“Drae—”
“—I told you to be careful of—”
“Sister, please—”
“—you took him back to bed?!—”
“Will you—”
“—What happened? Did he lure you with his stupid jokes?”
“Oh, what did you think was going to happen?” Nyssa suddenly spat exaggeratedly at her.
Aydra’s words ceased, and she felt her brows raise on her face at her sister’s scolding rolled eyes.
“You tell me I can’t have something, I’m obviously going to go after it!” Nyssa continued.
The defiance written in Nyssa’s features made Aydra’s chest swell. Aydra shook her head, feeling her lips slowly twist upwards as the words her sister had just said repeated in her head.
“Something tells me she didn’t have do much ‘going after’,” came Dorian’s amused mutter.
“Shut up, Dorian,” they said at the same time.
A laugh sounded under Aydra’s breath when she turned back around, and she met Nyssa’s gaze. “That’s the first time you’ve truly stood up to me,” she mused.
Nyssa inhaled deeply, and Aydra watched as a small, yet nervous, smile lit up her sister’s face. “I’m learning,” she managed in a breath.
Aydra grinned. “Yeah? How did it feel?” she mocked.
Nyssa’s chest began to heave, gaze darting between Aydra and Draven standing behind her. “Terrifying,” she admitted, “but a good terrifying?” Her voice was high-pitched, as though she were fighting anxiety. She started shaking her hands, nerves suddenly possessing her. “If that makes sense. I—”
Aydra laughed as her sister steadied herself. “It does make sense,” she told her. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her sister. She hugged her tight and then pulled back a few moments later, holding Nyssa’s face in her hands.
“I’m going to kill him,” Aydra said with a full grin on her face.
“You’re not,” Draven said, sinking his arm around Aydra’s shoulders as she dropped her hands from Nyssa. “If I remember correctly, your sister can decide the right sort of man for herself,” he added with a wink at Nyssa. “Besides, Nadir would somehow charm his way back into your good graces before you got the drop on him.”
An audible sigh left Aydra’s lips, and she reluctantly resigned the notion. “Fine.”
Dorian came up beside them then. The grin on his face was spread into his features. He started to reach for Nyssa’s chin so he could see the marks on her throat, but Nyssa slapped his hands.
“Ass,” Nyssa muttered.
Dorian chuckled under his breath and held out his arm for her to take. “Come on, let’s go get you that food for you to take back to bed.”
The pair started off down the hall, Nyssa shoving his arm off her after a few moments and Dorian laughing at her as they playfully argued down the tunnel.
Aydra was still in shock. Draven laughed and pressed his lips to her temple. “Leave it,” he urged her. “She can take care of herself.”
Aydra hugged her arms over her chest. “That’s what I’m worried about,” she admitted. “They’re growing up too fast.”
“Nineteen. A great war on our horizon. I’d be worried if they weren’t,” Draven told her.
She hated that he was right. “True.” She sighed and took his hand then, taking another look around the room as the servants went back to putting things out for the meeting. “Let’s go get some food. I think they’ve things handled—Hey, Willow—” she called to her lady “—if you need us, we’ll be in the kitchen. Please do not deviate from where I’ve placed everyone. My axe was sharpened yesterday and I’ve been itching to strike it through something.” She paused and looked around the room at the Dreamers who stared at her. “You’ve been warned.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
AYDRA CHOSE THE pantsuit outfit to wear to the meeting.
The black pants hugged her curves, and the thick peplum caped shirt clung to her torso until it flared out and away from her hips. Draven placed the crown on her head as she was dressed, and she nervously turned her ring three times around her finger before they set out of her room.
“Stop fidgeting,” Draven said under his breath as they walked.
“I’m not,” she argued as she stretched her fingers at her sides.
He smirked sideways at her and shook his head. “Liar.”
Her jaw clenched as they reached the Great Hall. “Shut up.”
The Council was already seated around the table, with the Dreamer captains. The Blackhands and Honest were mingled in the corner, the Nitesh standing off to the side speaking with Nyssa. Aydra and Draven greeted them with hugs and smiles. Aydra’s nerves stayed bottled up, only waning just slightly when she spotted Dorian talking to Nadir.
She slipped out of the Blackhands’ conversation to go and hug her brother. Dorian kissed her cheek and then gave her a tight lipped smile.
“Why did you sit me next to him?” he said without moving his mouth.
“Because you can handle it,” she argued, keeping the smile on her own face. She gave him a wink and pressed her palm to his cheek. “Just keep him from engulfing all of us in flames.”
Nadir came up then, smiling widely as he gripped onto Dorian’s shoulders and shook them jovially. “Sun Queen,” he uttered. “What is on our agenda for this meeting? Trading routes and food or are we speaking of our beloved ships?”
Aydra’s arms crossed over her chest, and she raised a brow at his smiling figure. “Nadir, tell me something,” she said, stepping closer to him.
Dorian slipped out of Nadir’s grasp just as Aydra reached him.
“What’s the last thing I said to you yesterday when you arrived?” she asked, voice edging.
Nadir sat his chin in his hand, and he looked up at the ceiling as though he were recounting their words. “You introduced me to your brother.”
Aydra grabbed the napkin off the table. “I told you—” she smacked his arm three times “—don’t—go near—my—sister!”
Nadir winced and blocked her blows. “What—she came on to me!” he whispered fast. “I was weak!”
Aydra glared at him. “Sure you were,” she mumbled. “And my sister is terrified of everything. There’s no way she would have come on
