Page 72 of The Empty Throne

"—and it's an honor," Cohea continued like hehadn't spoken, kicking him hard under the table, "to have you jointhe Great Houses of Cremisio."

Still looking amused, which Bitterseaadmired, Sobeki said, "Read over and sign the papers, then, andwe'll begin the transfer. There will be more to sign once she'sofficially made a citizen." The clerk from before set the papers infront of him, and Bittersea quickly read through the cumbersomejargon before signing and sealing in all the marked places. Theclerk took them back and had others around the table sign aswitnesses before returning to Sobeki. "Have you chosen a new name?"Sobeki asked.

Bittersea finished his tea. "Not yet." Heignored all the questioning looks the rest of the room casthim.

Predictably, Cohea took mercy on them. "Sincehe'll be changing his surname when we marry, he wants to go aheadand change his entire name. Why bother keeping something youabsolutely hate and never use?

Scathing as always, Oskia said, "Blood?Wound? Killer? Snake? Fatal? Monster?"

"Little too obvious," Bittersea replied."Maybe Oskio?"

"I will kill you myself," Oskia retorted,remaining in her seat only because of Sobeki's hand resting gentlyon her shoulder.

Bittersea bared his teeth, but before hecould rile her up further, Lysa's voice cut across the room, quietbut ringing. "Keris."

That drew Bittersea up short. He flicked hisgaze to Kite's little pretty boy. "Interesting." The very daggerthat Cohea had gifted him, lifted from the corpse of a Terekiansoldier, wavy and sinuous like his beloved snakes. "Keris," hesaid, tasting the word, it's weight and feel. "Yes, that will do.Well done, pretty boy, I can see why Kite keeps you around, with amind and mouth like that."

To his credit, Lysa laughed, even as his faceturned red. Next to him, Kite rolled his eyes but otherwise did notstop reading the paperwork in front of him.

"All right," Sobeki said, pushing up from thetable. "Keris will be in the city with his pick of soldiers toclear out leftovers. Cohea is charged with getting the city back tofunctioning, Kite the palace. Oskia will be heading out to overseethe return of our people. Lady Corinta has generously agreed tooversee the docks, where we'll have a great many supplies coming into make up for everything Terek destroyed on their warpath." Hesighed. "I'll be up to my eyeballs in paperwork and meetings. Anyquestions?"

"No, Your Majesty," most of the roomchorused, Keris and a few others simply nodding.

Keris stood and left, happy to be free of thedull meeting, especially now he had such a delightful task in frontof him.

He hadn't gone far, though, when he wasroughly grabbed and thrown into a sitting room, the door locking ashe turned around.

Cohea didn't give him a chance to speak,simply dragged him to the floor, flipping him onto his stomach andstraddling him, turned away from Keris's head. "Lord Keris Szelisof Lindquist. It does sound rather fine. Can't believe you didn'tthink of that one on your own, given you were looking at thatdagger much like you look at me when you want a fuck."

"Does it matter what I want, when you'rehappiest taking, taking, taking?" Keris asked, then gasped as hisass was bared to the cool air. Deft fingers pulled and pushed atthe plug, teasing him relentlessly, before abruptly yanking it out,making him swear loudly and colorfully. "You stupid bastard."

A heavy hand cracked down on his ass, severalbrutal blows in quick succession, before Keris was yanked to hisfeet and his clothes righted, leaving him mussed, sore, and hard.Cohea stroked his lips, then pushed a thumb into his mouth,laughing when Keris bit it. Withdrawing it, he wiped the dampnesson Keris's cheek before sinking fingers into his short hair anddragging him into a ravenous kiss. They were both semi-hard as theydrew apart, but Cohea only released him and said, "Don't gettoocarried away."

"Never," Keris replied, even as he recalledall the lovely things he'd done to those two idiots who'd dared tolay their hands on Cohea. To the bastard in the city he'd forced tobleed out after seeing him try to steal away a little girl.

"You're a little liar, but I'll pry thenaughty truth out of you later," Cohea said, and kissed him onemore time before forcefully taking a step back. "Go do what you do,moon shadow. I'll find you tonight."

Keris smirked and left without a word,delicate shivers running down his spine at all the possible ways hemight be pounced later. So many hot, dark fantasies twisted aroundin Cohea's head, it was nearly impossible to guess which one he'dact on at any time. Keris loved it.

He glanced briefly at his ring, which gleamedbrilliant red, finer than any ruby could ever be.

Twenty

Oskia stood on the steps of the palace,looking out over the ruined city, the trails of smoke where toomuch burned, despite the frigid air. It would take years to rebuildeverything, and generations to rebuild the people they'd lost.

Though they did have a true alliance now withKenten, which meant immigrants, and all the cultural shifts andchanges such an influx brought. She still wasn't happy about beingbound to another kingdom, a power that could stab them in the backat any moment, but without it, Cremisio would probably not still bestanding. A fact she hated to admit but denying it would do no oneany favors.

"I don't think I said thank you for decidingnot to kill me," Sobeki said from next to her, fingers tighteningin gentle affection where their hands were clasped. "I assume themarriage is to keep a watchful eye?"

Oskia flinched. "It's not funny. I wish youwould stop making light of it."

"Your integrity is one of your finestqualities," Sobeki replied, letting go of her hand to step incloser and slide an arm around her waist, hand resting at the smallof her back. He smelled sweet and faintly smoky, and she couldn'tdeny she was looking forward to exploring him naked at some point,hopefully some point soon. "You are certain this is what you want?Not that you are the type to waver, but I know part of the reasonyou first refused me was that you wanted your full attention onyour duchy and family, when being with me would have required youspend even more time here."

Because she had technically outranked him, ashe was the second son of a noble, never intended for a title, buthe was also powerful in court, a renowned scholar and mage, andwould never have been able to spend most of his time at her remoteestate. One of them would have had to give up what they wanted, orthey would have rarely seen each other. She hadn't wanted that foreither of them.

"I'm certain. I can appoint an interim tomanage the estate to give my siblings time to decide if theysomeday want to take up the title, and if they don't, I'll figureout a permanent solution then. Are you sure you don't need mehere?"

Sobeki kissed her cheek. "I can handle allthe nonsense here. I was doing it even before I got the fancytitle. People like you, or at least are fascinated-intimidated byyou, which will work well for leading them home. Just try to stayout of trouble, hmm?"

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