Page 66 of Throne of Dreams
He silenced her nonsense with a kiss. Her lips were soft and smooth, and she opened her mouth readily for him, letting his tongue sweep across hers. Letting him taste her. When he pulled away, her eyes had fluttered closed. He took her hand once more and this time he escorted her back to her room.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pressed her back against the door.
“Don’t forget,” he whispered across her neck, then let his tongue slide where his words lingered. “We have training today.”
Her brows arched in interest, and she ground her hips against him. “Which kind?”
He caressed her breast and palmed her ass, wanting every inch of her lush body in his hands.
“Wicked creature,” he growled.
She arched into him, and he damned the fact that unless he wanted to hoist her entire dress up to her hips, there was no easy, inconspicuous way to touch her. He planted a rough kiss on her mouth, then dragged himself away from her. He had to stay focused. There were certain things he had to take care of before he could take care of her. Yet already his cock was straining against the fabric of his pants.
“Don’t forget.” He raked a hand through his hair, hating the fact he was leaving her there, all soft and pliable and fully aroused for him. “Training. I’ll see you on the beach in thirty minutes.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I have some other…” he drank in every sensual inch of her, “far less tempting matters to attend to.”
She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and it took every ounce of his self-control not to drag up that godsforsaken dress, pin her to the wall, and bury himself inside of her. As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, she smirked.
“Training,” he ground out. “Thirty minutes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
Tiernan was far more impressed with his willpower to walk away from Maeve than he was with his ability to stay focused on the matters at hand. He mused over the idea of Maeve becoming a High Queen in his mind. It was doable, especially if the Spring fae demanded it. There was also no doubt in his mind about her being the Dawnbringer. He’d never witnessed anyone take on a Hagla and survive to talk about it.
The walk across the palace eased the intensity of his lust, and when Tiernan opened the door of his study, he found Lir, Merrick, and Brynn waiting for him.
The three of them stood at once, each one bowing.
“Moh Rí,”they said in unison.
“Sit.” He gestured to the chairs and sofa and sat behind his desk. He focused on his hunter first. “What were you able to uncover, Mer?”
“She’s ruining it all, my lord. Parisa calls herself the Dark Queen and spreads destruction like a plague. She’s banned magic completely, devastated livelihoods, and prohibited learning of any sort.” Merrick leaned back in his seat and shoved his hands through his hot pink hair. “It’s far worse than we expected.”
Tiernan nodded, keeping his expression schooled into one of calm composure. Parisa was wrecking the Spring Court from the inside out.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut.
“I heard from Aran this morning,” Brynn piped up, and Tiernan let his gaze drift to her.
“Good news, I hope?”
She shrugged. “I suppose you could call it that. But he confirmed that the Furies are indeed inhabiting the Moors.”
“So, they never left Kells?” Lir asked.
“They did not.” Brynn’s eye color shifted from a pleasant gold to a deep magenta. “I imagine they’re waiting on orders from Maeve.”
“And what of the merrows?” Tiernan asked.
“Shay already sent word that Garvan is intent on hunting down more of them.” Lir ran his thumb along his chin, back and forth. “It seems to be Parisa’s doing.”
Tiernan scrubbed his hands over his face. This was not what they wanted. This was not what they bargained for. They wanted peace. They wanted an alliance between the Four Courts, but Parisa had wanted more. She always wanted more. It had been so long since they’d been without war. So very long.
He leaned back in his chair, and the leather groaned beneath his weight. Blowing out a breath, he faced his three closest friends. The commander. The hunter. The healer. He told himself he would be honest with them. Always.
