Page 32 of Their War

A knock on the door had me looking up as the door swung open. Brannoc was standing there, his expression unreadable. His brow furrowed slightly at the sight of me. "Are you okay?"

Shrugging off the thoughts of before, eager for the distraction he was providing, I said, "Yup. Although, I don't really have anything to wear that's suitable for snooping around the castle."

He studied me for a moment, and I prayed he didn't push me. If the guys knew how I was feeling, they'd change their minds and ensure I was left behind. Despite what I’d said earlier, I didn't really want to have to sneak out on my own. Sure, I'd still do it, but it would be stupid to go out there alone in a place that I was still very much an outsider in.

Choosing to ignore my obvious brush off, he held out a hand. "I figured you'd need these."

Taking the bundle from his hands, I realized it was new clothes. I grinned up at him. "Thanks. These are just what I needed." Since waking this morning, he had gone out of his way to provide for me, meeting my needs before I had even realized them. I found it hard to reconcile the cold assassin that I’d first met to the man that was standing before me.

An awkward moment of silence passed between us before his hand went to his neck, where he rubbed it in clear embarrassment. He cleared his throat. "I'll just be out here when you're ready." His hand moved to point to the living area.

I smiled at him, his flustered state doing wonders to distract me. "I'll come out as soon as I'm ready."

After a brief pause, he said, "Yeah..." Turning abruptly, he left, his awkwardness endearing. My eyes drifted to his ass, taking in the shape of his backside in the dark leathers. Licking my lips, I found myself surprisingly curious as to what he looked like naked and what exactly he was working with.

I used to joke to myself all the time that there was a succubus inside my body that poured lascivious thoughts into my mind all the time. The need to look had always been something that I enjoyed; however, touching had always been the problem. After everything I had been through in my life, trust and touch had been a struggle. Until now, until these men. I trusted Brannoc with my life and the lives of my consorts, and that meant something, something that opened doors of possibilities for our future.

The door clicked shut behind him and blocked further perusal of his lean figure. I quickly changed, all thoughts of my vulnerabilities gone. The leathers slid up and over my hips, fitting me like a glove, soft and supple. He clearly knew what he was doing when he chose them for me. A thought occurred to me that I had never told him my size and that the only way he would've been able to get the fit so perfect would be because he'd been studying me a lot more than I had him.

His actions spoke volumes. He cared for me. Now, whether that was just as his Queen or as more than that, I couldn’t be sure. I contemplated the idea of what more with him would look like, what it would be like. He’d already infiltrated the group, becoming a necessary part of us with ease. Sure, he aggravated Callum, but so did I. Callum was easy to rile, and I got a kick out of needling him when I could. And despite Callum’s protestations, he'd accepted and trusted Brannoc, too, which said so much.

Intrigued, I finished getting ready, putting on my boots and weapons before heading out to the living area to meet my Raven. A new possessiveness was taking hold in my mind as I considered whether or not the guys would be open to adding him to the group. I had no idea if it would even be possible to add another consort, but I suddenly found myself open to the idea. Whether it was done or not, I didn't really care. I had never been the type to care whether or not something was proper, instead simply following my gut and intuition, allowing it to guide me through life. It had never let me down before, and I planned to follow it on this matter as well.

Chapter Nineteen: Arryn

I walked into the main area to find Lennox, Baer, and Callum standing and waiting for me. No one said anything, distracted by our own thoughts. My own drifted to who I could talk to in my network of spies that I had built over the years, still concerned about who had turned me into the Queen. It was paramount that I made the right decisions on who to trust from here on out, unwilling to risk Rhowyn's safety on anyone that wasn't a sure thing.

Brannoc entered the room, all of us turning to watch him approach. My eyes darted behind him, a silent question about Rhowyn. “She needs a minute.”

I nodded, knowing we could all sense the turmoil through the bond, faint as it was. She was still blocking us out to some extent, though I was happy that she was finally, slowly letting us in.

“I'll take Callum and Baer first,” he said succinctly, not waiting for a confirmation, instead placing a hand on their arms and disappearing swiftly.

I knew from experience that he'd be back shortly and that I should be ready. Closing the distance between Lennox and I, I studied him, hoping he had his shit together after spending time with both Callum and Rhowyn last night. It had seemed they'd enjoyed themselves. Or at least Rhowyn had.

The pleasure from the bond had me fisting myself, unable to resist her desire as it flooded through me. I was certain Baer had felt the same thing and was just as ready for a repeat of our time with her. I'd quickly found my release simply picturing her in the throes of passion. The soft moans and noises that she made when she climaxed quickly pushed me over the edge. I had just finished and found sleep when Brannoc had entered my room. I was eager for more time with her, more time to explore her body and all the things that gave her pleasure, but now was not the time.

I caught a smirk on Lennox's face. How quickly he returned to that asshole facade. Although, after so long wearing it, I imagined it was now a part of him in ways he hadn't expected. It was good to see him smiling again. “Feeling better?” I asked him, even though we both knew the answer to that.

“You could say that.”

Brannoc returned, materializing just long enough to grab us both and depositing us in one of the quiet back alleys. After being a part of my network, he had a good idea of where I had wanted to start.

“Have fun,” he told us, disappearing again to get Rhowyn.

While I trusted him with my life, I couldn't help the fear that threaded through me. He was taking her into the belly of the beast, and there would be nothing I could do to help them should they run into trouble. I had to trust that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

“Alright, fearless leader, where to now?” Lennox snarked playfully, no heat in his tone, his eyes darting around as if guards were preparing to jump out of the shadows to detain us at any moment.

Smiling and shaking my head at his antics, I took off. “This way.”

Sneaking through the capital city wasn't easy. We had to hide ourselves frequently, the guards coming close to discovering us on multiple occasions, but Lennox's shadows kept us hidden even when I thought we'd surely be discovered. His shadows were similar to Brannoc’s, but different in the fact that we remained in our own forms. If someone looked hard enough, they’d see us and could touch us easily. However, not many people took the time to study the shadows, convinced they already knew what lay within them. It seemed that Avalonia was on our side, though, because we reached our destination quickly, all things considered.

Approaching the nondescript building in the heart of the city, I kept my eyes and ears open for any sign that we were about to be discovered. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I signaled for Lennox to follow me. Knocking twice at the back door of the dwelling, I held my breath, the fear of being discovered threatening to choke me. After what felt like an eternity but was surely only a couple of minutes, the door swung wide, revealing the brownie on the other side.

No words needed to be said, his gesture to enter came as soon as he realized who was at his door. Lennox and I rushed through silently, his shadows clinging to the entrance as the door closed behind us. With a deep breath, I allowed my muscles to relax as I realized we were alone. The brownie waved his hand for us to follow, his message clear. We needed to follow before speaking further.

The brownie bent, pulling back a rug to reveal a trap door to an underground room. His small body pulled on the ring until the door lifted. Lennox and I rushed inside, the darkness swallowing us completely until the brownie struck a match, lighting a torch and illuminating the small space.

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