Page 53 of Wings of Snow
Nish smacked a hand to his forehead. “Ock, and we all thought once he claimed her, their lusty scents would lessen.”
Haxil sighed. “Perhaps you two should return to your chambers and leave the rest of us in peace.” He rearranged himself in his pants and gave Norivun a shrug of apology when a growl tore loose from him. “Sorry, my prince, but a male can only handle so much before it affects him too.”
My cheeks were heating in earnest when the prince scooped me up in his arms and mistphased us back to our chambers at the inn. He threw me on the bed, causing me to bounce and my wings to involuntarily flex.
“Norivun, this is beyond embarrassing. All of your guards know that we’re going to... you know...”
“I know.” He stripped his clothes and prowled toward me. “Don’t keep reminding me. I want to rip off their heads for not only hearing us last night but for being able to scent your arousal and feel the heat between us. They all need to go get laid while I bed you one last time before we depart.”
I spread my thighs, and he crawled onto the bed and positioned himself over me. Mortification burned through me that all of them knew how much my mate and I wanted one another, but it didn’t stop me from welcoming him inside me.
“Oh gods, that’s so good.” My head tilted back when his length sank all the way in. “Will this ever fade?” I gasped as he began to pump in long strokes. Gods, he filled me so completely. “Will I ever not crave you like this?”
He kissed the side of my neck as he groaned in pleasure when my nails dug into his rear, pulling him even deeper inside me. “I’ve heard it...dims after a few months, that this part of a newly formed mate bond is most intense at the beginning, but—” He hissed when he plunged into me again. “But no, it never goes away.” He grinned, his smile full of swagger. “You’re always going to want me, Princess.”
I laughed, which turned into a moan when he rubbed himself deep in my core. “You sound quite pleased about that.”
“I am, and I always will be. You’re mine, Ilara Seary, from now until the end of time.”
I closed my eyes and let myself get lost in the magical feel of the prince, but it didn’t stop an inkling of reality to sprinkle into my thoughts. The crown prince was still engaged to Georgyanna. The king was behind our land’s dyingorem, and Drachu still had me tethered to him.
But for now, for this one aching moment, I allowed myself to be swept away by the crown prince.
* * *
An hour later,we were fully checked out from the inn and standing in the field.
A brand-new tunic swathed my upper body in warm wool, the green one I’d worn previously burned in the fireplace. When my wings had first emerged, they’d ripped through my tunic, so Norivun had insisted that I buy a new top from the local seamstress. It was soft yellow, and for the first time in my life, I wore clothes made for an adult with wing slits. It made me feel ridiculously proud.
Smoothing the new fabric over my hips, I asked, “So, if somebody from theotherrealm was able to bring something to our continent that suppressed ourorem, where do we even start looking for answers? We know nothing about supernaturals from that realm.”
Ryder shook his head. “That’s a very good question, Ilara.”
Norivun’s brow furrowed. “Haxil, do you remember that meeting we had a few winters back with the Nolus king’s nephew...what was his name, Baver—” He shook his head. “No, Bavar, I think? Didn’t he mention something about having close contacts in theotherrealm?”
Haxil nodded, a contemplative look forming on his face. “Yes, I believe you’re right. Bavar Fieldrock or Fieldstone, something like that. He mentioned that he worked for an organization in thatotherrealm that commonly dealt with supernatural problems.”
I raised my eyebrows. “All of this meaning...what?”
“That perhaps he would be a good first contact,” Norivun replied. “Apparently, the king’s nephew spends quite a bit of time in theotherrealm, and he’s very familiar with relations between our realm and theirs. Perhaps we could start with him and see if he has any ideas about where we begin looking.”
Hope surged through me. “So are we venturing to the Nolus capital then?”
“Indeed.” My mate grinned wickedly.
“Best consult a map first.” Sandus reached into his pocket to extract a map of the realm. “I haven’t been to the Nolus capital in ages. I’d probably end up in the Adriastic Sea without a clear mistphasing landing point.”
“You and me both,” I agreed.
“There’s a gate surrounding the entire city,” Norivun added. “Sentries guard it. We’ll have to mistphase outside of it. I’m unsure if the capital’s wards will allow us entry since we’re not using a naturally occurring portal.”
I peered over the guard’s shoulder as the others did the same and studied where the capital was on the map. It was much farther south than I’d realized, in an area of the Nolus continent that was undoubtedly warm and flourishing with natural plant life.
Norivun clasped my hand. “Ready?”
I shrugged as my heart began to beat a million times per minute. “As I’ll ever be.”
CHAPTER 16 - NORIVUN