“Hades's hot balls!” I growled and jerked away from him.
Verin's hand lowered and his lips twitched.
“This isn't funny,” I chided him.
“Hades's balls?” He asked in amused amazement.
“Hades's hot balls,” I corrected then giggled. I ran a hand over my face. “I'm sorry; I not equipped to deal with this right now.”
“Deal with what?” Verin's voice dropped again and drew out the words sensually. It sounded like a challenge.
“Whatever this is.” I waved a hand between us. “What happened to not being interested in sharing a woman?”
He grunted and it happened to be a sound I couldn't translate. Damn him.
“Was that an 'I don't know' grunt or a 'you're right' grunt.”
Verin chuckled. “It's a 'nothing has changed' grunt.”
“I see.” Why did that send a surge of disappointment through me?
“I'm sorry, Elaria. I almost wish I felt differently.”
“Yeah. Me too,” I whispered.
Verin grunted again, turned on his heels, and strode out of the room.
“Okay, that's starting to get annoying again,” I muttered.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I dreamed that Slate was trapped in a bottle and woke with his name on my lips. I sat up, panting through the lingering fear, and stared around the strange room. It took a moment for me to get my bearings. Right; the Jinn Palace. We had that bastard's name which meant we could force him out of Slate and soon, we'd have a place to put him once he was out.
“Hold on, baby,” I whispered to Slate. “Just a little longer.”
I got out of bed, showered, and dressed just in time to respond to a knock on my door. It was Torin.
“We're having breakfast with the Jinn Royals,” Torin said after kissing me good morning. “The others are there already. Did you sleep well?”
I grimaced at him. “I think I should have asked you to join me.”
“Well, now you know better,” he teased then kissed me again.
I took a moment to sink into our kiss and appreciate Torin. My hands coasted over the hard plane of his chest then around to his back. I pulled him closer. Felt his groan vibrate through his chest and into mine. His dark hair fell in a heavy veil against my cheek and his hand slid into my hair to angle my face against his. His kiss held desire but also a hint of desperation. Both emotions brought a violent response from me. I clawed him closer, just as desperate to feel the love he had to offer; to pull it around myself like a shield. Something to protect both of us.
Torin made a low, guttural sound and lifted me. He didn't shove me against the wall; he took all of my weight as if it were his right. Forearms braced under my thighs and hands kneading my ass, Torin held me still and ground his hardening shaft up against me. With my jeans between us, it wasn't enough and I nearly asked him to take us back into the bedroom.
Then I came to my senses.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered as I pulled out of our kiss. “I shouldn't have started that.”
“Don't ever apologize for kissing me,” Torin's smile was tender and a touch adoring as he set me back on my feet. “Just give me a moment to ground some of this... energy.”
I lifted a brow as I stepped back, and he closed his eyes. A brief tingle of magic touched my arms and I baldly watched as his erection diminished. Torin opened his eyes and winked at me.
“Nice trick,” I said with approval.
“It got me through our separation,” he confessed.
“Are you serious?”
“Utterly.” Torin grimaced and held out his hand. “Shall we? I think we've made them wait long enough.”
I took his hand and we started down the corridor.
“Why didn't you fetch me sooner?” I asked him as we quickened our pace. Not run, mind you; running in another royal's palace is generally frowned upon.
“I tried but you didn't answer.” Torin glanced at my damp hair. “I assume you were bathing. If I were a smarter man, I would have gone in and joined you, but I decided against disturbing you.”
“You joining me in the shower would be a disturbance I'd savor.” I grinned, my mood brightening with thoughts of a naked, wet Torin.
“I'll remember that,” he promised with a sly look.
He led me into a grand dining room; ornate but not large enough to host a party in. I assumed it was the Royal Family's private dining chamber, which made this an even greater honor. And I was late with wet hair.
“Your Majesties,” I said as I walked in, “please forgive my tardiness and appearance. I was not expecting you to go through so much trouble for us.”
“No trouble at all and apologies aren't necessary,” King Baha waved my words away. “We've been speaking with your ally, King Verin, and enjoying our morning beverages; no one has suffered hunger pains in your absence.”
I inclined my head gratefully and took the seat Torin held out for me; one directly across from the Jinn Royals and between him and Declan. I murmured a good morning to everyone and nodded to the servant who offered me coffee. The aroma was enough to kick-start my brain.
“I assume your son has told you our good news?” I asked the King.
“Yes. Thus my smiling face.” King Baha chuckled as he waved at his grin. “Queen Elaria, you've given us hope when we had
