Ryder advanced through the chamber, calmly taking in the layout before he directed his focus on me. A blush tinted my cheeks as pride simmered in his eyes. I’d taken to decorating rooms based on my current mood. He enjoyed teasing me mercilessly about how my nesting instincts progressed with my pregnancy. Smirking, I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth and flipped my hair over my shoulder without offering him anything else. I wasn’t the only one who had a hand in decorating this room though.
I’d enlisted Erie’s help since she held a vast knowledge of magical spells and wards that could hinder or protect without impunity. Of course, she was a millennia-old goddess who enjoyed short walks draped in the flesh of her estranged husband.
It had been her suggestion to conceal the wards in the paint on the walls, which was kind of brilliant. I’d suggested adding them to the underside of the furniture.
Ryder and I paused as the others casually progressed through the chamber as a group, pausing in front of us. Ryder planted his palm against my lower back, shooting a trickle of warmth through me. The babe kicked and moved inside my swollen abdomen, which had him laughing devilishly, as if he’d known his touch would produce the stunt.
“You outdid yourself this time, Synthia.” Ciara whistled, and the plump babe on her hip cooed, stretching her hand toward the lights floating above our heads. “It’s breathtaking and reminds me of the nights in the higher regions.”
“It embodies the skies and multitude of stars in our kingdom,” Blane agreed, gliding his arm around her waistline to tug her closer against his chest. “Phoenix approves of it.” He smiled as the babe continued murmuring while struggling to get higher on her mother to grasp the glimmering lights.
Ristan chortled as Orion did the same from his perch on his father’s shoulders. The little dangle laughed, bouncing as his miniature wings flitted with his excitement. Fury moved closer to Blane, who lifted him so that he could lean his head back and peer around at the elegance of the chamber without teetering on his feet.
“Indeed, it’s rather . . . intricate in the layers you’ve added,” Zahruk announced, strolling into the room, his dark-blue eyes collided with mine and sent heat scolding my cheeks. His smile twisted into a wolfish grin, kindling a dangerous gleam. “You could’ve included a few extra runes beneath the paint, nevertheless. I suspect they would have been strong enough that even a lesser being wouldn’t have realized they were there. Are they preemptive or did you have them made with someone, or something, in mind?” he probed, sauntering toward me.
I inhaled, detecting the spice of whiskey, iron, and virility that canceled out the other aromas within the chamber altogether. The mixture left me dizzy with a multitude of emotions. It was both hypnotic and worrisome, and I battled the urge to reach out and touch him or taste him. It wasn’t a natural allure or even an instinctive one. It was primitive, just like the male whose eyes sparkled with the awareness I had to fight to keep my sense in check in his overwhelmingly erotic presence. My fingers curled into my palms, and his smile turned to carnal savagery.
“Preemptive, since the fae are infamously fickle beings. I won’t have anything, or anyone, disrupting the winter solstice. Yes, there are runes and wards beneath the paint, and there are still more in the trim that adorns the hall. I likewise have sage smoldering in the chambers below. Should anyone seek to spell or curse us throughout the festivities, they will be unsuccessful and depart with nothing but disappointment for their efforts.” I didn’t remove my scrutiny from his face or cower with the anxiousness he produced inside me.
The same sensation of being dissected and scrutinized for vulnerability crawled through my mind. It was like the first time I’d faced Ryder and felt him seeking my weaknesses with keen assertiveness. The need to touch him, taste him, and give him anything he wanted was far too similar to when I’d placed my lips to Ryder’s for the first time. It was undeniable, and it magnetized the need to strip bare while exposing all my darkest, dirtiest secrets to him.
There was also the sensation of being watched by more than just the man before me. It sank into my bones and made them ache with awareness. The only thing that had ever come close was when Ryder’s beast examined me, learning me carnally without ever touching me. Unlike Ryder’s beast, who wielded the temptation to indulge with precision, Zahruk exuded it into the air, casting a wide net that could bring everyone it touched into his thrall.
Ryder’s gaze veered between us before the palm on my spine heated and he drew me tighter against his side protectively. I molded myself against his warmth before turning and smiling up at him to reassure him everything was fine. His black eyebrow arched in a silent question, but I didn’t offer him an explanation for the tension between Zahruk and myself.
“You had something you wanted to speak to us about?” Blane asked, adjusting Fury on his shoulders when the boy began fidgeting.
Ryder leaned closer to me, grazing my ear with his lips before he nodded in reply to Blane. “I do, but it’s best done in my office since we’ve expanded in numbers and we won’t all fit inside the war room.”
We started toward the west hallway, which led deeper into the main level of the palace. Servers and attendants slid flush against the walls of the narrow corridor as we passed. Ryder called out to one, requesting drinks be delivered to the antechamber of his office, which wasn’t soundproof, but we’d scent anyone who lingered long enough to listen in.
Ryder paused at the door to the chamber, holding me in place next to him as the others filed into the room. His lips hovered against my ear, sending a shiver rushing down my spine as the heat drifted over my sensitive flesh below the earlobe.
“Is everything okay? Is it the babe?” he pried, gently gliding his palms over the substantial proof his child thrived within my womb. “Talk to me, Synthia.”
“I am fine, Ryder. Your son, though training for battle within my belly, is fine as well.” My eyes clashed with Ristan’s, who glowered before he lifted Orion from his shoulders. As soon as the wee beastie was on his feet, he moved to Fury and Phoenix, who’d noticed empty boxes cluttering the floor. When I’d brought them back here, they’d been overflowing with the documents, which the guild had stolen from the fae.
“This discussion isn’t over, Pet. I can sense your emotions, remember? Something’s frightened you. Your essence is off, and worry and apprehension are exuding from your pretty pores. The minute we conclude here, you’ll explain what has created that concern in you.” He released me, strolling into the office to take his place behind the massive, elaborately engraved desk.
I started forward, but the moment I entered the chamber, a weightless sensation swept through me. My hair floated around my head, and I reached out for something to hold on to. I gasped, shouting for Ryder, who looked as frozen in time as everyone else inside the office did.
“Don’t resist us, Goddess. You’ll only damage yourself trying to do so.” The voice echoed through the room, and a dark-haired male shimmered into view, but his form flowed in and out of focus.
He smashed me back against the wall, making my teeth clatter from the force of impact. His viciously harsh amusement floated through me, and a hand solidified in front of me before long, slender fingers curled around my chin. Lips swept over mine in a feathery kiss that forced pain to split through my rib cage.