The Princess of Terrasen

Ch. 10

Aella's mate froze. He gaped at her.
"What"
"I am the lost princess of Terrasen"
"But-" he cut himself off and took a few minutes to think "Holy rutting hell"
Aella snorted but couldn't exactly meet his eyes as she murmured
"I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry"
"Why in hell would you tell me sooner? But that's not the issue here, Aella."
"Is it an issue?" She asked against his skin, not daring to look up. The words made her feel too vulnerable.
He laughed softly and tilted her chin up. And Aella couldn't breathe as he kissed her, slowly, sweetly.
"No part of you is an issue for me. It never was and it never will be." He said against her lips. Despite not kissing, they stayed like that, faces close and lips brushing each other's. Aella couldn't find the words to tell him how beautiful those words were, so she crowned them both in gold flames that danced. That did not burn or threaten, but cleanse and create.
"I love you, you know?"
"Do you now?" He lowered his mouth to Aella's in a kiss- merely a brushing off their lips. His elongated canines scraped her lip and she sucked in a breath.
"I do" she murmured, drawing even closer. So close that she was in his lap, hands tangled in his hair. He only smiled, all teeth and wickedness and she laughed darkly, lowering her mouth to his.

--

"Aella Astern, what is it you want from us?" the Grand Empress asked her, chin high, imperious and regal. A true queen. 

"I give you information about Aiyra Galathynius. You let me stay here for two months."

"When can we expect this information?"

"At the end of the time period."

"Swear it."

Aella rolled her eyes, even though her knife was slicing across her palm before the Empress had finished her sentence. 

"I swear it." she said evenly. Her parents already knew. She had told them. Nesryn Faliq knowing would make no difference. Especially not once she was dead at the bottom of the sea. 

"Very well then, Aella. you have permission to remain in my city."

Aella refrained from mentioning she could blast her precious city off the face of this world, or send it to the bottom of the sea, encased in a block of ice. So she plastered on a gracious smile before turning on her hell and walking out. 

Most of the reason she had lied to Deanna was so she could spend time with her mate, but something told her the city would offer her something today. So she told Sebastian to get ready, strapped on enough weapons to look like a living armoury and refused the horse they offered her. A horse attracted too much attention. So would her weapons, but that was expected of her. If she had been hiding, the Empress would have been suspicious. So she did not bother with a cloak, only wearing witch leathers she had stolen from a witch who was to be killed the next day. 

The memory brought a smile to Aella's face. The witch had fought like a demon, becoming one of the only people who had actually given Aella a decent fight. It had mostly just been Aella shouting 'I know you have an extra pair somewhere just rutting give them to me!' while the witch tried to claw her face off.

Good times.

"So what, exactly are we looking for?" Sebastian asked, gripping her hand.

"I'm not sure," she pulled at the skin on her lip, ripping it slightly as she glanced into an alleyway.

Her mate sighed, tugging her to a stop as he lowered his forehead to hers.

"You know there's nothing here anymore, right? The Valg demons are gone. They were extracted from their hosts by the Torre Cesme healers and Yrene Towers turned them all to dust by killing their king."