Grae clenched his fists. “What did they say?”
“You don’t know?” She practically bubbled with the thought of being the one to tell him. “You’re no longer the heir to Damrienn. Your father has declared you and your mate traitors.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “He really did it.”
“He’s named Hemming’s son, Evres, as his heir and put out a bounty of a thousand gold griftas to whoever returns Maez safely.”
“So now he cares about Maez?” I asked.
“He could care less about her, I’m sure. He wouldn’t even care about your kingdom at all, Princess, if it wasn’t filled with unclaimed gold. Nero has always maneuvered himself for more power. It’s why he brokered his marriage with the Valtan Princess after her failed engagement.” Grae’s lip curled at the Queen’s word. “He probably thinks if they return Maez, he can carry on with his plans. Perhaps he thinks she’s easier to control, too.” She pursed her lips at Grae, shrugging. “How convenient he has another Gold Wolf in his possession who happens to be her mate.”
I gritted my teeth. In his possession.
“Don’t worry.” She waved her laced-covered hand. “I told the Silver Wolves I heard rumors of you turning southward, that you cut down the Stormcrest Ranges to Valta.”
“Why?”
“Because I despise Nero Claudius and I don’t like Silver Wolves in my kingdom,” she sneered. “More, I won’t let any man say what goes on in Taigos, ever. I won’t alert the Rooks that you are here, either.” Queen Ingrid looked between us. “Payment for your song. If you decide to stay here, that promise will carry. But if you cross into Olmdere, you’re on your own.”
I clasped my hands together, hanging my head. We wouldn’t end up in a dungeon tonight. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome in my court, Calla Marriel.” Queen Ingrid bowed her head back to me. “I suppose you are, too, Graemon, now that you are not Nero’s puppet anymore. I wish you luck.”
And then the Queen of the Ice Wolves left to return to her party as we both stood there, stunned.
Thirty-One
The sound of the curtain rings sliding back roused me from my slumber. Sleep had claimed me from the moment my head hit the pillow. I had changed into my chemise and scrubbed the paint off my face with frantic haste, leaving my phoenix costume hanging on the hook by the kitchen cupboards. I understood now why Galen den’ Mora kept such strange hours. My body was exhausted and I’d only sung two songs. After the run-in with Queen Ingrid, I was eager to get out of Taigoska, too, despite her promise to protect us. I didn’t doubt she would try, but I couldn’t be sure she’d succeed, and hiding here would still mean Briar was in danger. No, now that Hector has the nitehock, the world opened up for us. We might actually be able to defeat Sawyn.
Grae’s warmth seeped into me as I breathed in his comforting scent. His familiar bonfires and rainstorms encircled me, but also the crisp smell of snow that clung to his hair. Even in his human form, his scent was imprinted on my mind now, as if our bond somehow connected us in every possible way. I sighed, savoring that scent, so uniquely him. I didn’t shuffle backward to give him space, letting him wrap his arm around me and gather me into his chest.
Navin had taken the nightshift driving the oxen out of town and Sadie offered to ride along with him. We plodded out of the city at a slow, lumbering pace. Apart from the rumble of the wagon wheels, the rest of the cabin was quiet, not a single clink of teacups or shuffle of boots. How late had Grae stayed up before coming to bed with me?
He brushed a soft kiss against my mouth and breathed me in.
“Do I smell like lilies in the summer sunshine?” I whispered against his lips.
“Yes.” His chest rumbled against mine as he kissed me again. “It’s intoxicating.”
His smell did the same thing to me. That heady earth and smoke made my heart race, rousing me from the depths of slumber. I deepened our kiss, tracing my tongue along Grae’s bottom lip until he opened for me. A low groan reverberated in his throat.
Grae’s chest rose and fell against mine. “What mischief are you up to, little fox?”
“Nothing,” I murmured as I hooked my leg over his hip, tilting myself closer against him.
His fingers traced up my knee, pushing up the hem of my nightdress until they reached my bare backside.
Grae groaned. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I grinned, rocking myself against his hardening length.
“What do you want, little fox?” Grae’s hand circled lower, slowly curving around my thigh, and I writhed against him, trying to get his fingers closer.
This. I’d always wanted this. Us.
My wanton voice sounded foreign to me. “I want you.”
There was no shyness, no embarrassment, not with Grae. With him, one moment just rolled into the next, no questioning it. We were inevitable.
“Gods, promise me at the next stop we’ll find time away from this bloody group.” His chuckle morphed into a growl as I ground against him. His hand stilled my hip. “Not here,” he whispered. “I told you what will happen the first time I have you.”
I pulled my swollen lips away from his, trying to find his eyes in the darkness. “You promised to make me moan so loud even the Moon Goddess would hear.”
“Yes.” The word hissed out between his clenched teeth. His fingers began circling again. “And I mean it. But I think you need a little taste now.”
“Desperately,” I panted, arching as his fingers skimmed the hair between my legs.
Grae’s lips found my ear as he whispered. “This is just a glimmer of the way I’m going to make you feel.”
My nipples peaked against his chest as his finger slid into a teasing glide, drifting up my folds and parting my warm, wet flesh. Grae nibbled on my ear, and I moaned into the pillow as his fingers found the tight bundle of my clit. Every muscle in my body tightened as he slowly circled that throbbing button. He slid his fingers up and down again, coating me in my own wet heat.
His voice was nothing but feral as he growled, “You’re so ready for me, aren’t you?”
“Gods,” I moaned, tipping my hips into his fingers as he continued his maddening slow circles. My inner muscles flickered, desperate to be filled, as I begged, “More.”
The pad of his fingertip circled at the entrance to my thrumming core, waiting as I writhed.
“Yes,” I mewled, my voice louder than I had intended.