroying him. Water pulled from the air forming into tiny droplets that were ready to shift at a moment’s notice. Earth rose seconds later, the grains dancing with the liquid in a union of forbidden promises.
Pounding again. No. Knocking, then her vision cleared and she was back in a fluffy bed with her mate’s arms tightening around her, coaxing her fear into submission.
His lips brushed over her upper arm and she settled back into the silken sheets, breathing deeply.
They weren’t in the cabin. They weren’t trapped in the middle of a war. Not a physical one, anyway.
Arianna pressed her forehead against his shoulder and he stroked her long hair as if he could pull the worries from her haunted mind. Would the nightmares ever end?
Whoever stood outside the door knocked a third time, though it was softer now and Arianna wondered if their escort had sensed her fear. She hoped not; she didn’t need rumors flying through the manor.
Arianna fought her tired body and crawled from the comforts of the bed with her mate right behind her. Both pulled on their robes and Rion flicked on the light with his magic. She blinked against the offending brightness, then turned the handle.
A female with short brown hair stood on the other side with an apologetic smile. Surprisingly she wore a pale blue gown. After yesterday Arianna wasn’t sure anyone wore colors other than gold and black.
The female’s eyes widened and she seemed to remember herself by curtsying. “My Lady, I’m Victoria. I’ll be helping you adjust to your stay. I’m here to escort you to breakfast. The Lord thought to let you sleep longer after your travels, but he didn’t want you to miss your first day exploring the manor.”
Right. She couldn’t just hide in the room. Or maybe she could. Arianna peered around, glancing down the hall for any sign of the male. “Does he plan to escort us himself?” He was the acting Regent. The one said to be their future king. Even if she had no intention of a union, Arianna knew she’d be working with this male to ultimately change Alastríona for the better.
“Of course, but he wanted you to dine in peace before your schedule began.” Courteous, but was it genuine or a show to earn her favor?
“We’ll be out in a few minutes.”
The female nodded, bowed low, then stepped toward a bench down the hall. Arianna hadn’t noticed it last night, though she’d been more than a little tired. Not that either of them had slept much. Her cheeks heated.
She stepped back inside and Rion emerged from the closet, buckling a new belt over a pair of pressed black slacks. The muscles in his chest flexed with the movement. Her heart began a steady rhythm as images from last night clouded her judgment. His powerful body behind her own, pinning her against the wall. His fingers pulling a rush of ecstasy from her body even after she was sure she couldn’t feel any more. The way her name fell from his lips, over and over as if she were a goddess he prayed to.
His gaze lifted from the buckle. She watched his chest rise and fall and his pulse quickened.
Her mate swallowed hard and his nostrils flared. “Come here.” And she was across the room, pushing him against the wall all over again, their movements feral and desperate. His hands wrapped beneath her thighs and Rion picked her up with ease, tore the robe from her body, and lowered them back into the silk sheets.
***
Arianna thanked the gods that servants had already delivered her things to their room. She ripped through the chest and tugged on a pair of dark pants and a simple lavender colored shirt before running to the vanity. Five brushes sat before her. Arianna grabbed one at random and yanked it through her hair.
Rion wrapped her up from behind and kissed the side of her neck. She smiled at the contact even as she shooed him away. “We can’t make her wait any longer.”
Rion didn’t hide his amusement. “It wasn’t my idea to make her wait at all.” She huffed and her cheeks burned. It wasn’t her fault he looked as though he’d been carved by the gods. “And,” Rion continued. “Last I checked, you were the queen. They wait on you.”
“It doesn’t make for a very good first impression.”
Rion hummed in response and pulled on a long sleeved shirt, buttoning up the front with nimble fingers that had just previously—
“If you keep gawking, I’m not going to be held accountable for my actions.”
Arianna bit the inside of her cheek hard, then took him in as a whole. Fresh clothes, no weapons, hair combed, though parts seemed to stick up in defiance.
“You look so—”
“Normal?” he teased.
“Calm.”
His gaze softened and he closed the distance, pulling her into an embrace. He smelled the top of her hair and breathed a sigh of relief. “You make me feel that way. Calm somehow. Like the anger that plagued me has finally abated.”
It was her turn to hum. Arianna glanced at herself in the mirror again. She didn’t look like a queen. She looked like a normal girl with her normal lover and they were in a normal house ready to tackle normal duties.
