47. Adrianna

47

ADRIANNA

M y fingers tap on the table, my mind swirling with ideas, but I can’t pinpoint a single one. Hunched over the worn wood, I know the answer is there, it’s just out of reach. I can practically feel it on the tip of my tongue, I just can’t seem to capture it.

“You look deep in thought, Princess.” Kryll’s voice catches me off guard, pulling me from my thoughts as I smile at him.

He leans against the door frame, his tattooed arms folded over his chest as he stares at me. “I don’t think I’m the only one,” I admit, and he grins.

“I’m sure we’re deep in thought about entirely different matters,” he states cryptically as he pushes off the frame, kicking the door closed behind him as he slowly approaches. “I’m guessing you haven’t heard anything from Raiden yet?”

I shake my head. “Nothing,” I grumble.

It’s the entire reason I find myself in here. After Brody blurted the blood magic connection to Raiden, my vampire turned to stone. His words were clipped, his emotions bottled up, and his body stiff.

Nothing at all like I expected him to be.

There was no rage, no pent-up anger, just acceptance. Not that he truly was the one linked to the frenzied vampires, but that he knew who was.

He told me to head back to the castle with everyone else, promising that he and Brody would sort it out. I wanted to say no, I wanted to demand I be present, but there was something in his eyes telling me he needed to do this himself. So I swallowed my pride, and my ego along with it, and came home. As soon as Nora got settled in her room, with my father keeping a watchful eye over her, I wandered down here, and I’ve been staring at the kingdom carved into the wooden table ever since, waiting for the right answer to pop out at me.

“I’m sure they won’t be much longer,” Kryll murmurs, rounding the table to come to a stop at my side. He strokes his hand down my spine, comfort zapping through our bond as I hum.

“I’m sure, I just hate not being completely in the know. But to distract myself, I’ve ended up getting lost in my head.”

“How so?”

Standing tall, I shake my hands at my sides before I turn to look at him properly. “I’ve got the slightest inkling of an idea coming to mind, a plan that could make all the difference, but it’s like I’m trying to put it together without the right pieces,” I explain, probably making no sense, but he nods all the same.

“Like you’re taking all of the snippets of information you’ve got and you’re trying to put them in the right order,” he offers, and I nod eagerly, turning my attention back to the wooden carving.

“Exactly like that. If what Raiden says is true, the frenzied vampires should hopefully not be an issue for much longer. We’re starting to learn the weaknesses of our enemies in a way that they could be impactful, but it’s the execution of it all that needs my focus.”

“Maybe you need to take a break, reconvene in a little while with a fresh perspective. I would offer to take you for a walk through the grounds, but the last time we did that it didn’t bode too well for us,” he muses, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind my ear as I smirk at him.

That’s an understatement and we both know it. “I agree. I think we’ve got enough on our plate already. Staying here sounds like a safer bet.”

“Have you eaten? We could head for a late night snack,” he offers, and I shake my head.

“I’m not hungry. After Janie insisted on feeding us all before we left, I can’t even imagine eating right now.”

“It was some damn good steak, though,” he says with a sigh, and I grin.

“I feel like that’s where this all began,” I muse, my gaze unfocusing as I think back to the first time I stepped into Janie’s restaurant.

“What do you mean?”

“Brody took me to Janie’s on a date because he wanted a steak. That, in turn, pissed Cassian off and led to the three of you interrupting our meal. I managed to slip outside, but you stopped me from getting lost among the trees, only for me to find myself caught in the first duel of many.”

“Damn. That was one hectic night if you ask me.” His hands find my shoulders, squeezing in comfort as I remember the feel of his body pressed against mine that night.

“It feels like someone hit the accelerator that night and they haven’t taken their foot off the pedal since,” I agree as he works his thumbs into my tight muscles, trying to ease the knots.

“If you were standing in front of that version of yourself right now, what would you say to her?” he asks, and I frown at him.

“Why? Am I not that same girl anymore?”

He shakes his head. “Not entirely, no.”

I hum, thinking on his words as I replay everything we’ve been through in such a short span of time, slowly realizing that he’s right. I am that same girl, but I’m not. A lot has changed. Not just around me, but within me as well. “Honestly, I would tell her to trust the process. That even though there may be four insane men staking a claim in your life, it will be worth it. Even when you don’t want it. There’s no point delaying the inevitable when it turns out to be more than you could ever fathom.”

I feel the curl of his lips against my neck as he presses soft kisses across my skin.

“And what would she say to you if she was standing here now?”

I scoff, my eyelids falling closed as I think. “She would tell me to fuck staying calm and collected. She would tell me to fuck the traditions that come with being royal. More than that, she would tell me to take action, by any means necessary. Whatever it takes to protect those she loves and the kingdom.”

“That’s because you’re fierce, resilient, and relentless. What would protecting the kingdom look like to her? What actions would she take?”

I gulp as his hands skim down my sides, his fingers flexing at my waist as his lips continue to brush over my flesh, leaving goosebumps in his wake. His touch fuels the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I swipe my tongue over my lips and try to think about his question.

“She would fight to the very end. No question about it. She wouldn’t be holed up in here waiting for someone else to keep making the first move. I’ve never been one to act defensively. Not really. I’ve always preferred to strike first.” My monologue swiftly changes from she to I , making me realize that the way I describe my younger self is exactly how I want to be described now. “I’m done playing these games. We’re already dealing with the aftermath from The Council, the last thing our people need is the carnage this woman is bringing too. We deserve to feel hope, we deserve to thrive, and we deserve to be united.”

“Tell me how we do it then, Princess,” he rasps against my ear as his fingers slip into the waistband of my pants.

My breath lodges in my throat as his caress sends tingles through my body. With one hand teasing under the hem of my panties, he slips the other free from my pants to press between my shoulder blades. I lean forward without question, placing my palms flat against the table.

I can’t think about his question. His touch makes it impossible for me to think about anything other than the feel of his skin against mine.

“I can’t decide whether I should treat you with every idea you think of or wring you dry in hopes of making your mind flourish. I’m here to inspire,” he muses, sweeping his fingertip over my clit as he presses the outline of his monster cock against my ass.

Fuck.

“The latter. Definitely the latter,” I croak, acutely aware that there’s no chance in Hell that I’ll be able to think of anything. I need my prize in advance. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that when he slips his hand from my panties, stealing my breath along with his touch.

Crowding over me, his body pressed against the length of mine, he whispers in my ear. “Is that what you want, Princess? Do you want me to fuck you right here, in the royal council room where anyone could walk in and find us?”

I should say no.

I should.

But…

“Yes.”

He pauses.

One second. Two.

He’s going to correct me, he’s going to say it’s foolish. He’s going to… yank at the waistband of my pants, tugging them down just enough to expose my lace panties.

This is where he’s going to stop.

This is where he?—

Fuck.

My fingers curl into the engravings of the city etched in the wooden table, desperate for some kind of grasp as he skims his palms over the delicate material before tugging my pants down farther. The material gathers at my knees, goosebumps rising over my skin as the cool air washes over me.

A muted gasp parts my lips as he inches up the hem of my t-shirt just a little before he crouches behind me and rakes his teeth over the lace covering my ass. My body stiffens, desire coating my veins as my skin heats at his touch.

“Kryll.” His name is nothing more than a plea on my tongue, one that results in a wicked grin spreading over his cheeks as he continues to tease me.

“Let your hair down, Princess. I’m going to need something to hold on to.”

The ability to breathe is lost on me as his words consume me. It takes too long for me to actually realize what he wants me to do, and he’s already tugging at the braid when I quickly move into action.

My magic does all the work, loosening the ends, but they’re swiftly drawn tight again when he wraps the ends around his fist, tugging my head back with a groan.

“Just like that,” he breathes, crowding me from behind again, and I moan, unable to stop myself. “Now, let’s fuck these ideas of yours into place,” he murmurs before shifting his stance behind me. I feel the tug at my panties as he moves them to the side, revealing my needy core before the sound of his zipper rings through the air.

The heat of his cock bumps against my entrance a moment later, stealing my breath as his hold on my hair tightens and his other hand flexes around my waist.

I’m at his mercy.

I’ve been contorted into the position he needs me in, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“The room is muted, Princess. I want to hear you scream. Just know, if someone walks in here, I won’t be able to stop,” he rasps, his lips at my ear as he leans over me, and I shiver. “Nod if you understand,” he adds, his voice darkening with every syllable.

The second I do, I seal my fate and he thrusts his cock deep into my center. Any breath I had left is gone, pushed out to make space for his thick length. My pussy clenches around him, fluttering with need as he stretches me beyond words, and a soft moan parts my lips.

Thankfully, he holds still, giving me a second to adjust and try to find my next breath, but the second I release a ragged exhale, he’s moving again.

Hard.

Fast.

Monstrous.

His skin slaps against mine. My pants wedge my legs in place, my fingers scrambling to hold on to something, anything at all, while he tugs at my hair and tightens his fingers at my waist.

My cries echo around the room, illuminating my pleasure as I fall further and further.

I’m going to be bruised in the best way possible after this.

It’s going to be worth every second.

I slip forward, the force impossible to hold off and my hips fall flush against the table as my hands slide sideways. My face is an inch away from the wood. The only thing stopping me from collapsing all together is the grip he has on my hair as he fiercely pummels into me.

“That’s it, Princess. Make my dick wet,” he grunts, bruising my hips with his fingertips as a cry parts my lips.

Fuck.

My groans grow louder and louder.

I don’t have control over a single part of me. Not one.

I cry out again, this time, the sound hoarse and raspy as he somehow manages to tighten his hold on my hair at the same time he slams into me with unrelenting thrust after unrelenting thrust.

I’m putty in his hand.

The tingles start in my toes, swirling up my legs at the same time the nerve endings in my fingertips come alive. The world pivots, turning to darkness as my eyelids fall closed, and all I can do is feel what my dragon does to me.

My pussy tightens around his cock as ecstasy laces through my veins, claiming me, showering me with pleasure as he wrings every ounce of euphoria from my limbs. His thrusts falter, his own guttural groans barely audible over my pulse ringing in my ears as he paints my insides with his release.

Every throb of his cock makes my pussy spasm again and again until there’s nothing left.

I’m spent. Exhausted beyond words with my face fully plastered against the carved wood as he releases my hair. “I love it when you let your dragon out to play,” I muse, thrusting back on his cock one last time for good measure as he ghosts kisses over my neck.

“And I love you. All of you. Fae, wolf, mated, princess, and queen. Now, forever, always.”