Page 54 of The Stolen Kingdom

Her gaze caught on a familiar figure descending the stairs, her expression drawn into a scowl of annoyance. Valda’s breath hitched.

Maris.

In front of her, Eyphah waved the trident with a grin before handing it over.

She could barely make out what they were saying, but when the other woman took a defensive stand, Valda’s blood boiled inside her veins. Her hands curled into tight fists as she silently watched. It took her a couple of seconds to register that Maris was training with Eyphah.

But wasn’t she against violence? Didn’t she say that she wanted nothing to do with the trident, that she wanted to resolve things in a civilized way?

Scoffing and shaking her head, Valda took a step forward before freezing. She needed to calm herself. She was sure that the only reason Maris couldn’t sense her presence was because she was too preoccupied trying to land a blow on Eyphah and although Valda hated to admit it, she couldn’t look away.

Her Maris looked breathtakingly glorious when fighting. Valda never thought that she would find her even more alluring than she does now.

She needed to control herself… butfuck,she couldn’t look away.

It wasn’t until Cerberus brushed her body against her leg did Valda took a step back. Her heart raced with excitement, even arousal. Her mate was fighting. She wasn’t using her powers, but actually engaging in physical combat.

Oh, how she wanted to be the one teaching her, the one to guide her to hold the trident, to thrust the weapon forward, how she wished it was her on the receiving end of the onslaught of attacks.

Fuck…I am too far gone.

Valda took a second step back, looked down at Cerberus, and hissed as the animal walked away from her. She pulled her back by the tail and leaned against a cabin’s wall. Her eyes never left Maris just as she tripped Eyphah to the ground.

A wide smile spread across Valda’s face. She knew what Maris was capable of, and yet she couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Isen!”

Valda pressed her body closer to the wall. Her attention moved to Melvian. Valda’s eyes widened as she noticed the roundness in her abdomen. It took her a moment to register that the other woman was indeed expecting a child, and that Isen had been dying to see her.

The sound of hooves trembled across the ground, and Isen stumbled when he wrapped his arms around his mate.

Valda swallowed hard, controlling every fiber of her being as she tried not to react, not to feel and yearn. She wanted to run up to Maris and hug her, just as Isen was doing with his mate. She wondered if Maris even wanted to see her…

If her dreams were proof of their yearning, then the other woman truly missed her just as much as she did… Her smile was wiped the moment Cerberus released a happy chirp and dashed towards Maris. Valda’s heart sank as she scattered as fast as she could to grab the cat by the tail and pull her back.

But Cerberus slipped through her hold.

With a soft curse, Valda gathered the wind within her hands and shot a soft gust of wind, enough to send Cerberus flying back to her.

She clutched the animal tightly and hissed as Cerberus bit her hand.

“Cerberus! No!”Valda growled, hiding within the shadows in the narrow alleys. Her eyes shot up at Maris, who had been walking towards the entrance of House of Arago and stopped.

Valda held her breath as the woman turned and stared in her direction. The hold on her bond faltered.

Seeing Maris for the first time in four months tore Valda apart. If Maris couldn’t feel the wrenching in her chest, then she truly was blocking their bond. Maris looked beautiful with her disheveled hair, Sealian garments. A queen through and through.

As she took Maris in, Eyphah walked back out. She said something to Maris that made the other woman smile.

Gods…Valda truly wanted to enjoy that smile even if it wasn’t directed at her, but Maris’s smile wasn’t as wide as Valda remembered, her eyes were not squinting enough, and her shoulders were tense.

As Maris closed the door behind her, Valda released the breath she held. She gave Cerberus a scolding squeeze before looking down at her. The cat’s attention was still on House of Arago.

“You are not the only one that wants to be with her, girl,” Valda said, walking back to the lakes holding Cerberus to her chest. The cat’s incessant purring gave her peace, but it wasn’t enough to fill up the void in her chest.

As the hours passed, there was only one instance where Maris’s happiness crept its way into her chest.

She was happy…

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