Chapter 184

We touched down in Crescentshire at nearly bedtime, thanks to the time change. Being so far away from the city and its pollution, the air outside was cool, crisp, and loaded with the sticky, sappy scent of early spring. Here, we parted ways with Gwen. She took a rideshare back to Brindle Cove while the rest of us continued on to our hotel in Crescent Shire.

The moment Charles and I found ourselves alone, he grabbed me, wrapping his strong arms around me and holding me so my back was against his chest. He palmed my breasts, and a purring growl rumbled deep in his chest.

“You smell so unbelievably good.”

Charles pressed his nose to my neck and took turns sniffing, kissing, and gently biting.

I pressed my hips back into his, sharing his excitement. The last time we’d had sex, we’d snuck it while waiting for the king. It had been all bittersweet. Now I wanted the heat back.

He stumbled over me, pushing me toward the desk. Then he bent me over the smooth wood, tossed my skirt up over my hips, and pulled my panties off to the side.

When the smooth head of his penis touched my slit, I squirmed sideways, away from him. “Condom,” I gasped out.

He snarled and moved away from me. “Don’t move,” he ordered.

I pressed my cheek to the cool wood of the desk. I felt strangely hot, and not just in my lady parts. The polished wood felt good against my skin.

Charles returned a moment later, naked and wearing a condom. He positioned himself behind me again, and though I expected his entry, I gasped at the strength of his thrust. It pushed me forward, sliding across the slick surface of the desktop.

He kept one hand on my hip, and with the other, he gripped my shoulder, using my own body as leverage to ram himself inside. His hips and balls slapped against my body with each thrust. And he grunted with the exertion.

When I couldn’t stand the hard line of the desk edge in my legs anymore, I pushed away from the desk. Charles took the hint and swiveled me toward the bed, keeping our hips locked together and his length buried deep inside.

His next set of movements were designed to drive us both wild with desire, short bursts, and angled movements. One stiff, upward movement sent him over the edge. He plunged faster, then stiffened in release.

My heart constricted. He hadn’t waited for me. But I shouldn’t have worried. He replaced his cock with his fingers. He used both hands, running his fingers around my slick and sensitive skin until I pitched forward, crying out into the bedding. My legs shook, so I trembled the whole way onto my back to gaze up at him.

Out of nowhere, my stomach cramped, and I scrambled off the bed, dashing for the toilet and barely making it before I heaved up the snacks I’d eaten on the plane.

When I returned to the bed, Charles eyed me, nose wrinkled. “I’m really glad we didn’t do any mouth kissing, and I stayed behind you that time. Are you all right?”

“Probably. I feel off but not particularly sick.”

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to sleep on the pull-out couch tonight.”

I climbed in the bed and pulled the covers over me. “Thanks for letting me have the bed,” I mumbled.

I woke in the morning and threw up once more, splashed water on my face, and prepared to do my interview. I couldn’t imagine the Luna queen having so much free time she could just fit me in again. I was lucky she had squeezed me into her schedule so quickly this time.

I packed a mask in my purse just to be polite. Thank goodness this wasn’t going to be a live interview. No one would see me under the weather except the queen.

I expected that the queen would be housed in some summer or winter palace. Like Brindle Cove. Crescentshire included picturesque waterfront property. Instead, we drove west of the city, through rural countryside. Here, the only hint of the coming spring was the fact that the grass in the fields was starting to green. Otherwise, all of the trees and shrubs were still bare, though the limbs were red with buds.

Since only I was cleared to interview with the queen, Charles and David had taken the day to go down to Brindle Cove and visit his mother. Theo drove the rental car since we were told we were not allowed to give the address to a rideshare or a cab company.

“There’s a good chance I’m not going to be allowed to come in with you,” he warned. “Just like when we visited the king. But this time, I won’t leave the property without you. Even if I have to sneak back on.”

“Don’t do that,” I said. “I wouldn’t want you to get arrested or worse for trying to sneak onto the property.”

“I worry about you.”

“I know you do. I almost wish you could have gone with Charles and David today. I know they’re worried about me, especially Charles. But at least they have an activity to distract them. You’re going to have nothing to do but sit around and worry. Just don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”

He grinned at me. “I’ll try not to.”

Queen Yarrow’s estate turned out to be nestled in the rolling countryside. The building looked like a stately manor, and a seaside cottage had a baby. For a residence as large as it was, it looked surprisingly cozy.

A valet met us at the entrance and took the keys from Theo to park the car. Just inside the door, a man’s servant greeted us.

“Your bodyguard will have to wait in the library,” he informed us.

Theo shot me a look to say he told me so. Then he followed the manservant, and I waited awkwardly in the foyer. Polished wood shone in the soft light from sculpted wall sconces. Beneath my feet, stretch plush carpet. The whole space had a very hushed and cozy feel.

After a couple of minutes, the manservant returned and bowed to me. “This way.”

I followed him down the same hallway he’d taken Theo. I scanned the space, observing everything. It wasn’t a particularly long hallway. Then again, the place wasn’t a full-sized mansion, either, just a very large house.

A set of double, dark, polished wood doors must have led to the library. They were the only ones grand enough for such a room. One door past this, he opened a smaller door of the same wood. Inside was a study room, and at the desk sat the queen.

I recognized Queen Yarrow from the media, but most of the images out there were of a much younger queen. The woman who sat before me had worry lines surrounding her eyes, streaks of gray through her hair, and an aura of survival.

“Please take a seat, Miss Laurentia,” she offered.

I sat in the chair opposite her and, like with the king, waited for her to open the conversation.

“There’s only one reason I can think of that would bring the most lauded reporter in Orlune to my doorstep. You’ve tangled with the Alpha King.”

I nodded.

“It didn’t unfold in your favor.” She cast a grim smile in my direction. “It never does with King James. Then again, he’s playing with loaded dice.” She pressed one finger to her lips and eyed me. “I’ve been trying to figure out where you stand ever since you called me. Do you believe my husband’s lies? Or do you seek truth?”

“Always the truth,” I answered without hesitation.

“Then, my intrepid little reporter… I have a favor to ask of you. In return, I’ll tell you absolutely everything.”