Maggs stood proudly.
“How is this possible?” Spear asked, the threat implicit in his tone. Did he think Kyler had given up classified information?
“The girls are seers. No one knows about their abilities.” The implication being that if anyone discovered it, he knew where to come looking.
The king stared at Maggs and sighed. “So, you don’t want Gravasian justice, you want Kyler’s justice. Is that it?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Very well.”
“No.” Etta grabbed his arm. “You can’t take my place. I won’t allow it.”
“Enough.” He didn’t yell, but the king didn’t have to. “No one is dying today. Ivar is satisfied. The main perpetrators have been dealt with. Helldrick is still out there.” He raised a brow as if daring her to disagree or say something.
Etta kept her mouth closed and raised an eyebrow in return.
Spear and Ivar both rubbed their hands over their mouths as if hiding a smile. Kyler wasn’t quite ready to relax yet. “Sire? If you wish it, I will leave immediately to search for him.” It would kill him to leave Etta for even a short time. “I will return to face judgment when the mission is done.”
“That won’t be necessary. Someone else will handle Helldrick.” His word final, he turned his attention back to Maggs. “The girl is obviously a talented seer. I can’t make her drawing wrong now, can I?”
Kyler momentarily went blind and deaf, unsure he’d heard correctly. “Sire?” He needed it spelled out.
“You are a family.”
He wanted to roar his victory to the universe, wanted to grab his family and run. He inclined his head. “Thank you, sire.”
“You’ll remain here, at least in the short-term. There are things to discuss. In the meantime, you’ll stay in a guest suite at the palace until final decisions are made.” He hesitated. “Would you like me to contact your parents or siblings?”
He thought about the people who’d raised him until his early teens before he’d been sent off for more extensive training. The father who’d been distant and exacting. The mother who’d kept her distance while lavishing affection on her younger children. The brothers and sisters he’d never really known. His return would only disrupt their lives. They were strangers. He would only make them uncomfortable.
“No. My family is here with me.” He finally turned to Etta. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. Her mouth was pinched. She was exhausted. But when their eyes met, she smiled.
This was his wife, his love. Forgetting all his training and discipline, he dragged her against him and took her mouth, savoring the sweet taste and the eager way she responded. Childish laughter mixed with more adult amusement.
She’d taken him, even knowing what he was. “I’ll never let you down,” he promised when he finally let her up for air.
“I know.” A faint blush pinkened her cheeks. “We’re really married?”
His pleasure faded. Did she regret agreeing to take him? She hadn’t known what he was doing at the time. “Yes.”
“When does the honeymoon start?”
Epilogue
Kyler stroked his hands over the smooth skin of her torso before cupping her breasts. “Mine.” He’d been making love to her since they’d settled the girls in for the evening and retired to their room. He’d already brought her to peak pleasure twice but wanted a third.
He’d never get enough of her.
Her eyes were glazed over and she gasped as he thumbed her nipples. “Again? I can’t.” She arched into his hands, contradicting her objection.
“You don’t have to do anything. Just lie there and let me do all the work.”
“You said that the last time.” Her nails scraped over his chest, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to make his cock jump.
Supporting his weight on his forearms, he leaned over her and captured her mouth. She was so sweet and giving. And she was all his.
He still couldn’t believe the king had given them both their lives. All his years of hard work, of sacrifice and loneliness, had been worth it. He’d go through all again if it would land him here in this bed with Etta.
She ran her hands over the hard planes of his back. “You’re so strong. I love your muscles.”
He’d always trained hard. Now he had to up his game. It wasn’t just his life he was protecting.
The head of his cock nudged her opening. Parting her legs, she let him in. He sank into her wet warmth, inhaling the musky scent of sex and the underlying spice that seemed to cling to her skin. His shaft stretched her sheath, but it