Page 98 of Queen of Darkness
The two of them had been working on cleaning it from the inside while the others helped rebuild the structure so that the castle walls were slowly rising from the ground once more. It would be a long project, taking quite a while to complete. Most of the time, it would just be Fenrir and Drakul working on it, but we had come to visit, and Aaron didn’t believe in not pitching in, and his team followed his lead. So, for today at least, there was help.
“Good,” Fenrir said. “Slow, but good. It gives us something to do.”
I looked at him, wondering if I should open my mouth and ask if my hunch was correct about what was going on with them.
No. Let them have this.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I said, hoping he would get my full meaning.
If he did, he didn’t even react to it. His eyes were focused up the slope, where a slow but steady stream of ancient, pre-cut rock was being unearthed and hauled up the hilltop to form the basis of the new castle.
“I’m going to stay here,” Fenrir said at last. “With Drakul. Where nobody will bother us.”
“Sounds good,” I said. I’d been wondering what he would do, given that he was still a hunted man. Erebus, and possibly even Odin, would want to see him back behind the bars of Mordathu’s prison walls. I wasn’t so sure that was the right option anymore, and I was determined to do my best to grant him this freedom.
“Is that your formal permission to stay, My Queen?”
I looked at Dani. “Is he talking to you or me?”
“I’m not the ruler of shifters,” Dani said. “Just a goddess, apparently. So, he’s most definitely talking toyou.”
“Well, in that case, yes, it is my permission and blessing,” I said. “I will tell no one about where you’ve gone, and I hope that you can find some measure of the peace you seek.”
“Thank you,” Fenrir said, nodding his head respectfully. “I have found something I sought, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time. But it’s here, and this is where I’ll stay.”
“I understand,” I said, my eyes searching the hill to where Aaron was making his way back down. “Better than you might think.”
“Maybe you do,” Fenrir agreed. “Maybe you do.”
“I hope you—” I stopped, realizing he was gone, disappearing back into the castle.
“Hey, you, construction worker,” I said as Aaron came near. “Come over here.”
“Can’t, ma’am. Not on a union mandated break just yet,” he said with a wink.
“I’ll make sure your boss doesn’t give you a hard time,” I said, grinning as he approached.
“Good luck with that,” he muttered slyly. “Real harsh taskmaster, that one.”
“I’ll showyouharsh,” I growled, leaping at him.
I’d forgotten he’d been working hard.
“Gotcha!” he crowed, his slippery, sweaty arms wrapping around my waist.
“Ew! No! Ack! Gross! Get off me. Ew. No, no more, I give. I yield! Ahhhhh!” I yelped, trying to squirm my way free.
It was no use. He had me firmly and tightly and was making the most of it.
“Now get over here,” he growled, hauling me up a little higher on his waist so that he could kiss me.
I took it because I liked it, and I pouted when he broke away. “Not fair.”
“You came atme,” he pointed out. “This is all your fault.”
“You’re just doing this because you can get away with it.”
“And?” he joked. “This is what you get for making me yourconsort. You do know that’s the male version of a concubine, right?”
