Page 42 of Chosen By the Fae King

The glaring continued. Well, my glaring continued. Sometimes it was hard to tell with my brother because that was how his face looked most of the time.

Liam, seated in the chair beside Lorne, crossed a heel over his knee. “It's a valid point, Nox. Aeryn's not the only innocent in the trials.”

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. “There are always worthy and unworthy alike competing. We knew this going in. We've already had this conversation. I don't want to have it again.”

Lorne's brow lowered ever so slightly, eyes sharpening like a blade.

It made him look like our father. I pictured him, our sire, not as he was the last time I'd seen him, but as he was before. Strong. Stern, but fair. Brave. A king who ruled with both heart and mind for the good of all.

Remembering him was painful. Remembering my mother, of them both and how they were together, was excruciating.

I made a decision I was sure I would come to regret. “Innocent. Worthy. Magicless. Whatever they may be comes second to our objective. If we achieve our goals at their expense, so be it.”

Liam's eyes widened at my words, his mouth slightly ajar. Lorne, on the other hand, maintained that stern expression, his gaze burning into me.

I leaned forward in my seat, my tone resolute. “Our cause is greater than any individual life.”

It sounded callous. I had no intention of letting anyone else die, but I would not lose sight of what brought us to this moment.

“Even a future queen's life, whomever she turns out to be?” Lorne snapped.

The room fell into a heavy silence as we each grappled with the weight of the decisions we'd made weeks ago. I knew they were both right to question me, to challenge my choices. It was their job.

But I was the leader. The king. The burden was mine.

“Drayce said–”

“I haven't forgotten, Liam. Put extra eyes on them all. No one else dies unless we want them to.”

“And Aeryn?” Lorne tested me.

“Aeryn included.”

He shook his head. “That's not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant. Add it to the list of things I'm not interested in discussing right now.”

Rising to my feet, the two males did the same, a habit of royal tradition. “Go take care of what you need to. I'm going to get ready for dinner.”

I didn't wait for either of them, exiting through the side door that connected to my chambers. Heading straight to the bathroom, I stripped quickly, careful of the erection that refused to go away.

It was ridiculous how I'd been reduced to a walking hard-on for a female that, by appearances, didn't seem to want anything to do with me.

Catching a hint of her scent on my skin, I hesitated before slipping under the spray, sniffing the fingers that had touched her smooth skin. They twitched with the need to grasp and claim.

My cock flexed thinking of it. I needed to take the edge off. Closing my eyes as the water fell over me, I leaned forward, one hand braced on the tiled wall and one hand stroking up and down my shaft.

I thought of her honey-brown hair and seafoam eyes. The little sounds she made when I kissed her.

My body thrummed with desire as I imagined the taste of her lips and the way her body fit against mine. The water cascaded over me, heightening the sensations as my hand moved faster along my length. Each stroke brought me closer to release, but it wasn't enough. I needed more.

Unable to control myself any longer, I reached for the soap and lathered a generous amount onto my hand. The slickness coated my throbbing cock, intensifying the pleasure as I continued to stroke.

Images of Aeryn filled my mind. The way her delicate curves pressed against me, the heat between her thighs, the way she moaned. It was all-consuming, this burning need that only she could quench.

As I grew closer to the edge, my thoughts became more vivid, more explicit. I pictured us tangled together, our bodies moving in perfect rhythm. And then, with one final thrust, I spilled my release all over my hand and stomach, the pleasure coursing through me like a fire.

The water washed away the evidence, leaving me breathless and spent, but still craving more. I leaned against the wall, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to regain my composure.

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