“Slow,” he commanded and I swallowed.

I put my hands to the bed, then my knees and did as ordered, the whole way my eyes to his hand working his cock.

I got to my destination and felt his other hand cup the side of my face. I guessed what that meant and stilled so he could he feed himself to me. I guessed right. Shifting the tip to my lips, his hand at my face slid up into my hair and put gentle pressure on until I took him inside.

His voice was thick when he whispered, “That’s it, dove.”

He was right.

That was it.

Or it was for right then.

I would get a whole lot more later.

* * * * *

Later, I remembered Brunskar because I’d cl**axed, so had Apollo, his “seed” was seeping out of me and his hand was smoothing over my hip when he murmured, “Brunskar.”

“Yes?” I prompted when he said no more.

His arms closed around me and he gathered me closer so we were pressed front to front on our sides.

“The Drakkars, save Frey and his two brothers, are a vicious lot, greedy, lascivious and spiteful. Some are even cruel. They like to play and their favorite toys are people.”

Wonderful. More good news about the Drakkars.

Ugh.

“Draven kind of warned me about them,” I shared.

“Good,” he muttered. “I would have done the same but I’ve been struggling with whether or not to take you to the gale. Being here, the feel of the place, which I forgot just how unpleasant it could be, I think not.”

That surprised me and I tipped my head back to look at the firelight playing on the angles of his face.

“Seriously?”

He looked down at me. “I do not like the idea of my dove being toyed with.”

God, that was sweet.

“Ilsa,” I whispered, telling him I knew what he was talking about.

He nodded. “That will be fodder, I’m certain. But they don’t need it.”

“I’ll be okay,” I assured him, though I wasn’t exactly assured myself. That said, I knew I would be okay in the end.

Because he’d make me that way.

This realization pretty much rocked my world but I couldn’t give into that feeling when Apollo kept talking.

“I don’t want you just to be okay. I want you to feel safe and that will not be safe.”

“Honey,” I slid my hand up his chest to curl it around his neck, “I’ve endured far worse than mean people.”

“Yes, you have,” he agreed. “But that does not mean you need to continue to do it.”

“What I’m saying is, that kind of thing doesn’t faze me. And the Ilsa thing, it’s not like I haven’t had practice dealing with that too.”

He made no reply.

I pressed closer. “Does it occur to you that I don’t want you to go into what Draven called a den of vipers alone either?”

He sounded surprised when he asked, “You seek to protect me?”

“Well, you’re a big guy who can look out for himself. But still. Unpleasant situations are a lot easier to deal with for anyone when they have someone at their back. Or in this case, on their arm.”

At that, his hand slid up to my neck, then into my hair and he pressed my face in his throat while his other arm gave me a squeeze and I felt his lips at the top of my hair.

“I take it that means I’m going,” I guessed.

“I have still to decide.”

I sighed

Then I pulled out the big guns.

“If you don’t let me go, I can’t wear one of my kickass gowns. I’ve been looking forward to wearing one of those gowns since I saw them in Vasterhague. And with us at war, if we’re not at some gale where intrigues are happening and conspirators are conniving, where am I going to wear my gowns?”

He chuckled, taking the pressure off my head so I could tip it back. The instant I did, he moved in and gave me a sweet deep kiss with tongues.

When he was done, slightly breathless and tucked very close, I asked, “So, am I going?”

“I wouldn’t wish to deprive you of your chance to wear your,” he paused, “kickass gown.”

“Awesome,” I whispered and he wrapped both arms around me even as I felt his body move with his silent laughter.

When he was done, he whispered, “Sleep, dove.”

“Okay, baby.”

At that, I got another squeeze and closed my eyes.

Minutes later, I slept.

* * * * *

I felt the bed move and my eyes fluttered open.

This was because Apollo was joining me which made me groggily wonder why he hadn’t been with me. He never left me, except to feed fuel on the fire.

I had no idea what time it was. I just knew I’d been dead asleep. I also knew his body seemed strangely cold when it moved into mine, colder than it would be just leaving the covers. And last, I knew he had something on his mind and I also knew what that was with the way he moved into me. That was to say, shifting me to my back, covering me and rocking his h*ps until my legs opened and they fell through.

“Baby?” I called, sounding sleepy and confused because I was both.

His hand found mine and guided it between us, straight to his hard cock.

Yep. I knew what was on his mind.

“Baby,” I whispered.

“Guide me inside, poppy,” he whispered back and I did what he asked.

Once I’d positioned the tip, he took over, sliding slowly in the rest of the way.

My neck arched as he filled me and I wrapped myself around him.

His lips went to the skin under my ear; he moved his h*ps and started stroking.

My lips went to his ear and I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“It is now,” he answered.

I didn’t think he meant it was because he was making love to me.

But I didn’t get to ask him to clarify.

His hand came to my face, tilted it his way and he kissed me, slow, sweet, wet and deep.

I kissed him back the same way.

And the same way, he made love to me, building the burn, taking his time, then taking us both there.

I gasped my cl**ax into his mouth.

He groaned his into mine.

When we both came down, he rolled us to our sides but kept one of my legs hitched over his hip so he had an easier reach to stroke my ass.

“Sleep, Maddie,” he urged.

I’d just come. It was sweet but it was hard. And I was wrapped around Apollo and he was stroking my ass.

So he didn’t have to urge me to sleep because seconds after he did, I was there.

Chapter Nineteen

Intrigue Always Has Consequences