"Hello, Rhysand," The red-headed male replied with a bow of the head. "Azriel, Cassian, always a pleasure." Both Illyrian warriors narrowed their eyes from beside me. Eris seemed to notice me then, tucked between the two. He spotted the dagger in my hand and smiled, a cunning, clever smile. "I don't believe we've met."
"Gwyneth Berdara," I said, keeping my voice even.
He tilted his head as he looked at me, "Berdara, hmmm?" His eyes scanned me and I adjusted my stance, more warrior now than priestess. Azriel stilled beside me. "Do all priestesses from Sangravah learn how to use daggers?"
This time I tensed. How did he know where I was from? "No, but Valkyries do."
"Ah, a friend of Nesta's," He turned his attention to Cassian now. "How many Valkyries do you have now?"
"My legions are not any of your business, Vanserra." Cassian said, dryly.
"Why are you here, Eris?" Rhys asked.
"Am I right to presume that the roll of magic that was just felt across the border means it is done?" Eris said, smoothly.
"Yes," Rhys replied.
"And it worked without a Spring Court priestess too?" Eris mused.
I narrowed my eyes, "My grandmother was from the Spring Court," I told him. "Or it may well not have worked."
Eris looked thoughtful for a moment. I watched him look at my hair and then to my eyes. He inhaled and Azriel let out a growl, which caused Eris' soldiers to draw their weapons. "Stand down," He said to his soldiers. He looked between Azriel and I, "It appears the Shadowsinger is only protecting his mate." The soldiers sheathed their swords. "When will you meet with Helion?"
"In two days at the Moonstone Palace," Rhys replied, "You are welcome to attend of course, but I suggest you leave your army at home."
Eris gave a nod of the head, "Then I'll leave you to get on your way." He looked over at me, "I hope we meet again soon, Gwyneth."
Then Rhysand winnowed us away.
We ended up on the edge of the House of Wind and the three males glided onto the balcony, with me in Azriel's arms. We walked inside and I steadied myself against the table, trying my best not to be sick.
"Azriel, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try and ruin our alliance with Eris," Rhys drawled and he waved his arms. A tray of tea landed on the table. He passed me a cup and I sipped at it, the ginger settling my stomach.
"Sorry," Azriel apologised and Rhys nodded.
"Thank you for this evening, Gwyn," Rhys said, his voice sincere, although I was aware it was a dismissal.
"You're welcome," I bowed my head and excused myself, heading downstairs so that I could get changed. I was grateful to be out of the ceremony robes and in Azriel's bedroom. My heartbeat started to slow to a normal beat and my body relaxed as I pulled one of my mate's t-shirts over my head. I sank onto the edge of the bed and let out a sigh.
How had Eris known where I had grown up? Could he scent it, like he'd clearly scented the mating bond? Or did he know my grandfather?
My thoughts left my head as my mate walked into the room and hung his sword on the hook on the wall beside my own. He unfastened the belt with his other weapons and placed it on the dresser.
"Are you in trouble?" I asked him and he shook his head.
"Rhys is understanding," He replied, "We saw him go through it with Feyre and then Cass with Nesta…" His eyes were softer as he looked at me, "Sorry if I scared you."
"You didn't," I replied as he removed his leathers. He hung them in the armoire as I stood up and walked over to him, "I would have done the same for you."
"You probably would've been more terrifying. Poor Eris," He laughed softly as I draped my arms across his shoulders. His hands wrapped around my waist and he looked down at me.
"Only probably?" I teased and he smiled as I kissed him. He returned the kiss eagerly and I moved a hand to gently stroke his chest. He inhaled deeply as our lips moved against each other and I pushed him backwards into the wall. The knock of the wall against his back made him temporarily break the kiss and surprise crossed his face. "What?" I asked innocently and I ran a single finger down his chest, down his abdomen and stopped, just as I reached his undershorts. He shivered and I smiled up at him. "You've been giving me a lot of attention recently," I murmured, a finger moving along the top of his undershorts, "And I suppose you deserve a little attention too." His nostrils flared.
I'd been nervous about this but had wanted to, had thought about it ever since he had sent me rolling over the edge. But for some reason, with fire pumping through my veins and the adrenaline from the ceremony…
I kept my eyes on him as my fingers moved down, over the thin fabric, down, down. He was already enjoying this, that much was evident. I ran my fingers lazily over his cock and he let out a moan. His eyes met mine, lust lingering there, as I playfully did the same again. I watched as he took a shuddering breath, his eyes closing for the briefest moment. I reached for the waistband now and gently slid the undershorts down until they glided down his muscled legs themselves, landing on the floor. My mate stood there beautifully naked in front of me. And his cock… I took a deep breath of my own as my hands grasped it and moved, causing moans to slip out of his mouth. Once I'd found the rhythm, I kissed him as I worked. His lips, his neck, his throat, his chest. All while he stood there, under my control. Then there were the wings, flayed out behind him. With my spare hand, I gently ran my fingers over the membranes and his breathing quickened.
"Gwyn," He moaned and I smiled as he reached his climax. His chest rumbled with the moan and he shuddered at the release. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath for a moment and then looked at us both with a smile, "We should get cleaned up."
A short while later, we laid across the bed together in fresh clothing, our legs intertwined and my head on Azriel's chest. His heart was still thudding in his chest when I moved my head to look up at him, "Did I do it right?"
Amusement shone in his eyes and he tapped my nose, "I think that was pretty evident." He ran his free hand through his hair and rested it behind his head. "You're a dark horse, Gwyneth Berdara."
I laughed softly, "I thought the element of surprise would make it more fun."
A wicked smile crossed his lips, "Oh it certainly did." And then he returned the favour.
—-
"What do you know about Eris Vanserra?" I asked Merrill as I walked into her office that afternoon. I placed the pile of books she'd requested on the table by the door.
She raised her eyebrows, "You don't believe he's your father, do you?"
"No, but what if he knows something?"
She looked amused, "Eris Vanserra has not sired any children."
"I'm not saying that he has, but someone must have or I wouldn't be standing here."
She sighed and signalled to a stool in the corner. I sat down on it. "Eris Vanserra is 541 years old. He was born to the High Lord Beron of the Autumn Court and the Lady of the Autumn Court, twenty years into their marriage. He was their firstborn. Morrigan's father, Keir, promised Morrigan to him in order to form an alliance but it ended badly…" Merrill looked up at me. "I can tell you that the Autumn Court is cruel and unbalanced and that the way lesser faeries are treated is unpleasant."
I gave a nod and stood up, "Thank you."
"If I find anything else, I'll let you know," She said, "But unfortunately the likelihoods of such events being recorded in any texts is extremely unlikely due to their reputation."
—-
Lore. I placed the word down onto the board on the table, adding it vertically to the word Elegant. I took four more letters from the bag as Azriel added up my word score. He then glanced down at his tiles and grimaced. He added a single "o" in front of the "r" that I'd placed down and shook his head.
"You're going to win… again," He said.
"I like this game," I grinned over at him.
"Best of five?" He offered.
"Best of three," I told him.
"Then we should have stopped already," He looked amused, "Because you've already won."
"But I'd like to be able to boast about it," I grinned as I looked at my tiles. After a moment, I placed down the word tyrant.
"Who's winning?" Cassian said as he strolled into the room. "My money's on Berdara."
I grinned, "You're correct."
"You've certainly met your match, Az," Cassian teased. He adjusted the strap that held his sword against his back. "The Valkyries are coming to the Moonstone Palace tomorrow," He told me. "Rhys wishes to have you involved in future events and… well… Nesta said something about 'getting out of the house' for a couple of days." He shook his head with a laughter, "I'm pretty sure she just wants to see Helion's entourage again."
I raised an eyebrow and I thought for a moment of what I knew about the High Lord and his court customs. My eyes widened and I looked up hopefully, "Please tell me he's bringing the pegasuses."