Page 58 of Knowing Trust

“Let’s get some cleansing and then have the meeting.”

Yeah, that sounded great, and I told him I wanted to read more of the journal. Clearly, there was more that I needed to learn in there and I should have sooner.

Once we gathered everything up and found my detail, Julian handed everything over to them which confused me.

“The princess said she wants to take a shower before we start cleansing where it’s going to be hot and muggy,” he told them and pulled out his wallet. “Calarel wants her to keep focused on a protein-heavy diet with these power jumps, but she will also need a lot of cool treats as she cleanses. Also to eat as she wanders around.”

“You’ll stay at her house?” Ara checked.

“No, where I’m living, but there are always guards there,” he promised. “If you can also return that all to Irma. Thank you.”

They agreed and we went through the portal and did the normal dance before only the two of us walked through a different portal he opened to his room.

“That’s much easier for you now, right?” I checked, worried he kept opening them.

“Ridiculously easy,” he drawled. “I cannot even—you guys are so much more powerful than us.”

“It’s also how we view portals.” I nodded when he seemed skeptical. “Our whole view of magic is different because we are magical with our wings. I don’t know how to explain it, but listening to Sontar it all makes sense. We tap into what’s already there. You guys start with a blank slate and make it there and—”

“Fascinating. Tell me later,” he mumbled as he took the journal from me and tossed it on the bed.

And then he started removing my clothes.

Okay then! Things were so, so different between us—and for the better. The old Julian would have been excited to talk magical theory and nothing could have come before that, even the prospect of sex or fun.

“You need to eat and I’m dying for you,” he muttered in between kisses. “I didn’t get to hold you last night because your wings are out and—I need you, Tams. Please, I just need you.”

I nodded, working on getting his clothes off as he backed me up towards the shower. I felt bad that I could only sleep with one of them when I had to keep my wings out.

Technically, I could be with more than one, but I was still scared they would hurt my wings or I would hurt one of them with appendages I didn’t have the best control over. The commanders and healers assured me that I’d had my wings long enough now that—it would be like if Julian rolled onto my leg in bed. He wasn’t going to hurt my wings.

He just wasn’t. I knew that logically.

I was still too scared and not used to having them.

I was more fearful of doing something to one of them if they did roll onto my wings. Hudson fully understood that. Even if he knew I’d never hurt him and loved me, River was completely protective of his wings and scared of someone taking out his ability to fly. It was instinct to them to protect their wings.

So I tended to sleep with him when I had to have my wings out. It wasn’t fair, but… It wouldn’t be forever. I needed to get used to it still, and I hadn’t had them out overnight that much. Lucca had snuck into bed behind Hudson a few times since he was welcome, but that was it.

Oh, Darby had also slept on the couch so he was there with us. Julian once too. It was silly, but honestly the support meant the world to me.

And I made sure that couch was just as comfortable as the bed.

Apparently, he wasn’t kidding how much he needed me because the moment we were under the cool water he pushed me up against the glass and knelt behind me. He feasted on me and then fucked me desperately to where I couldn’t do anything besides make sure I didn’t smack my head on the glass. I finished like half a dozen times and just looked back at him when he was done.

He simply smirked. “We cleansed our pipes. Now you do need a shower. I didn’t lie.”

Dick. Seriously smug dick.

Still… “Can you cleanse them again?”

He threw back his head and laughed.

And yes, yes, he did. I loved every second of it.

16

“I don’t understand what you want us to do with this information, Your Highness,” Commander Morgan muttered after I filled them in at the dinner meeting I’d called.

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