Startled, I consider her words. “Three?”
“Of course,” she replies, a touch arrogantly. “Solandis wouldn’t have it any other way.” She laughs. “Seriously, it was the toughest physical thing I’ve ever had to endure. I didn’t think I’d make it to the end. The only thing that kept me going was having to tell Solandis I lost. Thankfully, I won and got this nifty warning tattoo as my prize.”
“Ahh, the work of Rivan,” I murmur and raise my glass to clink theirs. “To the three champions.”
“Maybe we should make Daire and Astor enter and win,” she says mischievously. “Remind me to ask them when this is all over.”
Theron and I laugh. “Daire would probably do it, but not Astor.”
“Care to wager?” she challenges confidently.
We stare at her sparkling green eyes and beautiful face and shake our heads no. We’re not stupid.
The rest of the evening goes by surprisingly fast, and before I know it, we’re walking back into The Abbey. It was like this the first time too. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s Astor or Theron with me—she’s equally relaxed with all of us. The only tension I’ve seen lately is between her and Astor, but I’m hoping they find their way through it.
She reaches up and pulls Theron into her arms for a hug, thanking him for the dinner. Seeing the two of them together, I can’t help but move closer. My eyes meet his, and I realize he’s balanced on a knife-edge, his need for her driving him crazy. Gripping her waist, he pushes her back toward me, and I inhale sharply when I feel her soft curves line up with my body.
He brings her hand up to his mouth and places a kiss in the center of her palm. Dropping his hands to her waist, he turns her around to face me. When his eyes meet mine, they’re demanding, and I can’t help but shake my head at his willingness to be tortured.
“Thank you for dinner,” Arden murmurs.
Reaching up, she places a soft kiss on my lips, but instead of letting it end, I tilt my head and capture her soft lips with mine. Nibbling a little, I wait until she relaxes, then I deepen the kiss, stroking her tongue with mine until I hear her moan.
Theron takes a half step back, but she places her hands on top of his, holding him behind her. I start to pull back, but she steps forward and pulls my tongue into her mouth, deepening our kiss while simultaneously pulling Theron in tighter against her. The three of us are locked together, her softness teasing both of us, each shift in movement taking me to the edge of my control.
A minute or three later, she draws back and pulls away from us. She glances from Theron to me and back. “Thank you both for an incredible kiss,” she rasps. Smoothing her hands down her dress, she backs away until she’s in the elevator. “Goodnight.”
When the doors close, I drawl, “She’s one hell of a kisser.” I look over at Theron, my eyes simultaneously condemning him for being a fool and encouraging him to stop holding so tightly to his control. “Goodnight.” Whistling, I stroll off, searching for a drink to take the edge off.
23
ARDEN
Idrag myself into Astor’s lab the next morning, where Theron waits for me. The nightly dreams are killing me. I spent all last night fighting dragons and having vivid memories of Valerian’s black beast and a brown one. I must be more worried than I realized about this upcoming visit.
Entering the lab, I find it empty. Astor could only remember which papers had been scanned based on where they lay in his lab, so we need to recreate his piles again. With a spell, I bring the files back to the same spot. Once they’re in place, Theron points to each pile and a new spell scans them all into the computer. Once they’re done, I pack them away in the same boxes they arrived in and close the lids.
Theron is at the computer, a paper in one hand and mouse in the other, following the instructions Astor wrote down. A program comes up with a search box, waiting for his command.
“This is going to take a while,” he states quietly. “Why don’t I call you when I get the search results narrowed down to a more consumable level?” He’s typing various terms into the search box and doesn’t look up.
I reach back and scratch the back of my shoulder. “Okay, if you’re sure?” I wait until he agrees. “I have something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Text when you need me.”
Excitedly, I head toward Daire’s room. This is the perfect time to pull together my surprise. When I enter the dark, dimly lit room, I shudder. Turning on all the lights so I can see, I eye the black walls with distaste. I know where I’m starting first.
I’m going to paint the walls an edgy blue color called Stunning, which I ordered from a paint store nearby. It’s the perfect medium blue, not too dark or light, but modern and luxurious feeling. It reminded me of Daire when I saw it, and it will make a good base for the other blues and greys I intend to add to the room. I wave my hand to get the paintbrushes started and move on to the couch.
I’ve hidden the new furniture in an empty room near mine, so it’s pretty easy to swap everything out. The hideous black leather couch is the first to go, and I replace it with a long, soft grey couch perfect for lounging. Hopefully, it will fit his tall body. I want him to feel like he can take a nap on it, or just sit and relax. Throwing a couple of pillows in various shades of blue, grey, and white on it, along with a soft blanket, I step back and smile.
I replace the rest of the black furniture with new furniture in a light grey wood. The bed gets made up in pillows and bedding similar to the colors on the couch. All his clothes and stuff are placed back in the drawers. And while I’m tempted, I don’t snoop. Although, I did accidentally find pictures of his mom, dad, and Danica stored away in his previous nightstand. With new chrome frames, I place them where he can see them before he goes to sleep.
Last, I remove all the black rugs and replace them with lighter grey ones. Thankfully, the wood flooring underneath is gorgeous.
My phone pings. It’s Theron. Stepping to the door, I study the room for anything I might have missed. The walls are bare, but I think art is too personal to choose for someone else. The room is sophisticated and luxurious, but inviting and sexy too. It says Daire to me, and if he doesn’t like it, it’s easy to change. Only takes an afternoon.
My phone pings again before I can get to the lab. I roll my eyes but don’t reply, since I’m almost there anyway.
“I’m here, so stop texting me,” I say exasperatedly, waving the blank parchment and my mother’s letter in the air. “I stopped to get these. Maybe it will deign to speak to me this time.”
