Page 102 of What Fury Brings
He left her room, entering his own and crossing over into the next bedroom. He got down on his knees, feeling Olerra’s presence over his shoulder. His hand went to the ashes in the hearth, where he quickly found the hidden knife.
Olerra leaped back when she saw what he held, but Sanos carefully stayed on his knees. He adjusted his grip, holding the weapon by the blade and turning. He held the hilt out to her.
“Glenaerys gave me this. She wanted me to kill you. I accepted it, but not with the intent to hurt you. I wanted to keep the knife just in case escape ever became possible. I wanted something for the journey home. Your cousin is using every tool at her disposal, but I am not one of them. Take it.”
Olerra looked down at the ash-covered weapon before turning her eyes to his. “How did she manage to get you alone to give you this?”
“Your eunuchs are in her employ.”
Olerra’s jaw clenched. She left the room, leaving Sanos on his knees before the hearth. His head and hopes fell. He understood she might be angry that he didn’t tell her about this right away, but surely she had to believe his sincerity. He really hadn’t intended to use it on her. This was for him. He thought that maybe after everything that had happened—
Olerra suddenly burst back into the room. “All right. The eunuchs are being dealt with. Their keys to my rooms are being revoked, and they’re being locked up in the dungeons for further interrogation.Thank gods I can trust Ydra to get things done. Now, how long ago did Glen give you this knife?”
The reappearance was jarring, but he said, “Not long. A week, perhaps.”
“And how did she intend for you to harm me with this?”
“She told me to wait until you trusted me. Until you let me be around you without chains. Only then was I to strike. When you least expected it. This is the first you’ve allowed us to be alone together in your rooms, unchained, and I want you to know that you can trust me.That I trust you.I don’t need this. I’m going to stay and help you win your throne.”
Gods, he had so much to figure out. His men fought the Ephennans without him, and his family was without his protection. He needed time to come up with solutions, but he meant the words he said to her.
Her face unreadable, Olerra finally reached for the blade and took it. “Why the change?” she asked.
He was still asking himself that question, but the answer turned out to be right in front of him. “You, of course.”
She raised a brow.
“Your forwardness and kindness. Your fierceness and loyalty. Your plans for the future of Amarra. You’re unlike anyone I have ever met, and I would see you be the next queen. I’m in.”
What was she meant to do with this prince on his knees offering her a dagger and a kingdom?
Kissing him seemed like a good start.
Olerra took the dagger from him and tossed it over her shoulder, not bothering to see where it landed. Then she pulled him to his feet. She meant to say thank you, but he was already closing the distance between them.
He claimed her mouth with a savagery that might be more suitable to a thief than a prince. His lips were firm, they were demanding, and she loved it.
She was expected to be in control of so much all the time, and she loved that he was just fine taking control of this moment, when he’d had so little autonomy since arriving in Amarra.
He tasted like ale when she sucked on his tongue. He had one hand in her hair, palming her scalp, while the other sank low, gripping as much of her ass as he could in one hand and squeezing. She drew closer, nibbled on his lower lip, and let her fingers roam over the parts of him she’d been admiring all night. His chest. His arms. That near-white hair.
Olerra let her lips trail down to his left shoulder, while her hand worked to pull the right sleeve down, and then she explored that shoulder with her mouth, too.
Andrastus was riveted to the spot, clearly enjoying everything she was doing. The most delightful rumbles came from his throat, so she rose onto her toes to give his neck some attention, too. Kissing and sucking and marking him as hers.
He seemed… unused to the touch, throwing back his head and relishing in her hands on him.
She pulled back. “Did the Brutish whores not kiss you?”
“Not like this.”
That pleased her. She liked being the only one who had done this for him. Gods, but she needed to touch more of him. She reached for his shirt, and Andrastus drew it off for her. She traced as much of his arms as she could, wrapping her hands around his wrists and trailing upward. A spark of pleasure went through her when she reached the armband.
And then there was his bare chest.
She loved touching it. The smooth white skin, the ridges of hismuscles, the slight peak of a hardened nipple. She pulled away from his lips long enough to kiss straight down the middle of him, needing to taste his skin.
The threat of the danger was there; it hovered above her like the blade of a guillotine about to drop, but she willfully ignored it.
