[Somewhere in Dragos]
[Zerathul’s - Lana’s new husband PoV]
I leaned back in my chair, idly running my fingers over the surface of an ancient scroll. The runes shimmered faintly, shifting each time my Essence brushed against them. Interesting enough to keep me entertained... but not thrilling. Very little thrilled me in Dragos anymore.
A soft knock tapped at the door.
"Enter," I said without looking up.
The door opened and Serana, my personal attendant, stepped inside. Her movements were smooth, every gesture trained to display respect without seeming fearful. Today she wore a fitted black dress that wrapped tightly around her waist and hips before flowing down her legs. Thin straps crossed over her shoulders, leaving most of her back exposed, the faint glow of her crimson skin tracing elegant patterns beneath the fabric.
Her horns were polished, her silver hair braided neatly over one shoulder, and her eyes stayed lowered as she bowed.
"My lord," she began carefully, "an order has arrived from the War Council. They request your presence on the front lines."
I paused mid-scroll.
Front lines?
Already?
I finally lifted my eyes to her. "Didn’t we agree on six months of relief duty? It has been... four." My tone sharpened. "Are they incapable of counting, or simply incapable?"
She shifted nervously. "The situation on the northern front has worsened. Your exemption has been... revoked."
I let out a slow, irritated breath. "Of course it has." I closed the scroll and set it aside. "The Council remembers I exist only when some existential disaster comes clawing at their door."
She swallowed. "I tried negotiating—"
"Did you?" I cut in, stepping closer. "Or did you simply repeat what they told you and hope I wouldn’t question it?"
Her cheeks colored. "I....I did my best, my lord."
I hummed, amused despite my irritation. "Their timing is terrible. I had plans for this month." My gaze drifted over her, deliberately slow, enjoying the way her breath hitched. "Several of them involved you."
Her face went crimson. Her breath hitched as my finger traced the line of her cheek. I dragged it slowly down her neck, stopping just above the edge of her dress, then slid upward until it rested lightly against her lips.
She swallowed, audibly. Her eyes never left mine.
I enjoyed that look on her face... the mix of hunger and restraint. It always amused me how easily desire made even disciplined demons falter.
But then a flicker of Essence brushed against my senses.
Not just anyone. Her.
Lana’s presence was unmistakable, humming with that stolen fortune she carried like perfume. She was drawing close to my chamber with her usual confidence.
I sighed and withdrew my hand.
"Go," I said quietly.
Serana blinked, confused at the sudden shift, but she bowed instantly. "Yes, my lord."
She hurried out, the door closing behind her just as Lana’s aura pressed against the hallway like a cold wind.
I straightened my robe, irritation simmering in my chest.
If Lana was coming here without sending word first...then something must have gone wrong on Armus.
Slowly, I smiled. I always enjoyed it when Lana needed my help. At least something good would come out of this irritating day.
She entered without knocking, walking in with her usual confidence. I leaned back in my chair again and waited. She wore tight black leggings and a top that barely covered what it needed to. Her breasts were almost 80% visible and jiggled as she walked inside. Lana always knew the effect she had and never hesitated to use it.
Her heels stopped clicking two steps from my chair.
"My plans in Armus have gone astray," she said immediately. "Someone interfered. I need your help to complete the final part of the plan."
I shifted into a wounded expression. "Is that all I am to you now? Not a husband, just a reliable tool?"
A flicker of hurt crossed her eyes. Whether real or well-crafted, I could never tell.
"It’s not like that, Zerathul. I’ve been overwhelmed with Armus and the frontlines. I was planning to visit you before this happened."
I nodded slowly, pretending to accept her excuse, then stood and stepped closer. I brushed her hair behind her ear, holding her gaze.
"But I’m not satisfied with that answer," I murmured. My hand moved behind her back, tracing her shape all the way down to her hips. "Since when did Armus matter more than me?"
She shifted slightly as I pulled her closer.
"You are the priority," she whispered. "Everything I’m doing is so I don’t embarrass you."
I hummed softly and leaned closer to her ear while my hand grabbed her tight ass from behind.
She trembled as my breath brushed against her ear and I smiled at her reaction.
"Lana," I said, my voice low, "what if I tell you I want you right now, not the problem you brought to me?"I turned her around and pulled her against me, my body pressing firmly against her back. Her spine arched on instinct as I leaned in, my breath trailing slowly down the curve of her neck.
She tried to steady her voice. "But the situation is urgent—"
She began saying her voice barely audible before I interrupted her by sinking my teeth in her neck and biting it. My hands moved and tore the upper cloth away completely displaying her perky breast to the air as I began fondling them.
"Yes, what is the urgency?" I asked as I played around with them.
Her breath turned uneven.
"I need your help authorizing the envoy to request support from Dragos," she managed to say. "Officially, it will be framed as settling a dispute among the families."
"Consider it done," I said. "I’ll have Serana send the authorization."
She looked up at me, uncertainty flickering in her expression. "The Council will trace it back to me if you authorize it directly. Can you manage that?"
I grinned.
"If you can handle what I’m about to do with you," I whispered, "I can handle a few annoyed councilors."
I picked her up without effort and walked toward the bedroom, ideas already unfolding in my mind about exactly how I planned to use the time she had come begging for.