liked calling her Lily, but the reasons were complicated. It made her feel familiar, which felt important. She was a sweet female who had very few people in her life, and he wanted to be one of those people. Just like when he met Mave, he saw someone who was alone and decided he could be the person who made them less alone. In a sense, he had done the same thing with Alchan. Their king had been alone for so long, Rain wanted to fill the gap and give their king the love he deserved.
Now, he was Alchan’s Consort, a title that denoted him as a member of the royal family by marriage, particularly a spouse of the ruler. Consorts were almost always male, normally married to and in the mayara of the ruling queen.
It was an odd place to be compared to where he started. A young male, trying to live up to his father’s reputation in the Ivory Shadows, trying to gain the approval of the males who helped raise him, and the approval of a king who had never glanced his way until he was an adult.
He, of all people, understood how life-altering the simple act of love could be. He saw the role it played in Mave’s life. It put him where he was now. He wanted to make sure Lily felt love, too.
“Rain?” Alchan was frowning.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. I call her Lily because I asked her if I could. You can try it, you know. Talking to her, that is. You never do.”
Alchan growled softly and let him go. Rain had known better, but it needed to be mentioned. Lilliana had been in their home for just over a month, and Alchan barely spoke to her. In fact, as the female walked into the dining area, yawning while she rubbed her eyes, Alchan only grunted a good morning as he disappeared back into the main bedroom.
“Is he okay?” she asked softly after he was gone.
“He’s fine.” Rain rolled his eyes. “He’s a bit grouchy because of something I said.”
“It was about me, wasn’t it?” The guilt on the female’s face was clearer than a cloudless day.
“It was more about him in relation to you,” Rain answered honestly, knowing lying to her was pointless. She was sheltered but not unobservant. She saw and heard things most would miss. Maybe it’s her quiet nature. She’s never the center of attention, which lets her listen more. “It’s nothing you do personally. He’s probably still a bit annoyed with Leria about this situation.”
“Ah.” She frowned, a little wrinkle forming on her forehead. “I could go and live somewhere else…”
“It’s not advisable,” Alchan said, walking back in, now fully dressed.
Rain could hear the king in his words. Alchan had faces he wore. Only a few people saw Alchan without the mask of kinghood. Lily wasn’t one of them. Alchan was now talking to a subject, who just so happened to live with him. Rain wondered why. After more than a month, Alchan should have loosened up by now.
“Forgive me. My Consort knows how to cut to the bone when he wants to.” Alchan’s gaze turned to him, amber eyes narrowing for just a moment. The gaze softened before it turned back to Lilliana, but only minutely. Alchan was still firmly wearing his mask as king. “We have no problem, you and I. You’ve done nothing wrong. Enjoy your breakfast.” Alchan walked out.
“I’m so sorry,” Lilliana said quickly, swallowing.
“It’s not you,” Rain said, sighing. “I poked the dragon, and I’ll deal with the temper. He’s a bedru, and I knew that when I said what I said.”
“What did you say?”
“He asked about why I called you Lily, and I told him I asked you if I could. I followed that up with how he could try it sometime.” Rain did his best to tell the story in a casual way. He wasn’t too worried about it, really. He would apologize for the way he put it to Alchan, but he would stand by his opinion. Alchan lived in a world where he sat on top and he needed people who could tolerate his need for control and accept his rule. He also valued those who were willing to stand up to him for what they believed. It often left everyone in conflicted places, but Rain was good at navigating the moods of his king. He knew when he could push, and when he needed to retreat and