“I know an anchor must eat to fuel her bond with her Aspect, so I’ve had the servants bring a large tray. If it’s not enough, say the word and I’ll make sure the cooks are ready to prepare you whatever you’d like.” She moves to the center of the room and waves in a new servant, this one carrying a small trunk. “A few things for you. Combs. Scented oils. Fresh clothing.”
“Thank you. This is all really great.”
She turns and gives me a smile, ever the gracious hostess. “My name is Halla, and it would please me if the two of us could talk in the morning?” She gives me a searching look, and I get the impression that there’s a lot going on behind that sweet exterior.
“Sure.” I nod. “I’ll be happy to talk.”
“Excellent.” She heads out in a sweep of lavender embroidered skirts, and then servants flee after her, everyone exiting the room at the same time. I’m left alone with Markos, Solat, and Kerren.
“Are you guys okay?” I ask. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“They stripped our armor and weapons from us and were just about to take us to the dungeons,” Markos admits. “But we were not hurt, no.”
Solat adds, “You should have seen the looks on their faces when they found out you were telling the truth. They couldn’t bow and scrape quick enough for ‘Lord Aron’s guardsmen.’” He smirks and moves to the tray of food, picking up a wedge of cheese.
I head over to it and slap his hand. “That’s mine.”
He grins at me and eats it anyway. “Shall we sleep in the doorway and keep you guarded?”
I think about Aron, how happy he was to greet the king. How he let me leave with the queen, no questions asked. He trusts these people. Even so, it’s been a hell of a journey to get here. “We’ll ask for you guys to have an adjoining room,” I decide. “One can stay on guard at the doorway while the others are relaxing. And ask for a tray from the kitchens,” I say, slapping Solat’s hand again when he reaches for another piece of cheese. “If you eat any more of that I’m going to throw you from the rafters.”
“Never come between an anchor and her meal,” he says with a wink, but he pulls back. Good.
I flick my hands at them. “I’m filthy, and Aron kissed me and transferred his filth to me. I’m going to bathe and then eat until he gets here. Are you guys okay to do your own thing?”
“We’ll find a servant,” Markos reassures me.
“A pretty one, hopefully,” Solat adds.
“Glad to see you’re back to being yourself.” I eat a piece of cheese myself as they file out, and then Kerren points at the door, indicating he’ll be just outside.
Then, the heavy doors are shut, and I’m all alone in the sumptuous room.
I spend the next hour in the tub, eating cheese and meat, drinking wine, and relaxing in the scorchingly hot water. It’s so damn nice that I hate to get out, but I do when I tragically run out of wine. I get out of the tub, towel off, and then wrap myself in a fur-trimmed sleeping gown I find in the trunk. I crawl into the epic-looking bed and sigh with pleasure.
And fall asleep.
74
I wake up in the middle of the night to a big, naked body spooning my backside and hiking up my nightgown.
Aron kisses my neck, his breath hot on my skin. “Should I let you sleep?”
I moan, reaching for him. “Not now that I’m all turned on.”
He chuckles, the sound low and delicious. “Then my plan worked.” He continues to kiss my neck, his mouth devouring with need as he rolls me onto my belly and then hikes my hips into the air. “I need you, Faith. Are you wet for me?”
His hand slides between my thighs and he strokes my folds, teasing me. I moan as he pushes a finger into my pussy, working it back and forth. He’s not giving me any time to think about things, his hands insistent. He must still be fired up from the battle earlier, because I can feel his enormous cock stabbing into my thigh as he presses his big body against my backside.
Arousal, quick and urgent, shoots through me, and when he pushes my nightgown up to my shoulders, leaving the majority of my body exposed, I get