Anthony rubbed his eyes, sighing. “Neither could I.”
Flynn studied the wolf shifter’s face, almost unable to believe they could agree on something. They sat in a comfortable silence, bonded over the woman that had stolen their hearts.
Anthony ripped a blade of grass from the ground and slowly tore it to shreds. “What did your father think of her time in Olympus?”
For a moment, Flynn didn’t answer. His father’s opinion on pretty much anything was technically a state secret, and he had been trained to respond to such questions with silence. This subject, however, felt like an exception. “He thinks she’s already made her choice.”
“He thinks she’s chosen you?”
Flynn nodded, though he didn’t agree with his father’s assessment. Everything was very much still up in the air, even if Tina did feel at home in Olympus.
“You disagree,” Anthony said, apparently picking up on the unspoken uncertainty.
“I do.”
Anthony dumped the shredded blade of grass out of his hand, and a gust of wind carried the remnants into the air. “I don’t think she can win, no matter who she chooses.”
“What do you mean?”
The wolf prince shrugged. “Between the missing dignitaries and the kings’ struggle to control her power, the losing kingdoms will most likely come after her. Though the five of us will tell our fathers to let her be, they will most likely ignore us. I know my father wouldn’t listen to me if I lost and told him to let her live her life. He would start a war.”
Flynn stiffened, astonished that Anthony would confess something so ugly about his own father and kingdom. “Why would you tell me that?”
Anthony tilted his head, catching Flynn’s eye with a serious glare. “Because we can protect her from it, from everyone involved. You, me, and the other princes can keep her safe, but no one else will try.”
Anthony was absolutely right. Flynn knew that his father would do the same as Anthony’s father, as would Killian’s. These kings didn’t think of Tina as a woman to cherish and protect. To them, she was a possession to be controlled and manipulated into obedience or outright destroyed.
Flynn couldn’t let that happen. “What can we do?”
“We make sure she’s as powerful as possible. We train her. We bed her as much and as often as she wants. Her power comes from sex, and she will need as much of it as she can gather.”
Flynn let out a long, slow sigh and nodded. “She most certainly will.”
45
Tina
Tina reclined in front of Killian’s desk and tapped her cheek, lost in thought. Killian sat in a nearby chair, one arm around her as he pored through a book of notes. His fingers ran lazily through her hair as they researched, and she loved how comfortable he made her feel.
The days in Mersarth had flown by. Tina had spent most of her time with Draven exploring the various surfaces in his bedroom, experimenting to find out which were best for sex, and learning more sexual positions than she thought were possible. Flynn and Anthony had also kept her busy in the best ways, and it seemed as though she had spent the last five days doing nothing but screaming their names as they brought her to orgasm.
A wicked little smile spread across her lips as she gleefully remembered their hands on her: Draven’s wild and feral seduction, Flynn’s powerful body pinning her to the bed, and Anthony’s possessive and protective grip on her thighs.
In Killian’s presence, however, she always felt calm and soothed. He accepted her, quirks and all, exactly as she was. Nothing could rile her when she was near him, and his touch calmed her soul.
Tina returned her attention to the stack of notes in her hand, her eyes roaming the familiar scrawl of Killian’s tight handwriting. Her gaze flickered over a company’s name, and she lingered, wondering where she had read it before.
With a sudden rush of understanding, everything clicked into place.
She gasped, searching for a blank sheet and a pen. When she finally found one, she quickly scribbled notes of her own as she frantically tried to empty her brain onto the page.
“Tina?” Killian’s hand hovered on her back as though he wasn’t sure if touching her would set her off.
“I don’t know why we didn’t see it before,” she said, breathless with excitement. “Every one of the dignitaries that has gone missing so far was last spotted at a public function. Every. Single. One. They all went missing in restaurants or convention centers owned by a single corporation.”
“What? Are you sure?”
Tina nodded, thrilled with her discovery. “Rogers, the dragon emissary, went missing from a bar owned by a subsidiary of Noxxom Corporation. The cat shifter…what’s his name, Anderson? He went missing from a fancy restaurant owned by Richmond Incorporated, one of Noxxom’s newest acquisitions. It goes on and on. Every missing shifter disappeared from a place this corporation owns. Look!”
Killian obliged her, flipping through page after page as an expression of understanding dawned across his handsome face. “This is our first real clue.”
She grinned. “And you said this would be boring!”
“I have to tell Father right away.” Killian whipped out his phone. His fingers flew over the screen, likely shooting off a text to the king of the eagles.
Tina spread out the notes again, wondering what else they might have missed. She nibbled on the end of her fingernail as she studied them, already hooked on the rush of adrenaline that had come with piecing together such an integral part of the puzzle.
In her core, she knew this mattered. This realization was crucial to finding the missing ambassadors. Wherever had happened to these dignitaries, Noxxom Corporation was a part of it.
Killian interrupted her thoughts with a deep kiss. “Tina, I’m so impressed with you.”
With a modest shrug, she abandoned the papers on his desk and wrapped her hands around his neck. “We really did it together.”
“We make a good team.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled warmly, all noble charm and chivalry.
“That we do.” Tina grinned, a mischievous impulse urging her to tease him. She stood, lifting her skirts a little so she could set a knee on either side of him in the large cushioned chair. With a playful smile, she straddled his lap with nothing but her underwear and his zipper between them.
If nothing else, fusing with Damara had certainly made Tina bolder.
Killian held her waist, his grip tightening as she leaned in to kiss him. Beneath her, a bulge in his pants pressed against her inner thigh. With slow and sensual movements, she tilted her hips against him, tormenting her white knight with a bit of naughty fun. He closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure.
“I don’t want to push you into anything,” he said as a happy moan escaped his mouth.
“Oh, my honorable knight,” she said teasingly as she nibbled his earlobe. “You’re not.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I am.” She kissed him, winding her arms around his neck and leaning in until barely an inch separated them.
Slowly, his hands wandered down her back and gripped her ass. He gently squeezed as if savoring every sensation, his tender touch almost hesitant.
Tina could feel his carnal desire battling his gentlemanly nature, so she kissed the spot beneath his ear. “You can give in, Killian.”
He sighed deeply as if that was what he had needed to hear. He reached up her skirt and slid her underwear as far as it would go, not bothering to remove it entirely. Seconds later, he had undone his zipper.
The tip of his cock rested at her entrance, and she almost laughed at his eagerness. He wasn’t even going to take off her clothes.
Tina kissed his neck. “Impatient, hmm?”