“Yes!” The heat, power and drunkenness overwhelmed her. The lights behind her eyes brightened, blinding her to anything else. Contentment like she’d never known infiltrated every cell.
As he collapsed on her and rolled to the side, sliding out of her, the light remained, attempting to carry her away...
No! She fought to stay awake, unwilling to miss a single moment of this literal afterglow. Never had she felt like this, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.
Groaning, Roc pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. He was panting. Wheezing, really.
I did that. I exhausted the Astra Commander. She wanted to see him. The light...
“Sleep, Taya.”
How could she refuse him anything? Even this? “Just gonna take a little nap, okay?” she muttered, finally letting the light carry her away.
32
Different emotions swelled inside Roc. At the forefront? Astonishment. This had truly happened? He had truly claimed Taliyah, willingly handing Erebus a weapon to use against him and his men? The harpy had truly fallen asleep atop him, trusting him to keep her safe, accepting him as her beloved consort? She truly glowed as bright as a sun, blazing as he often did, because he had fed her a soul whirring with pleasure and power?
A smile broke free, pride puffing his chest. Roc had many names, but he thought this one—Consort—might be his favorite.
To his surprise, he had loved nourishing his phantom. Warming her from the inside. Sharing his strength. Knowing a part of him flowed through her now... Want this every day for the rest of forever.
He had expected weakness and cold to accompany her suckling—the first true feeding they’d shared. Instead, he’d experienced only delight, feeling as if she'd caressed every inch of him at once. Nothing at all like a typical phantom meal. Because of her parentage? Or had Erebus and his brother engineered other phantoms to consume souls sloppily, just to cause Astra more aggravation?
Hate him. The male had to die, and stay dead. Soon! The curse needed to be circumvented. Roc must save this woman. This contentment wasn’t something he could give up. No wonder Solar had fought so hard to rescue his own gravita.
Roc hugged Taliyah close. Worth dying for.
He rubbed the spot over his heart and peered up at the ceiling, a strange desire surfacing. He thought he might want to show Taliyah what he’d done to Solar. She had trusted him with her secrets, and he’d only wanted her more. Shouldn’t he have the courage to trust her with his secrets?
That was what family did. They exchanged secrets and offered support.
Family. The word echoed in his mind, and he fisted his hands. Chaos owed him answers. Owed Taliyah. Why had the man not protected his precious granddaughter?
Though his heartbeat had yet to slow, Roc kissed Taliyah’s smooth brow and rose from the bed. Did a grin hover at the edge of her mouth?
He grinned in turn as he strode into the bathroom to clean up. When he finished, he gathered the things he required for his wife, then cleaned her up, as well. Though he had much to do, he couldn’t resist crawling under the covers and curling around her once more. She nuzzled closer, sinking her claws into his chest to keep him in place.
His snarpy wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. No woman more perfect.
Some men thought they had the best wife. Those men were wrong. No one had a better wife than Roc. He had the unstoppable Taliyah, who never gave up. Even her surrender to him came with demands.
As he sifted his fingers through the silk of her hair, he halfway expected his men to interrupt, telling him of a new phantom sighting. A new message. Had Erebus foreseen this bedding? Did the god know he was soon to receive a new weapon?
Let him have it.
Taliyah had gifted Roc with her body, her future—her heart?—and there was no greater prize. He’d given up his place as Commander of the Astra for her, and he had no regrets. He would give up a thousand ranks for a moment like this.
The brand on his nape heated, and Roc stiffened. A royal summons now, just when he cradled a sated, naked gravita against him? After ten days of making inquiries and receiving silence? A curse exploded through his head.
For the first time in his life, he resisted the pull. The burn agonized, but he didn’t care. He stood and shoved his legs into a pair of leathers, then informed Halo of his upcoming absence.
—Guard her.—The command allowed no argument.
Sounding mildly offended, Halo replied, —I will die before I allow her harm before the ceremony, Commander.—
The warlord still watched the palace from the wall, and no matter what he thought of Taliyah, he would protect her until the day of the ceremony. Anything for the blessing.
Mired in resentment, tasks completed, Roc ceased fighting, letting Chaos’s power tug him through the realms. When he came to a stop, he found himself ensconced inside a throne room. One he’d never before visited. Gold...everywhere, from the ceiling to the floors and every wall in between. Chaos perched atop a golden seat, draped in a black robe.
Roc forced himself to bow his head.
Chaos didn’t speak. Testing his loyalty? Roc waited him out, the minutes ticking away.
Finally, a greeting came. “You come with many troubles. Mostly, you are disappointed in me.”
Yes! “Taliyah Skyhawk is your granddaughter.”
A dark brow lifted. “This isn’t news to me.”
Accusations detonated inside him, fury gaining new ground. “You let me wed her. You knew she belonged to your family line, that she fell under your authority and protection, and you did nothing to save her. Why?”
Roc comprehended he wasn’t to question someone of higher rank. He let the question stand, regardless. If he received punishment for his actions, so be it.
Silent, never looking away, the god waved two fingers. Within seconds, Aurora and Twila flashed onto the dais while already in motion, appearing from thin air. They took up posts beside the throne, both sisters wearing worried expressions and flowing gowns.
If Chaos hurt them...
“We spoke of this.” The god reclined into a more comfortable position, casual and at ease. Except for his gaze. His gaze leveled Roc. “When questioned about choosing your gravita—your family—over your men, you chose your men. You did that, not I.”
Guilt sliced him to ribbons. “I did, yes. But I’m not that man anymore.” Taliyah had changed him. “You were and are and will always be her grandfather.”
“Yes.” A nod. Chaos said nothing else.
“Is there a way to stop this?” Desperation plucked the words out of his mouth. “Is there a way to save Taliyah as well as my men?”