Page 5 of Crown and Dragon

She snorted a laugh. “You make it sound like we’ve planned some dark mission.”

Using the full power of his speed, he moved behind her and set his teeth against the side of her throat. He edged the vine knife against her throat, though he kept the dull side toward her.

“I’ll make it a dark mission if you wish it, little salty.”

She shivered and rubbed her arse against him. “I do. I really do.”

He chuckled and went back to harvesting.

They finished the row, and Waith called out for everyone to cease their work.

“Leave a cluster on each row for good luck!” Waith shouted.

“Aye!” the workers shouted in unison.

Happy conversation and laughter rose as everyone dumped their full baskets into the great vat at the back of the first set of outbuildings.

Most of the staff gathered at a long table outside. Dishes set with sauced chicken, piles of cubed orange cheddar, and fat slices of bread weighed the entire length.

Waith collected Marius and Tahlia and escorted them inside the manor house, where another feast awaited for the higher ranked staff.

A table had been dragged into the center of the main room. Platters of bright green apples and roasted venison sat beside flagons of dark wine. Round cottage loaves baked with the vineyard’s mark steamed, fresh from the ovens behind the house. Varied wheels of cheese dotted the table as well as bowls of what appeared to be grape preserves.

Tahlia clasped her hands and sighed, her head tilting to one side. “Sorry, Marius, but I’m leaving you for this table. I mean, there is so much cheese.”

He shot her a look and she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Thankfully, Waith and the other workers were too busy filling crockery with wine and singing harvest songs to notice or care about Tahlia’s lack of propriety.

“We truly should go over the mission details as soon as we finish here.”

“You aren’t suggesting we skip this feast, are you?” She gazed at him like he had told her someone died.

“No, I don’t wish to be rude to the household.”

Tahlia put the back of her hand to her forehead. “Oh, thank the gods!”

“After we eat. Did you read the lines about Ragewing’s position while we infiltrate the city, the location and purpose of the safe house inside city walls, and about our contacts both in the city streets and in the fortress?” he whispered.

He tried not to notice the way the soft skin under her jaw pebbled when his breath skirted over her flesh.

“I read the entirety four times. Ask me anything, Commander.”

“Very good.” He started to throw her a difficult query, but Waith’s voice cut him off.

Those gathered for the smaller feast inside the house had at last stopped yowling like pups under a full moon.

“Please sit and let us talk about the first time you tasted one of the king and queen’s vintage, Commander Marius, Lady Tahlia.”

The talk went on and on, but Marius wasn’t so uptight as to break the conversation to continue checking on Tahlia’s memory. He kept his tongue and enjoyed the bites she fed to him.

“And this cheese is called sunlight. Can you even imagine?” She tucked a sliver into his mouth. “What’s it taste like?”

He chewed, savoring the flavor despite the fact that he felt foolish eating from his mate’s hand the night before a mission briefing and in full view of the king and queen’s staff.

“You’re too slow. I’m trying it on my own.” Tahlia sliced another bit of the sunlight cheese and popped it between her lips. She moaned like, well, like she wasn’t just eating food.

“Gods save us, this is divine. The smoothness. The bright flavor!”

A female with curling hair and brown skin nodded approvingly to Tahlia. “My son made that,” she said proudly.

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