Knightqueen (Oronis Knights #3)

His husky rumble vibrated deep within her. “Would you do something if you could?”

He leaned in, his mouth at her ear. “I can’t fight what I feel for you any longer, Carys. I would do whatever my queen demands. Not because of duty. Not because you ordered it. But because all I want is to please you.”

Heat coiled in her belly. “Sten.”

His palm spread over her belly. “Behave.”

“Things will change between us,” she said.

“I know.”

This time, she didn’t hear any hesitation in his voice.

The hills suddenly gave way to a flat plane. Carys glanced back at the forbidding mountains behind them. They weren’t free yet, but this felt a step closer.

Her mouth flattened. Then the Gek’Dragar would feel the might of the Oronis.

The glimmer of the ocean got closer, and she saw several small plumes of smoke curling upward.

“That is our village,” Azulon said. “Once, we called the mountains home, but then everything changed.”

“The Gek’Dragar,” she said quietly.

The Ti-Lore nodded. “The Gek’Dragar.”

The chiru walked on, the warriors murmuring between themselves. The path widened and the settlement came into view.

All the buildings were circular huts with domed roofs. They were made from bricks and some sort of woven straw. Colorful fabric flapped on lines strung between buildings.

Women, men, and children came out to greet them. They were all tall and lean, with dark-red skin and black hair, and wearing clothes with touches of fur. Most of the Ti-Lore were young. There were some elders, but not many.

The kids ran alongside the chiru. Some were scooped up by warriors.

“They’re a peaceful people.” She felt so much sorrow for them. “Their world and way of life have been destroyed by the Gek’Dragar.”

“They’re survivors. They haven’t let it warp them.”

The chiru stopped in the center of the village. Carys saw the villagers shoot her and Sten curious looks. Sten swung off the animal, then gripped her waist and lifted her down.

She saw Azulon talking to a woman with long, silky, black hair. The white markings on her face ran up her cheeks and were more delicate than those on the men. Then Malthor ran toward her, and she hugged the boy hard.

Then the woman looked up and caught Carys’ gaze. “Thank you for helping my son.”

Carys nodded. “It was our pleasure. And he helped us in return.”

“Carys, Sten,” Azulon said, “this is my sister, Nythoria.”

“How did you come to Ti-Lore?” Nythoria asked.

“As prisoners of the Gek’Dragar,” Carys answered.

A rumble of exclamation ran through the villagers. The woman’s eyes widened. “You escaped their prison?”

Carys nodded. “Yes.”

Azulon stepped forward. “It was you who destroyed it?”

“Not us.” Sten shook his head. “We just escaped in the chaos of the attack.”