Page 57 of A War of Three Kings

“What are you going to do to them?” I call out, and both my father and sister turn swiftly back to me. Visions of ignorant farmers being cut open for information floods my mind, because I no longer know what my father is capable of.

“We are going to talk to them.” He grits his teeth. “Then send them back to Lord Tomas to put them on trial and execute, even if they were working for him. It would implicate him in this too if he let them go.”

Aldrin comes up beside me.“Do you think that bastard arranged this?”

“I have no fucking idea, but my hands are tied. We need him. I sent guards to follow the retreating mob and to scout for another ambush. We may never find any evidence to pin on him.” My father stalks off, guards closing in around him to give their reports.

Caitlin lingers behind. She examines Aldrin with her usual narrow-eyed gaze, then huffs out a breath. “For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry that you and your people have had to endure such hatred in this realm. I promise you, I have been doing my best to fight for you all.”

Aldrin puts a hand on her shoulder. “I know you have, and I am tha?—”

“Don’t you dare thank me, not for fighting for you to be treated with decency!” Caitlin snaps. “That should have been a given.”

My father catches her eye from across the field and flicks his head for her to follow him. Caitlin gives Aldrin a final look, then rushes off.

He watches her go, his dark eyebrows pinched and a rawness in his eyes. It affects him—every word of hate, each cruel act. It cuts not just at his sense of self, but the dreams he holds for saving his people. I see it all in his mournful expression.

I am so sorry and have no words left to express it, butI try anyway.

My hands fall on his chest as I stare into his eyes. “I wish I could promise you justice. That we could rage against each person who discriminates against fae, but we can’t battle words with swords. It would fuel the fire of their prejudice and make them think their anger and retaliation are justified. But if anyone raises a weapon against you, I will be the first in line to cut them down. You will win them over by the time this war is done, I am sure of it. They will learn through your actions that the fae can be relied upon, and how powerful an ally you are.”

He runs his thumbs under my eyes. “You’re crying again, Keira. I have dealt with worse things in my court.”

I shake my head. “Every word they say against you breaks my heart. Every attack kills me.”

I take his hand and lead him away from the camp, toward the run-down farmer’s cottage half hidden in the inky blackness of the night.

There are no words to describe how I feel. I will show him instead.

Chapter 14

Keira

Aldrin doesn’t hesitate as I drag him into the cottage. Part of the roof has caved in. Moonbeams illuminate the rubble strewn across the floor and dust motes dance in the air as we disturb it. But the building has four walls and enough privacy for me.

I slam the door behind us, then throw my arms around Aldrin’s neck and crash my mouth against his in a brutal kiss. The scent of him fills my nostrils, earthy and floral, tinged with the tang of blood. His lips are so sweet, warm, full and soft. They feel like home as they brush against mine, parting them so he can dart his tongue inside to caress my own.

His powerful hands grip my hips, gliding across my ass, squeezing then lifting me up onto him. I wrap my legs around him as he slams my back against the door. The whole thing rattles behind me, but stands strong. Aldrin’s hard chest presses against the softness of mine and my fingers run down the muscles of his back.

He kisses me like he is a man dying, suffocating, and I am the only thing that can give him air. He sucks on my lower lip, then drags it between his teeth.

A low groan escapes me.

I run my hands through his thick hair, fingers catching in the snags of it as he kisses his way down the tender flesh of my neck, from behind my ear to my shoulder, over my collarbone and into my ample cleavage. I shiver at the delicious sensation.

My heart swells to the point of pain. I want to worship every part of him. To show him that he is the center of my universe. That I live and bleed for him alone.

When his lips meet the tops of my breasts, I let go of my death grip on him and unbutton my shirt with shaky fingers. Aldrin groans as my breasts spill out, nipples already peaked from the coolness of the night.

He cups them in his hands as I hold onto his rippling shoulders, then he leans down and flicks his tongue across each nipple in turn. I close my eyes and throw back my head as his tongue traces circles around them. Jolts of pleasure crash through me, making my heart race and breath catch.

My eyes snap open, and I desperately try to pull off his tunic to expose that perfect chest. We do an awkward dance, shimmying my weight until the fabric is tugged free and both our shirts are on the ground. I am rewarded with the sight of his sculpted pectorals and abdomen. I only get a glimpse of those defined ridges, gleaming with a sheen of sweat, before Aldrin’s lips crash onto mine again.

He moves his weight so his chest presses me harder into the door, then he adjusts his hips, aligning the hardened bulge of his cock with my core, with my legs spread out around him.

He rocks his hips against me, grinding his erection over my core again and again. The friction shoots pleasure through me, building and building, driving me to the point of insanity, until I am panting and calling out his name and cannot remember my own. I hook my legs around his hips to gain leverage and ride his length, hating the maddening layers of fabric between us.

“Gods, Keira.” His groan is feral. “You are going to undo me, right here, like this.”

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