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He dipped his head, then knocked back the last of his drink. “Do you need an escort to your room?”
“I think we can manage. I wish you a good night, Your Majesty.”
We took his hint, leaving him with the half-empty bottle of vodka, and pushed into the hallway lined with vase after expensive vase. The halls in Blire Palace were wide and uncomplicated with sharp corners, and within ten minutes we found ourselvesstanding in front of the doors to our suite, feminine laughter floating beneath them. Domi and Liliana held glasses of wine, their legs tucked beneath them as they giggled conspiratorially with our entrance.
“Oh no, what did you two do?” Vadim groaned as Liliana glanced at us with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“There’s only three bedrooms, and Domi and Kaztar already claimed one.” Her cheeks were flushed and she pressed her lips together to contain a bout of laughter.
Vadim scratched his head for only a moment before his hand dropped to his side like a stone. Viktor sniggered as he arrived at the conclusion first, while Endre’s cheeks flamed as he nonchalantly sidestepped away from Vadim.
“You and I will share,” Vadim hissed.
“Ew, no. You can sleep with Kazimir and Viktor.”
“Kazimir has a mate, why don’t you share a bed with him?” Vadim demanded.
Domi hid her laugh behind the crystal wine glass, while I bit my lip to contain my own.
“Because Izidora is my best friend and that would also be weird,” she snorted.
Vadim rubbed his temples as his sister played him like a violin, finally realizing she’d trapped him between choosing Viktor and Endre as her bedmate. Maybe he would finally acknowledge that his sister had liked Endre since she was old enough to show interest in males. We waited with bated breath and stifled laughter for Vadim’s response.
“Don’t these couches look comfortable?” His voice rose as tried and failed to stretch out on one, the dainty seating no match for his large frame. Kaztar choked on a laugh, and that was all it took to burst the bubble that held the room captive.
“Liliana wants to share a bed with Endre and has for years,brother. It’s time to get your head out of your ass,” Viktor teased, clasping Vadim on the shoulder.
Vadim’s glare bounced between Liliana and Endre. “If I hear anything, and I mean anything, coming from that room, I am coming in. I will break down the door if I have to. Mother and father will murder me if they find out I let this happen.” Then his gaze landed on Endre. “Take care of my sister, or I will chop off your dick and wear it like a trophy.”
Domi spluttered her wine, and we all roared with laughter as Endre flushed the shade of Vadim’s tunic. Before he could say anything, Liliana hopped from her seat and yanked Endre by the hand into the bedroom, the door closing with a click.
“I’m going to take that as my cue to go to bed. We’ve got a big day ahead of us now that King Airre has joined our cause,” Kaztar grinned at his wife.
“He agreed?” Domi gasped, rising to her feet, looking at each of us for confirmation.
“He did.” Kaztar planted a kiss on her forehead, then led her to their room. “See you in the morning.”
“I am calling a bed by myself.” I leaped over the chair that blocked my path to the last available bedroom, Viktor and Vadim hot on my heels. We wrestled in the doorway until Viktor broke through our tangle and claimed the smallest bed for himself. Vadim and I flopped on the other, and the lightness and laughter with my friends soothed the deep ache in my soul, that empty part of the bond that called out to my mate all hours of the day.
“I’m sleeping naked,” Vadim announced before throwing off all his clothes, his pink tunic landing over my eyes before I snatched it away.
“It’s not the first or last time I’ll see your dick. It’s a shame you are a grower and not a shower,” I joked. Viktor barked alaugh, and Vadim glowered at me with a look that said ‘the-fuck-I-am’.
“Night, dickheads,” Viktor teased, then banished the lights.
Stripping out of my clothes in the darkness, I snatched a blanket at the foot of the bed to cover myself, then allowed my drunken thoughts to wander as I relished the small victory of gaining our first ally.
13
Fire burned all around me, yet I was not afraid. The fire was comforting, familiar almost, caressing my cheek like a lover. The flames were white, yet a hint of black broke through, so subtle that I had to focus on the undulating wisp to see it again. The inky flame held ill intent, and I backed into the safety of the white fire to rid myself of it. Yet it advanced, swallowing the white flames, until all that surrounded me was dark fire. A laugh, menacing and low, echoed around me, first resounding in one ear, then the other, as it trickled through the flames.
“Who’s there?” I called, bravery filling my bones.
“Your worst nightmare.” The male’s voice was sinister, bathing my spine in cold sweat that was immediately banished by the black flames leaping onto my skin and burning me as they forced my mouth open, engulfing my throat as I burned from the inside out. Screams shredded my throat, but my cries were swallowed by more choking flames–
I bolted upright, clutching my throat, sputtering as my breath came and went in short, desperate gasps. Cold air bit into my skin, grounding me to the present moment as I opened my eyes. Black stone walls flecked with bits of gold stared back atme, not a hint of fire in the massive room. The events of the previous night, of Ruslan’s tongue lapping chocolate off my skin, flooded my memory and I dropped my gaze to my torso, heaving a sigh of relief when I saw the large tunic I was swimming in. All the warmth had leached from the rooms, and I whipped my head to where Ruslan had lain the night before only to find him gone, an indentation from his body the only sign he had occupied the space. It was cold to the touch.
The windows were covered by black cloth, and I wondered what time it was. The only light in the space was cast by the open bathroom door, and I scurried in that direction, hoping Ruslan did not await me there.
