AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"She's always been quite fiery," Ovoor adds.
"She's only going to become more so, I fear," Onala quips, a fierce grin pulling her features even more taut.
"I think that's enough, ladies," King Kairon tells them. "You're going to scare the poor girl away."
Ovoor cackles loudly, "You've already tried and failed at that, little king." Little king? These witches must be immensely powerful if they are allowed to speak to him with such condescension.
He clears his throat, the warning wasted completely on them. "The Eyes are quite difficult to deal with," he tells me. "But, as I told you, they only want what's best for all of this world's creatures."
"Does that include mortals?" I ask them honestly.
"Of course," Olath assures me. "But humans have this way of thinking that anything that includes them should really mean only them, or especially them. And for us, mortals are no more or less important than any other beast."
"What's your favorite?" I can't stop myself from asking, curiosity winning over sense once again.
"Favorite what, child?" Ovoor asks.
"Favorite creature? You must have one, right? Like a favorite animal."
Onala smiles again and says, "I love the basilisks. They're the most feared. The only thing people fear more than them is the future itself."
Ovoor thinks silently for a moment. "There was once a creature so fierce and beautiful that none could ever tame it. The dragons. They've been gone for some time now, the mortals need to destroy whatever they can't control overtaking them centuries ago."
"That's terrible," I admit. "What were they like?"
"I'll show you," the king says before the witch can answer. "We have several tomes on the subject in the library."
Finally, I look back up at him, those gray eyes barely showing through the slits in his helm. I could lean back only slightly, and he would be pressed against me. The heat from his chest radiates out, making me hot all over as I try and fail not to be overwhelmed by just how close he's standing. How possessive this proximity feels even without him touching me at all.
"Thanks," I choke out.
Showing me the kindest mercy, Olath answers my question last, "The mortals are, in fact, my favorites." Her sisters look at her like she wasn't supposed to say that. "They are wild and unpredictable, as ever-changing as the seasons. You live such short lives that you fight tooth and nail to live every moment to the fullest. But that doesn't mean you're the most important. Just the most... tempestuous. Entertaining."
A smile splits my face, the honesty of her answer so hilarious that I can't help it. She smiles back, shrugging at her sisters' dislike of her response.
"We should be retiring," Onala says suddenly. "You two will want to start preparing now if you want to make it to your meeting on time. It's going to take you longer to get there than you're used to, King Kairon."
"Who are we meeting with?" he asks me as they vanish once again.
Rather than answer, I make my way to King Colm and Queen Maren, saying my goodbyes and feigning traveling fatigue. They both wish me well, though the king seems highly suspicious of my quick departure.
Not sparing a glance for Kairon, lest we draw any more attention than necessary from the other king, I quickly make my way to our shared common area, waiting for Kairon to make his appearance.
I've spent the last 20 minutes waiting for the king plotting. While I can pretend all I like that I'm doing this just because I need to make sure he hears me and no one else does... the truth is that I want him as unrattled as I feel.
Pleasure and desire are nothing new for me to manipulate in others. When you can feel their longing before they find the courage to voice it, the act of seduction becomes almost too easy. But I've never felt the things you're supposed to feel during the act. I assumed that because my body was too busy feeling others' emotions, I wasn't given the ability to have my own, and I was perfectly okay with that.
With the lack of distraction that comes from needing someone this desperately, I used my sexuality to do what I needed. To make people like me, to make them trust me, to feign intimacy for their approval.
When King Kairon finally enters the common area between our bedrooms, he's back in his casual clothing once more. The blood-red shirt with the two top buttons undone and black pants that flow as he walks. He's kept the gloves on, the black leather of them making both between my legs and the small cut in my lip throb in reminder of what he did with those fingers.
Eyes locked on mine, but not saying a word, he sits on the couch across from me. After a moment, he raises a brow expectantly, waiting for me to explain.
Instead, I take one last sip from my drink, gathering the strength to keep my mind clear. This has to be the most foolish thing I've ever done, and yet, I'm more exhilarated than I think I've ever been.
With a calm, slow demeanor, I stand and make my way over to the king. Unsure of my motivations, his eyes fill with suspicion and a hopeful heat when I stand before him, staring down at him and acting far more powerful than I feel.
"What are you doing, my Elva?" False amusement colors his tone, attempting to hide his growing anticipation.
