Page 62 of Happily Ever Crowned (Underworld Royals 1)

“Maybe I want to be on top,” I returned, meaning it despite the playful note in my voice. The woman was killing me.

“Hmm.” She eyed the angelfire, watching as it shifted back to a safer orange-red flicker. “Maybe I’d like that.” The fire continued to cool until only embers danced over her naked form. “I did it,” she breathed, her expression a mixture of awe and pride. The heat left her gaze, returning her irises to a pale blue as she looked at me. “Adrik, I did it.”

I stood just in time to catch her in a hug. Her skin lacked the warmth I expected, her limbs almost icy as she clung to my neck and buried her head against my chest. “You were magnificent,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her temple and lifting her into the air.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, placing the hottest part of her against my growing cock.

Naked.

Powerful.

Beautiful.

Woman.

I groaned against her neck. “Valora, I—” My wrist buzzed with an alarm that had my head shooting up. “Fuck.” I’d rigged the area outside my quarters to warn me if anyone disturbed the proximity of my door. It gave me a two-minute warning, tops. Which was usually more than enough. But not tonight. “We need to get back. Now.”

The hours had escaped me.

It was well past evening on our seventh night together.

Necros probably wanted his wife back.

Adrik pulled me through the tunnels at a rapid speed, telling me the plan as we went.

I didn’t like one word of it. Especially now that I knew how to awaken my power. And I told him as much.

“Valora,” he said, grasping my shoulders just outside of his quarters. “You just burned through hours of energy. Yes, you’re powerful. But we need to be smart about this. Play submissive. Buy me time to be located elsewhere. Or this will all implode tonight, and we’re not ready.”

He pushed me into his rooms, where the door rattled beneath Necros’s fists, his fury palpable.

Adrik ruffled my hair, pulling it over my shoulders, giving me a horrid appearance.

“Act groggy. Then beg him to take you back, apologize profusely, tell him you missed him. Do whatever he asks.” Adrik cupped my cheek as a resounding bang hit the wood, shaking the walls. “Go to him,” he whispered. “Trust me.”

And with that, he left me alone with the raging lion in the hallway.

“Adrik!” my husband roared. Another slam rattled the fixtures throughout the room.

Oh, he was livid. And yet, what did he suspect by giving his wife away to another man? I blew out a long breath and wandered over to the door. “Necros?” I called in as weak a voice as I could muster.

The pounding stopped.

“Open the door,” he ordered.

“Yes,” I replied, forcing a note of fear into my tone.

Adrik had showed me how to unbolt the door earlier this week, not wanting me to feel trapped in his quarters. I slid them across slowly, pretending to struggle, and collapsed against the wall beside the entrance when done, doing my best to feign exhaustion.

Necros threw the door open, the wood crashing into the stone interior, and stormed inside with two guards behind him. Good thing I’d chosen the opposite wall or that heavy oak would have slammed right into my face.

“Where’s the prince?” he snarled, searching the dark room, noting the crisply folded sheets and the thin blankets on the floor near the bottom of the bed. Adrik had thrown those there several days ago, stating it would show Necros a level of detachment if he thought that was where I slept.

It seemed to work, because my husband’s shoulders slightly loosened as he found me sliding down the wall. I put my head in my hands as if trying to rouse myself. “Forgive me, My Lord. I’m… I’ve not been well.”

“He’s not here, My King,” one of the guards announced after having checked the bathroom and side room.

“He left my wife alone?” He sounded quite angry with that fact, which I found humorous considering all the days and nights he left me alone in my own rooms. “Find him. Now.”

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