“You two be careful,” the sorceress said.
“We will,” I told her with a smile, and then I turned around to head down the stairs.
“Oh, and Rath,” Preyna called after me.
I turned back toward the council member, but as I did, she grabbed hold of my tunic and pulled me to her to capture my mouth with hers.
I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t that.
Chapter 3
Preyna’s lips were pillow soft as she pressed them against mine, and I couldn’t help but move my hands to her waist.
Just as I grabbed onto her, though, she pushed me away, and our lips made a soft popping noise as they parted.
“I’ll see you soon.” She looked at me with intense brown eyes, and then she was gone, and I was left standing outside the castle door with my hands outstretched and my hips pressed against a waist that was no longer there.
“Well,” Eira laughed.
“Oh, I…” I turned to the redhead and blinked, but I couldn’t think of what to say. I hadn’t intended for that kiss to happen, and I certainly hadn’t intended for Eira to see it.
“It’s alright,” she chuckled. “Preyna clearly surprised you with that one.”
“Yes, she did.” I nodded and looked back at the door the sorceress had just disappeared through.
“Come on,” Eira said, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the steps. “We need to get back to Alfheim.”
“I know, you’re right,” I agreed, even though my head was still spinning.
Blar suddenly perked up on my shoulder and reminded me he was there and had witnessed the entire kiss with Preyna.
Eira didn’t say anything else as we walked around the castle to the woods out back, which was good, because all I could think about was the kiss Preyna had just sprung on me. Her lips were so soft, and she tasted floral and sweet, like flower nectar or tea with honey. I wanted more of her, and I knew she wanted more of me.
Once we were far enough away from the castle, Blar opened a portal for us and brought us back to Alfheim only a few hundred yards away from our campsite.
“Well done,” I told the little blue reptile, but he just smacked his lips, hopped off my shoulder, and flew over to the fire by Kas and Asta.
“Hey!” Asta called out to us. “Dinner’s ready!”
“Blar seems to have figured that out already,” Eira laughed.
“He always does,” I chuckled.
We walked over to the fire, and I could smell the aroma of Kas’ cooking. It smelled even better than the last time she’d cooked, so I figured that spell she’d looked up did its job. Otherwise, I probably would have been smelling more burning food than anything else.
“How did it go?” Kas asked as Eira and I approached.
“Preyna kissed Rath,” Eira said coolly, and she turned to flash me a half smile.
“Eira!” My eyes went wide, and I was shocked the warband leader would tell my business so freely.
“Oh, calm down,” the redhead said and rolled her eyes. “We’ve all had you before, they have a right to know.”
My cheeks flushed at her words.
“I knew she wanted you!” Kas said with a grin.
“Oh, definitely.” Asta nodded. “I’m surprised she didn’t do that sooner.”
“Am I the only one who was surprised by this?” I asked.
“Seems like it.” Kas shrugged and turned to Eira. “Did they say you could stay?”
“Of course,” the redhead said. “They said they would replace me indefinitely.”
“Oh, good,” Asta said, and her smile crinkled around her eyes.
“Oh, hey, what did Preyna want to talk to you about when we were there?” Eira asked as she turned back to me.
“It wasn’t about the kiss?” Kas teased.
“That came after,” Eira laughed, but then her eyes darted to my face. “Or did it? Did she kiss you in her chambers, too?”
“No.” I shook my head and sat down by the fire. “She gave me this amulet.”
I pulled the small crystal from under my tunic and held it out for the girls to see.
“How pretty!” Asta said, and she reached out and stroked the stone.
“What does it do?” Kas inquired.
“It lights up when she needs to speak to me,” I explained.
“And when you need to speak to her, too, I’m guessing?” the strawberry-blonde asked.
“That’s right.” I nodded.
“That will be nice to have around,” Kas said. “We’ve needed a way to tell when it’s time to update the council on things.”
“Are you sure she didn’t just give it to you so you’d think about her?” Eira joked.
“Pretty sure,” I retorted with a grin.
“Preyna is so pretty,” Kas sighed. “And she’s nice, too. I like her.”
“Doesn’t everybody?” Eira asked rhetorically.
The golden-haired sorceress had a reputation for being kind, and some even said her beauty rivaled Freya’s. To me, she was even more beautiful, but I certainly wouldn’t say that to the Queen of Asgard.
“Oh!” Asta gasped, and she bounced up and down on the log the girls had turned into a seat. “How did the council like the new baby dragon? I’m sure Svass loved the attention.”
“They loved her, of course,” I said with a smile, and I leaned over to see the little female still curled up around Eira’s neck.
She was so still and pristinely beautiful in her sleep that she almost looked like a golden necklace rather than a living creature.
“She seemed to like Beyer the best,” Eira added.
“Oh, yes, I can see that.” Kas nodded. “Beyer is very calm and soft spoken, I think it would make sense she would like him.”
“But Eira is neither of those things.” Asta tilted her head to
