Page 2 of Clash of Kingdoms
“I agree.”
“I have some ideas.”
“I’m listening.”
“Since they come from underneath the ground…what if we covered the field with stone? The same stone we use to create our streets. I realize that’s labor-intensive and a waste of resources, but it may prevent them from rising and getting too close to the wall.”
I nodded in agreement, impressed by the suggestion. “That’s a good idea.”
“Our ground is much denser and colder, so I hope that’s enough to prevent them from coming altogether. Delacroix is full of fertile soil and sand, much easier to penetrate than the hard earth we have here.”
“That’s true.”
“Perhaps they’ll only be able to rise farther south, and we’ll have some warning they’re coming.”
She really was Huntley’s equal. “That means we should prepare an attack farther south as well.”
“But all those soldiers will die…”
“Then we do something with the dragons. Have them drop boulders the way Harlow did in Delacroix.”
She nodded in agreement. “I can have the miners harvest the largest stones they can find. Put them in a location for the dragons.”
“Good idea,” I said as I rose to my feet. “I’ll speak with General Macabre, and we’ll begin preparations.”
“Thank you, Aurelias.”
I turned away to get to work.
“Aurelias?”
I turned back to her, waiting for further orders.
“I’m sorry my husband was so unkind to you.”
I wasn’t resentful then, and I wasn’t resentful now. “If I had a daughter, I would have done the same thing.”
It grew dark earlier here than it did in Delacroix, so the daylight was gone quicker than I wished. The temperature dropped further, and that’s when I felt the cold pierce my gloves and numb my knuckles. I returned to the castle after a long day spent working with General Macabre and the men who owed me no loyalty. It was hard to believe I was there to help humans, when all I’d done before was kill them. My father and I had intended to defeat the Ethereal then take the kingdom of men for ourselves, to subjugate them to be what they were meant to be—food and labor.
Before I stepped into the bedchambers, I knew Harlow was inside. I’d known she was inside when I was down the hallway. Her mind was like a low-burning fire, her heat felt in every corner of the room—except, in her case, her mind was felt in every corner of the world.
I stepped inside and found her sitting on the couch in front of the fire, wearing a nightdress because I’d been gone from dawn till dusk. She’d showered and combed her hair, and in that white dress, she looked fucking stunning.
Her eyes found mine, and there was the identical flash of desire that I felt. She always felt it when she saw me, whether I was buck naked or fully armed. My appearance provoked the same longing that hers did for me. Whenever we were in a room together, it was a blaze of fire.
I turned away to undress, to remove all the pieces of armor and the weapons that weighed down my body. But even then, I was uncomfortable after a long day working at the wall, giving orders and watching men practically run off to fulfill them because they were terrified I would bite them. “I’m going to shower.” I knew she wanted me, but she would have to wait.
“Hurry.”
I clenched my eyes as I walked away, feeling a rush of light-headedness because my dick got so hard so fast. A shiver slid down my spine because she turned me on so damn much, the way she wasn’t afraid to beg.
I took a quick shower, my dick hard the entire time, letting the heat warm my skin and release the dirt and sweat. I did a quick towel-dry before I walked back into the room and froze when I spotted her on the bed.
Naked.
Sitting on the bed with her perfect tits exposed. Her long hair down along her arms. Confidence burning in her eyes, along with desire. Her arousal was so intense that I could actually feel the wetness between her legs without touching her. “I told you to hurry.”
Holy fuck. I moved onto the bed and quickly got on top of her, her head hitting the pillow, all the sheets and covers kicked to the side so it was just the two of us on the mattress. Her soft thighs gripped my hips, and her palms moved up my chest as she tilted her head back to receive my kiss.