Black Crown (Darkest Drae, #3)(90)

Yes, Tyrrik replied. And while we’re here, he’ll be less likely to attack the army.

You hope.

Draedyn rounded the table. “I have not seen mated Drae in over one hundred years. I confess, despite myself, my heart is glad to see the sight once more.”

Right. Where is he going with this?

“I’ll not be parted from my mate,” Tyrrik said, his growl rumbling long after his words.

Phew, going in early with the demands. Not that I felt any less strongly, but there were almost two dozen Drae in the room and at least that many Druman, and all of them answered to my father’s call except for the two of us. The energy in the room was all-but crackling and sparking.

“You will stay then?” the emperor asked, stopping before us. He extended his hands, palms up.

A tiny warning growl slipped through my teeth at his proximity, and Tyrrik sent a pulse of comforting warmth to me through our bond.

Draedyn observed us for so long without blinking that I was nearly tempted to relax my fighting stance.

“You misunderstand, heir-daughter,” he said mildly. “I find absence has softened my memories of the mating bond, and I beg your pardon. How could you have been happy here without your mate? His presence is of paramount importance. I no longer wonder at your joy upon seeing the army.”

I blinked. What the hay?

What’s he doing? Tyrrik asked, his confusion mirroring my own.

No idea.

The emperor pivoted toward Tyrrik, my father just slightly taller than my mate. With a nod, Draedyn said, “You will both stay in the palace.”

He then swept back to his place, and a servant hurried to set a place for the Drae glued to my side. Draedyn picked up his goblet and, staring at me over the rim, said, “I hope now you will be open to what I offer, heir.”

Back to heir, was I? I made no answer.

As Tyrrik and I sat at the table, Draedyn spoke again, “Yes, you are most welcome here, mate of my daughter.” He smiled and took a long sip, letting the fluid trickle down his throat with only the smallest swallow. “Most welcome.”

Tyrrik dipped his head in the emperor’s direction, no more than courtesy demanded, and then dug into his food. My mate was way better at this acting game although I was fully aware of the tension radiating from him through our connection.

The game hadn’t shifted in our favor, not really. My mate would help with my defenses against my father, but now Draedyn knew I controlled my thoughts and had access to my Drae power. So while I’d be able to protect myself by shifting, Draedyn had removed both Drae from the army, and there was the possibility Tyrrik might be used against me despite the emperor’s professed love of the mate-bond. Which I didn’t believe one bit.

Even with all those worries, Tyrrik was right. The palace was where we needed to be. The war against Draedyn only ended when he was dead.

We have an emperor to kill, I said to Tyrrik conversationally as I cut through a potato and popped it into my mouth.

He swallowed his mouthful and poured more gravy onto his chicken. Yes, my love. We do.





35





I’m pretty sure all the female Drae hate me now, I complained, really only mildly irritated because honestly, I had bigger potatoes to fry. I’d filled Tyrrik in on the events of the last few days as we walked back through the graphite abode of the emperor.

Ask me how much I care right now when all I can think about is you, Tyrrik said as I closed the door to my chamber.

His onyx energy swirled behind me, relief and desire blending together in a tangled mess. My back heated as he drew closer. The desire I had for him was just as strong, but confusion about my father’s game tainted my want.

Don't you want to know why he's so willing to have us both here? Why work so hard to separate us if only to bring us together? I asked.

Tyrrik brushed my hair away from my neck and over my shoulder. He stroked his thumb from the base of my neck up to my hairline and then trailed kisses over my exposed skin. Mate.

I trembled. The force of his drive nearly overwhelmed me. Yes, I replied. But don't you think we should figure a few things out first? Like why Draedyn is so eager to have you here?

I was missing something, I knew. He’d removed both of us from the fight outside, but I knew there was more.

Mate. He circled his hands around my waist, gripping the sack-like tunic in each fist on either side of my navel. His restraint disappeared, the tension he’d held at bay burst, and his fangs lengthened, pressing on my skin with each kiss. Mate.

My mind clouded, and I waded through it, grasping onto the confusion holding me back. You are not only monosyllabic, but you apparently have the vocabulary of a single word.

He pressed the length of his lower body to mine, rotating his pelvis as he pushed into me. Okay, that felt good. Maybe a little Tyrrik and Ryn time was necessary. Now.

He gripped my hip bones and growled. I’ve missed you so much. Please?

I gasped and tilted my head to give him better access.

He nipped me, just the tips of his fangs grazing the soft skin of my neck at our mate mark, and midnight fire pulsed through me. I shifted, turning toward him. His talon grazed the soft flesh of my abdomen as he tore through my tunic. Holy pancakes.

In one fluid movement, he turned me and pressed my back to the door, pushing his lower body to mine. Through the torn tunic, he explored my body—my waist, the underside of my breasts, my hips. His caress was followed by a bruising kiss. He slid his knee between my legs and tugged me closer until I was flush against his hard body.