Page 83 of The Stolen Kingdom

Maris opened her mouth to answer, but just as she was about to talk, Isen cleared his throat and spoke. “We made some arrangements before you arrived. You and Queen Valda have the best room in the inn, and I think you will enjoy it.” Isen didn’t look up, his face red.

“It has a private washroom and everything,” Melvian added, sprinkling a polite smile on her sentence.

“You know you can just tell me to leave…” Maris whispered.

Melvian leaned closer, squeezing Maris’s knee. “Leave.”

Maris’s eyebrows arched. “That was direct. All right then.” She slipped off the bed and patted her waist. “Youdoknow sex can accelerate labor, right?”

Melvian smiled politely again, this time showing her teeth. “I know. I was the one who taught you that.” She pointed at the door. “Your room will be on the left at the end of the hall.”

“Have a pleasant evening, Your Highness.” Isen chuckled, walking Maris to the door. “Send my regards to Queen Valda.”

“Oh, I will. Please, don’t push me out.”

Isen laughed. “I would never.”

Maris tried to reciprocate the amusement in Isen’s face. But as soon as she was out of the room, the door closed behind her. An audible turn of the lock broke the hall’s silence.

Maris turned from the closed door and peered down the long hall. Her hands shook as apprehension and nervousness seeped out of her skin as sweat. She rubbed her hands over the dirty fabric of her tunic as she stood before the closed door of the room she was to share with Valda.

Eyphah hadn’t returned after dinner, and she was sure Valda had something to do with it. Everyone was having such a wonderful time, as if the danger of war and the genocide of the Sealian people weren’t looming over their heads. This short time, eating with her friends and mate, seemed to erase all the horrible things that might happen in the next couple of days.

It wasn’t until Melvian said she felt tired everyone decided to leave to their rooms. Valda said she would head out to hers first to wash off days’ worth of grime, while Maris agreed she would look at Melvian to see how the twins were doing, and now…

Now Maris was staring at the door separating her from her mate.

She shouldn’t feel so nervous, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling she was going to be alone, with Valda, next to a comfortable bed, and free of any danger. She could relax in her presence and not be hypervigilant of her surroundings.

And yet, that thought made her stomach twist.

The kiss they had shared in the cave could have been mistaken for forgiveness—but it wasn’t.

Maris hadn’t forgiven Valda. Not fully.

Still, she was willing to try. To work toward it, one hesitant step at a time. Despite everything that happened, there was no denying the magnetic pull between them. Their bond called for them to be together again, and her body ached to give in.

She desperately needed to surrender to those urges, even if her mind wasn’t ready.

Taking a deep breath, Maris ran her fingers through her hair before grabbing the doorknob. Slowly, she turned it and stepped inside.

The sleeping quarters were empty.

Maris exhaled a sigh of relief, closing the door behind her before walking over to the bed.

“I’m in the washroom. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Valda startled her, though it shouldn’t have. Maris wondered how Valda knew it was in her in the room, but then again, her hammering heartbeat was a dead giveaway. Surely Valda could either hear it in the room’s silence or feel it within their bond.

“All right,” she replied.

Her soft footsteps echoed inside the chamber as she took in its size. Valda’s dirty clothes were discarded in a corner. The Heaven Sword and the trident were leaning against a wall next to the bed.

Cerberus crawled out from under the bed, padding over to greet Maris. She bent down to scratch the cat’s head, but Cerberus quickly grew bored and slipped back into her hiding place beneath the bed.

The sound of shuffling feet drew Maris’s attention to the washroom. Valda stepped out, pushing wet strands of dark hair away from her face. The clean yellow blouse clung to her body like a second skin, droplets of water glistening on her neck and collarbone.

To Maris’s surprise—and slight delight—Valda wasn’t wearing any pants or shoes.

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