Page 56 of Oath of Betrayal
‘I … I don’t know if I can share,’ I said truthfully, and he nodded.
‘Then you are locking yourself in a prison of your own making, and you are the one holding the key,’ he said, and with that, I realised I’d had enough of talking about my convoluted feelings for Ani.
‘Did you forget I came here to talk about political affairs? Not confess my feelings? To be clear, I won’t use Annika as bait, and she will stay in the fortress until we know it is safe for her to go out,’ I repeated.
He nodded. ‘Fine, but don’t tell her why. If she starts looking over her shoulder, it will alert our enemies. I will send a few of my men to infiltrate your garrison and town. They’ll keep an eye on anything untoward and warn you if needed,’ he suggested, and I sighed heavily.
‘How do you expect me to explain this to her without giving a reason?’
‘That, my brother, I will leave to you. Nobody said life was a bed of roses. Also, please update the other commanders on the situation. I want them standing on our side when it comes time to confront the king.’
‘Yes, Lord Marshal. I am, as always, at your command,’ I replied with an exaggerated military salute, and his eyes narrowed at my teasing. ‘You are such an arse, Orm, you know that, right?’ He sighed, but I saw a smile ghosting the corner of his lips.
‘So says the man who eviscerated my feelings, advised me not only to share but to lie to my wo … mage before sending me to a ghost war.’ He chuckled.
‘Maybe I just envy you, little brother. You have your dragon, your fae friend, and the mage that is “not your woman,”while I have the court to deal with—and I assure you, it is a nest of vipers,’ he joked with a bitter smile, but I felt the loneliness of his world.
We talked some more, mainly about army matters, before he asked for my agreement to use the family wealth to pay the soldiers, which I was happy to agree to. When I landed in my bed for the night, readying myself for an early morning flight, his words returned, robbing me of my sleep.
I had called hermy woman. I don’t know what had come over me to blurt it out to my brother, but I could no longer deny the attraction I felt towards Annika. It wasn’t just curiosity or gratitude for saving my life. She interested me in a way no other woman had, but it didn’t explain the visceral need to touch her, to hold her in my arms whenever she was near.
Could I be her lover?
The seed planted by my brother took root, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it … I wasn’t sure if I could share, but the thought of her body next to mine awakened an irresistible need.I remembered her scent and the way her laughter filled Vahin’s lair as she teased the protective dragon …
I groaned, unable to shake off the vivid images. I’d seen Ani naked and she was perfect. Soft, with curves in all the right places, and even if I hadn’t thought about it at the time—too focused on keeping her alive—holding her in my arms had felt so right. Her velvety skin was so soft against my calloused hands.
I remembered the touch of her magic when we first met and the sheer vulnerability in her gaze when I mentioned the geas, leaving me desperate to protect her.
Am I falling for her? What if she decides to leave after the year ends, as we agreed? What if she chooses someone other than Ari? Could I live with it? Could I share her affection?
The questions that flashed through my mind didn’t stop the hand that slid down to my rock-hard shaft. Fuck, I wanted Ani so much—wanted to bury my head between her legs, owning her ecstasy until she begged me to take her hard. My body tensed, jerking as the idea threatened to overwhelm my senses. My hand worked faster to the image of Ani’s back arching, her desperate pleas, and I felt pleasure building at the bottom of my spine; so close, but not there yet.
Another image intruded on my fantasy: the delicate, grey skin of Alaric’s hands sliding over Ani’s body, fingers pinching her swollen nipples. My eyelids fluttered as I tried to open my eyes, but I was too far gone to stop.
‘Make her come for us,’ he whispered in my mind, his eyes filled with crimson fire, and I came so hard my roar shook the walls of the room. The release pooled on my stomach as I lay there, panting, eyes squeezed shut, shuddering in the aftermath of a powerful climax, unable to believe what had just happened.
I’d come so fucking hard to the image of Alaric and I pleasuring Annika together.
And I felt utterly lost.
It had been a strange two weeks.
After returning from the capital, Ormond stopped going on patrol, leaving it to Tomma, and we spent a few days in each other’s company. He felt different—as intense as ever … but I kept catching him looking at me with a strange expression.
Today, for some reason, he asked me to help him manage the reports, and I quickly discovered that Ormond was a slave to routine and liked things done a certain way. Unfortunately, I only found this out after he’d taken the pile of documents I’d already spent hours organising and started putting them in theircorrectorder. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes.
‘Why am I here? I mean, in your office. You don’t need my help, and your adjutant twitches every time I touch your letters,’ I enquired as politely as I could when Orm leant over me, pulling another parchment from my pile.
‘Maybe I’m teaching you how to manage the fortress, or maybe I just enjoy your company, Nivale.’ He played with my braidbefore I huffed and pulled it out of his hand.
‘My hair is not a toy,’ I said, and he narrowed his eyes as if pondering over something.
‘No, it isn’t, but I wish I could wrap it around my hand and pull you to my lips,’ he murmured before letting his breath trail over my ear as he moved away. ‘Just a thought, of course, to take your mind off this boring bureaucracy.’
We both turned at the sound of the adjutant’s gasp, finding him blushing and trying to melt into the shadows.
After the unexpected exchange, Orm acted his usual calm and stern self, strictly adhering to his office rituals until it was time to head down for a meal. It still amused me that he was friends with the chaotic Alaric who couldn’t follow a routine if he was bound hand and foot to it.
