RIDDLE

31

The entire following day was spent the exact same way—deliberating and speculating about what Vera and the Unifiers had in store for them. But, while Aria had expected most of the opinions to be drawn along fae and shifter lines, that was remarkably not the case.

In fact, much of the discussion felt more like sitting in Professor Embris's class debating on hypothetical battle scenarios. When Selene had one of the seers bring in a chalkboard that morning, Jil had taken up her usual position in front of it, keeping track of ideas and mapping out strategies.

It was hard, looking at Jil, knowing the course on which she'd set their kingdom. But, as her mother had reminded her, the woman had since expressed her regret. If only she'd regretted it sooner , she thought. The notion sat in the back of her mind throughout their plotting.

By the time dinner rolled around, they still hadn't gotten anywhere. Eventually the group decided, once again, to resume their discussions the following day. But instead of heading to the dining hall together, most people broke off on their own—Aria included. She'd had about as much of other people as she could take that day .

Not Taren, though. She watched as her friend dragged Finn out of the room and toward the entrance of the Sanctum, overhearing something about wanting to spar. She was pretty sure she saw a smile on Finn's face as he followed in Taren's tow. A good sign. It brought a smile to her own face, seeing Taren living their best life, making the most of their situation.

After grabbing a quick bite to bring back to her room, Aria felt like stretching her wings a bit. The sun would set soon, but she was stir crazy from two straight days of sitting in the same crowded room with no end in sight. Deciding she had enough time, she headed for the entrance, where she found Taren and Finn sitting against the stone wall, oblivious to her arrival. They looked sweaty and deep in conversation, probably having wrapped up their sparring just before she found them.

Hoping to slip by unnoticed, she treaded lightly around the corner until she was out of view. From up on the hill, the coastline peeked out from the tree canopy below. Even just the sight of the water, even from so far away, gave her a little bit of hope. So she spread her wings and soared for the beach, eager for the sound of the waves to shed some of the stress from her mind.

***

The following morning, Luka cornered Aria where she sat alone in the dining hall, munching on some toast and deeply focused on the notes in her journal. She hadn't noticed him until he sat down directly next to her, despite the four other empty chairs around the table.

She glanced up at him with a look that said can I help you ?

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you're avoiding me, Princess," he accused with a smirk. "Had enough of me already?"

She could see the hint of actual concern that crossed his face. It made her a tiny bit giddy to know he was worried about that even being a possibility. She kept her voice quiet, avoiding his gaze as she continued writing. "Did you expect me to seek you out every night, fire breather? Perhaps you needed a little cooling off." A smile of her own tugged at the corners of her lips.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who needed cooling off," he replied, an eyebrow raised. Pink spread along her cheeks as she remembered the desire that had pounded through her uncontrollably. Luka wasn't wrong—she'd been nearly delirious with want, pinned beneath his sturdy arms. While it had frustrated her to stop, she was glad he'd had the forethought to snap them out of it before things had gotten too… heated.

Luka watched that blush, watched her swallow hard. She avoided his eyes, feigning interest in the blank page in front of her. Their backs were to the wall, the room bustling with breakfast-goers, but no one paid them any attention.

He slid his hand over Aria's bare thigh, sending a shudder of warmth through her body. " And if I remember correctly," he continued, moving his hand higher and higher. His fingers inched toward the hem of her tunic, dangerously close to her center. "Weren't you begging to spread these legs for me?"

Gods above , she writhed under his touch, doing her best to keep her face neutral. Aria's breath hitched as his thumb rubbed back and forth against the outside of her leg, his hand large enough that it spanned her entire thigh. " Begging seems like a stretch," she rasped unconvincingly, embarrassed at how much she was showing her hand. Just days ago, she had told herself she wouldn't even entertain the attraction she felt toward the dragon. And now he consumed her thoughts with reckless abandon. "Maybe you just caught me in a moment of weakness."

"So you're telling me if I bent you over the table right now, you'd only maybe enjoy it?"

She shifted in her seat, desperate for any sort of friction as heat pulsed from every pore, his grip still firm along her leg.

"Maybe—"

"Then maybe you'd like it if—"

"Luka," she cleared her throat in warning.

He pulled his hand away quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's not that. Evelyn's walking toward us," she whispered. Aria would have let him go on like that until they were stripped bare for the entire room, and yet, she couldn't bear the thought of Evelyn discovering them entangled.

Aria met Evelyn's eyes as she approached. "Good morning," she greeted the panther pleasantly, praying that Evelyn couldn't smell the arousal on her.

Evelyn looked between them and squinted, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "A good morning for someone , it seems—"

"Laundry day?" Luka prodded, acknowledging the fact Evelyn wore a loose-fitting, flowy dress instead of her usual leathers. She glared at him in return.

"I think she looks lovely, as always," Aria countered with a genuine smile, grateful that Luka had thrown Evelyn off their scent. Literally.

"If you must know, I was tired of sweating my ass off in that tiny room all day," she sat and began picking at the food on her plate. "No need to continue dirtying my leathers if they're not being put to good use. "

She had a good point. Aria had resorted to her more casual knee-length tunic after everything had gone well the first day. Not that she'd be able to do much fighting on Sanctum grounds, anyway, but she felt more prepared in her leathers. Now that she was confident there wouldn't be any violence, and because everyone seemed more relaxed, she let herself prioritize comfort over preparedness for the long days of deliberation.

Just past Evelyn, Taren and Finn entered the dining hall together, comfortably close, Taren smiling and Finn wearing his usual neutral expression. Evelyn followed Aria's gaze behind her and snorted. "Those two are quite a pair."

Aria grinned, beckoning Taren and Finn to join them as Kam and Leah appeared through the door. The rest of the squad made their way to the table, Kam grabbing an extra chair from nearby and holding it out for Leah before scooting her in.

"I'm surprised to see you two here this early, considering the late night you had," Finn muttered, taking a bite of his eggs. "For as quiet as you are, Leah, you've got some pipes on you. Someone ought to tell you that it doesn't matter how loud you scream, Kam still can't hear you."

Aria spat her coffee out at Finn's uncharacteristic joke, beige splotches forming along her pages as Kam's shoulders shook hysterically beside her.

Leah's olive skin went bright red as she covered her face in her hands. "I can't help it!" she shrieked. "You try having sex with this man quietly, I promise you it's not possible."

Evelyn stared at her friend in pleasant disbelief. "Wow, who are you, Leah? I love this shameless side of you. More of that, please."

Kam finally regained his composure and signed, "I can confirm shameless Leah is the best Leah. "

"My gods, all of you are the worst," Luka chimed in with a defeated laugh. "Finn, you're just mad your sex life isn't nearly as good as theirs."

"Who said theirs was better?" Finn raised a brow.

Aria glanced at Taren with wide eyes, their face completely unreadable. That would need some explaining soon. Everyone else took it as a sign to shut their mouths.

As they finished up their food and headed toward the meeting room, Aria's skin still felt like it was on fire where Luka had touched her, the way he'd caressed that sensitive skin in a way that sent shivers through every limb. How was she supposed to focus with him sitting next to her all day, just inches away from recreating that sensation?

But once she sat down and their discussions resumed, it didn't take much before the talk of Vera and the equinox iced her out of those thoughts.