Black Crown (Darkest Drae, #3)(36)

A loud grating sound made me freeze, and a moment later I heard a man calling, “Lord Tyrrik? Lady Ryn?”





14





Tyrrik growled in response to the interruption, but this time I’d had enough. I grabbed Tyrrik’s hand and yanked him toward the door. As we brushed by the guard, I snapped, “There’s plenty of food out there. Lord Tyrrik even dug up some potatoes for supper.”

I stopped and took two steps back to the wide-eyed man. “Tell whoever you have to that Lord Tyrrik and I are done dealing with everyone and anything else for the night. Al’right? As in: Do. Not. Disturb”—I poked my finger into the man’s chest—“the Drae. Unless someone is dying.” I pulled up short, grabbed a fistful of his aketon, and narrowed my partially shifted eyes at him. “Is someone dying or dead?”

The guard shook his head.

“Excellent.” I patted his chest lightly where I’d poked a moment before. “Good fellow, we’re on the up and up. Right.” I raised my hand to my eye level and pointed at him. “Do not disturb. Understood?”

He nodded.

What a brilliant communicator. Someone should give him a medal. “As you were, soldier.”

I rotated to my mate with a grin, reaching for his hand. “We have some unfinished business.”

Tyrrik raised his eyebrows but said nothing, accepting my hand. When I stepped forward, he stayed rooted to the floor, making me stumble back.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

I shrugged. I didn’t care where we went. There was a giant pumpkin right behind us that was good to go—

The guard cleared his throat.

“Excuse me,” he said, taking a tentative step forward. He held out a golden key with a smooth oval of polished lapis lazuli. “King Zakai sent me to show you to your chamber. Down this hall, take the first right, and it’s the first door on the left.”

I flashed the guard a smile as I plucked the key from his fingers, my expression turning cheeky when I met Tyrrik’s gaze. “I’ve always liked King Zakai.”

“So you’ve said,” he replied. He lifted his gaze to the man and said, “Thank you. Please convey our gratitude to your sovereign.”

Oops. “Yes, thanks.” Guilt made me turn back and add, “Sorry about . . . earlier. You took me by surprise, and I might’ve overreacted a little. Or a lot. Oh, and there are potatoes out there; you might want to pick them up or have someone help you. They’d be good for dinner.”

Tyrrik slid his arm around my waist, and I stopped talking. The guard picked up the Drae’s cue and hurried away.

I groaned when Tyrrik opened the door to our room. There was a sitting area with a full table of food, including a tureen of pumpkin soup, and beyond that sat a bed the size of Tyrrik’s one back in Verald. A gilded entranceway graced the opposite wall of the chamber, leading to what I assumed was a bathroom.

I couldn’t help stroking the walls, the lapis walls. Lovely. That Zakai was fabulous.

My mouth dried as realization hit me. This was it. I was in this room with Tyrrik, and while there was no doubt I wanted to be here . . . I was. And I was about to claim my mate, and he would claim me.

“Nervous?” Tyrrik asked, wrapping his arms around my midsection.

A bajillion butterflies unfurled their wings in my belly, competing for the limited space. “No.” Yes.

I smiled shyly, resting my hands on his arms as I leaned against him and told the truth. Yes.

Come with me. He slid his hand into mine and led me through the room.

I eyed the food as we passed, noticing a whole chicken and a plate of fluffy white rolls. Seriously, Zakai needed a raise. We walked to the bed, the thick posts of the canopied frame carved into intricate designs and inlaid with gold. The silken blankets were a pale shade of the same lapis lazuli color as the stone walls.

Tyrrik led me past the beautiful clean bed and toward the open double doors of the bathroom.

My heart thudded, and my hands were clammy in a fraction of a second. It wasn’t that I didn’t want this—I really did. But the weirdness of knowing that was where we were headed right now, plus his experience . . . My tummy flipped as I recalled that gem. Experience. “Uhh . . .”

“Do you want to play a game?” he asked, stopping inside the doorway, his inky gaze dipping to my lips.

I swallowed, still caught up on the experience part. “Is this a game you’ve played before?”

A slow smile started at his lips and radiated into his gaze. “I promise I’ve never played this game with anyone else.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then how do you know about it?”

He chuckled, a low throaty sound, and closed the distance between us. “Because I remember how my father revered my mother.”

I grimaced. Uhh. “I’m not sure I want to play a game your father taught you. Like, just at this moment.”

Experienced, but clearly lacking in the pillow talk vicinity.

Tyrrik dipped so he was looking me in the eye. “Oh, the game’s all mine. If you don’t like anything, you tell me, and we’ll stop. I promise.” He brushed his thumb over my lips, and his voice was husky when he added, “Please?”

What do we do? I couldn’t believe I was agreeing because kissing seemed to be a way better idea. One I wasn’t going to deny myself. I stepped closer to Tyrrik and brushed my fingertips over his lips before I rose to my tiptoes.