Finley blew out a breath and shook her head. “I had no idea what I was getting into. Being queen is nothing like I thought it would be, and I’ve barely begun.”
I crossed to her again, unconsciously shooing Hadriel and Leala away with my proximity. I massaged her shoulders.
“It’ll get easier, I promise. Eventually this will be second nature. You won’t even notice it. Friendships will be easier to cultivate.”
She leaned back into me. “I’m mad at you.”
I laughed. “You certainly seem like it.”
“These fucking emotions that make me crave your touch won’t let me be as mad as I want to be. I might have to start resisting. It’s getting ridiculous.”
“I know. I haven’t heard of emotions like this, but it’s bound to end soon. Maybe when the last of the heat ends? It should be any day. It’s usually a week after the start of the euphoria stage.”
“It must’ve looked absolutely ridiculous when you carried me into the throne room. Like…what were we thinking? How embarrassing! But it felt perfect at the time. And now, when I’m trying to be mad, or thinking I want my much smaller emotional range back, I recoil from the idea. Part of me likes going crazy for you. It’s really fucking annoying. I logically can’t stand that I’m being this dependent and sappy, but then, I love being this dependent and sappy and needy. Goddess help me, I am so incredibly needy. Hadriel, aren’t I needy?”
“Will you cry if I answer that?” he asked.
“Yeah, probably. Fuck, I don’t know. I need to look all this up. This has to be in a book somewhere.”
“You know what?” I leaned over and gave her a sneaky smile in the mirror. “They just so happen to have an incredible library here.”
Her eyes lit up, as I’d known they would.
I worked her shoulders for a moment longer before getting out of the way so Leala could tend to her. “Get yourself dressed down, and then we’ll go for a fly,” I told her. “We’ll come back, have some dinner in and a good night’s rest, and then tomorrow we’ll see all the things, okay? I know my way around. They won’t begrudge me showing you. They delight in people enjoying their kingdom. The parts they spend so much effort to keep up, at any rate.”
“You saw her, didn’t you?” she asked in a low voice. “She was the one in the dizzy dress.”
Cold dripped down my back. I knew she was talking about Eris.
“Yes,” I replied.
She didn’t speak for a moment. Very little emotion came through the bond.
“You never would’ve been happy with her,” she finally said. “And she wouldn’t have been happy with you. The first time you thoroughly lost your temper, you would’ve scared the pee out of her. Holding back is no way to go through life.”
I’d assumed she hadn’t noticed my glance at Eris, since I hadn’t felt any rage. Instead, she’d clearly waved the thought away because she felt how wrong the match was. How incompatible. There was no danger to her claim on me, and so she’d ignored it.
“I love you,” I told her, laughing.
“Well, with choices like that, no wonder.”
I just hoped Eris felt the same as Finley and I did. She’d been seated in between couples, indicating she was still single. I hoped her obvious disgust for my appearance would help her forget any attachment she might’ve had. I hoped it would deter her from taking out her jealousy on Finley.
THIRTY-SIX
Finley
“Finley!” Calia beamed from the doorway to our rooms the next morning. “How did you sleep?”
She’d be taking me and my entourage to the healing tents while Nyfain met with the king.
I kept my face neutral. It still stung that she’d spent months in our kingdom doing her job—a.k.a. spying on us—and not because she believed in us. I knew it had worked to our benefit, but still…I was annoyed, to put it lightly. I felt a little betrayed even though she’d probably thought I knew the score. All the other intelligent people seemed to have figured it out.
“Great, thank you.”
I turned as Nyfain approached me. He wrapped his arm around my waist before kissing my temple, then my lips, then bending to kiss my stomach.
“Be good,” he told me as he straightened. “Keep our baby safe. I love you both.”
I smiled because I couldn’t help it, then melted against him because he was irresistible.
“You be good,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his middle. “You be safe. Don’t take any chances or get in a fight, because if you do, I’m going to have to pull hero. Some things can’t be helped. I love you both.”
He pulled back, his brow furrowing.
I laughed and pointed at his chest…and then moved my finger down to indicate his cock.
His lips stretched into one of his irresistible smiles, softening his features, and he shook his head as he pulled away from me.