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“Planning didn’t go as you expected?”
“It went as I expected…long, unfruitful, and pointless. They are in our territory and yet expect to claim Otar’s body when he falls, since they brought the impending attack to our attention. That is not the terms we agreed upon, yet Lyklor somehow has spun his web of deception, making it sound as if the treaty favors his claim.”
“Is that his power…deception?”
“Ha, you would think the way he operates. No, he can inflict pain with a single look. He also can manipulate his pheromones to affect others in a way that favors his ambitions. The deceptions, scheming, and negotiation are all something he, unfortunately, taught himself. And though I hate to admit it out loud, he is good at it…too good.”
I slid across the bath, crawling onto his lap, pressing the fullness of my naked chest against him. “He may be a fox, but you are the hunter. You will catch the fox and skin him alive. Never forget that no matter how hard he tries to undermine you. The battlefield is your court, not his.”
He cupped my bottom with his hands, rubbing himself against me as he peered into my eyes with a smile. “Our conversation last night. I didn’t like talking like that with you. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry,” he said, kissing my chin.
“As you said, it’s the way of the world and I have to learn to adapt,” I whispered, dropping my head as my heart throbbed in pain. He caressed my face with his hand, pressing his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Genevieve,” he said slowly.
I pulled away, looking at him with confusion and shock. “What?”
“I love you and I am sorry I forced this life upon you. I know you wanted something different, someone different, but?—”
I took his face and kissed him passionately, sliding myself onto him until I felt his hardness hit the top of my insides. I arched back, enjoying the feeling of being filled by this male. Take the small pieces of heaven where you can, Gen, I thought. He pulled my mouth back to his as the rhythm of our motion splashed the water out of the tub onto the floor.
“I love you, Gaelin,” I said in between pants. He smiled, still holding me close to him.
I got dressed just in time for the knock that came at the door. Expecting it to be Levos, I rushed over, swinging the door open freely with a smile on my face. Erendrial Lyklor stood on the other side of the threshold. My face dropped to the floor as my eyes averted his. I stepped back, remembering my place.
“May I help you, Ambassador Lyklor?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, you can look at me, I won’t tell,” he whispered, leaning into my ear as he passed into the room. A sharp shuttering feeling crawled up my spine from being this close to him. I couldn’t decide if it was fear or curiosity. Gaelin came from the bathroom, back straight and shoulders broad in a defensive stance.
“What is the meaning of this visit?” said Gaelin.
I closed the door, moving off to the side of the room.
“Sorry, was I interrupting?” Erendrial said, inhaling deeply. “Sure does smell like it.” He turned and winked at me.
“Your purpose, Lyklor?” demanded Gaelin.
“Ah, yes. I think I’ve come up with a solution to our little Otar problem.”
“It couldn’t wait until our next meeting?” Gaelin asked, continuing to dress.
“Call me nosy, but I wanted to see how the other half lived,” Erendrial said, acting as if he was assessing the room. “Anyways, I propose that we both have our own teams of people examine the body together. We choose a secure, neutral location for the examination to take place. This way, anything the other team finds will be noted and we both can understand what creature Otar is just in case he isn’t the one controlling the rift.”
Gaelin stood for a moment, contemplating. He nodded slowly, with a stern face. “I will bring it to the king tomorrow and report back when a decision is made.”
“Excellent. See, that wasn’t so difficult, was it? This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship, Lord Atros,” Erendrial smiled smugly. He turned back to me and then made eye contact with Gaelin. “Is she a favorite or are you in a sharing mood? Since we’re friends now and all.”
Gaelin growled, his hands clenching into fists. “She is my concubine. No one else touches her; especially not filth like you”
Erendrial clicked his tongue before turning back to Gaelin. “And they call us selfish. I will see you at dinner, Gaelin.” He moved to the door without another word and left.
I relaxed, moving through the room, trying to distract myself from the dark court’s presence.
Gaelin took my arm and pulled me into him. “He will not touch you; I promise.” He kissed me on the head before leaving for dinner.
Ten minutes later I followed him into the throne room, taking my place against the wall. The dark court sat among the light, laughing, and eating their fill of food and wine. They acted as if they weren’t among enemies but friends. I didn’t know if it was a way to mess with their opponent’s minds or their legitimate perception of reality. The light alfar looked at them as if they were gunk on the bottom of their shoes.
Dinner felt like it dragged on longer than most nights. I rushed off to the kitchen to help with cleanup before heading back towards Gaelin’s chamber. The halls were quiet, even more so than usual. I guessed the light alfar didn’t want to have any unexpected run in with the dark court members. I thought back to my dream, trying to catalog the similarities of the day’s events. Not everything in my dream had happened, but there were too many coincidences to simply look past as if it meant nothing.