Page 117 of Calling of the Crown

Grief for those who refused to join us.

Grief for those who hadn’t lived to see this new world we were building.

Telling those who had remained behind from battle—Marlow, the twins, all those unable to fight—about those who wouldn’t be coming back was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. The look on the twins’ faces when Alvaro sat them down to tell them how Myra wouldn’t ever be joining them would stay with me forever.

And Rune …

He seemed to be using our never-ending to-do list to keep from letting the pain consume him. In moments of quiet, I could see his mind drift, the guilt settle on his shoulders, and the ache pierce deep. No matter how many times we told him it wasn’t his fault, he still carried Akira’s death on his shoulders. Though he seemed to try to cope with it little by little each day.

We all did.

I’d just come back up to our room after paying my nightly visit to Elias and the others who’d decided to remain against us—we’d made sections in the deep sea that functioned like dorm rooms for them—to find Rune changing out of his clothes. The balcony doors were open, and a soft breeze blew into the dimly lit room. A fire cracked in the fireplace, the glow making the silver band on Rune’s finger sparkle.

“Anyone change their minds yet?” Rune asked. He finished unbuttoning his gray shirt, and the fabric hung open for me to see the entirety of his sculpted torso.

“Yes, actually,” I answered, taking the crown off my head to set it on the table made for both of our crowns. “A Spider Fae asked if she could come home after I finished telling her about the habitat we’d rebuilt for Spider Fae. She couldn’t believe that we’d actually taken time to restore homes and places that got destroyed in the earlier days of the war, and when I offered to show her and took her there, she asked to stay. She seemed genuine, but the representative in that community is going to keep an eye on things, just to make sure.”

Rune smiled. “That’s one Fae already changed. Thirty-six more to go.”

“How was your day?” I ran my hands along his abdomen, up his chest, and under the fabric of the shirt on his shoulders. I pushed it down his arms, helping him shed the clothing the rest of the way.

“Productive. Worked with the Canine Fae and Water Fae on their positions in the guards and defensive unit. They’re actually getting along pretty well, and Alvaro is doing a really good job with his new position as head of defense.” He paused and asked, “How was Jesiah today?”

I sighed, my heart clenching at the mention of our advisor. “He’s still hurting, but he managed to crack a smile at something Ardley said today. You know. He’s taking it day by day like most of us.”

Rune gave a solemn nod. “It’s hard. Really fucking hard. But having each other, having our group, makes things easier. If I didn’t have you—” He took a deep breath and ran the palm of his hand over my cheek and into my hair. His golden eyes held mine with an unmatched intensity. “I’d be so lost without you.”

He leaned down to kiss me softly, and I opened myself up to the press of his lips, letting his tongue sweep inside. My body ignited with desire as his hands tugged me closer and his bare torso pressed against me. Heat unfurled low in my gut, and it spurred me to push Rune back toward the bed. He sat on the edge, gripping my waist to hold me between his legs.

“This dress is annoying,” Rune growled against my lips.

His claws suddenly reached around to my front, and he grabbed the dress before shredding and ripping the fabric so that it hung off my body in tatters.

I gave an incredulous laugh and shimmied out of the garment so that I was just in my underwear. “It’s getting hard to explain to Chanwoo and Disha where all my clothes keep going.”

Rune smirked and nipped at my lip. “I can’t help it. I love seeing my wife naked.”

Our mouths collided again, and I pressed Rune down onto the mattress, climbing up to straddle his large frame. His hands coasted along my arms and down my bare back until they rested on the cheeks of my ass.

“Your panties are about to end up like your dress if you don’t do something about them.”

Knowing to take his warning seriously, I quickly slid off him and pulled the underwear off. Rune shifted further back onto the bed, resting on his elbows so he could watch me stand naked at his feet. His warm eyes traced every part of my bare flesh, making my nipples harden and core throb.

When his eyes finally found mine, he gave me a seductive grin. “Come sit that pretty pussy on my face.”

I crawled up the bed and his body until my legs straddled either side of his head. I looked down past my breasts to where the top half of his face peeked out from between my thighs.

“Better hold onto the headboard,” he advised. His hands gripped my hips firmly and pulled me down lower.

I grabbed the headboard just as his tongue traced my seam and glistened across my throbbing clit. A breathy exhale left me as his tongue circled and flicked along my most sensitive parts, sending an electrifying spark soaring up my spine.

“Fuck, you taste so good,” he groaned. He punctuated his words by slapping my ass hard and sucking on the bundle of nerves.

I bit my lip and tried to keep myself from falling on him, but damn, his tongue felt so good slipping, sliding, and flicking against my sex. It curled and dragged along the tight bead at my center before plunging inside of me, licking up my dripping seam. My hips began to buck as the pleasure built inside of me, and I squeezed the headboard tightly in an effort to hold on just a little longer, to soak up that rising heat just a bit more.

“Rune,” I gasped.

The lap of his tongue worked my clit again, and my legs began to quake on either side of his face.

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